The Gobbler is published eight times a year, at the beginning and middle of each solar season. The seasons are defined by our path around the sun, so the equinoxes and solstices fix the beginning and end of each: March 20, Spring Equinox (when day is as long as night); June 21, Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year); September 23, Autumn Equinox (when night is as long as day); and December 21st, Winter Solstice (the longest night).
We noticed that the height of each season occurred near its center, at least in this part of country. Counting the days, we used the midpoint of each season as a division point to identify and emphasize this seasonal peak.
Here the bleakest days of winter are more likely in early February, around the time of Ground Hogs Day or Candlemas than on December 21st. Even though March 21 is the official first day of Spring, it is often cold with snow still on the ground. The midpoint of the season comes around May Day and is the essence of spring; flowers are blooming,birds are nesting and the air is balmy. The dog days of summer come in early August rather than on the first
day of summer. The leaves have barely begun changing color yet on September 23rd, but near Halloween is the epitome of autumn.
There are prehistoric traditions of celebrating the changing seasons at these eight times. Most of the Christian holidays are dated close to pagan holidays marking the solstices, equinoxes, and their midpoints. In the calendar we lay out each of these eight solar phases into its moon quarter phase. So instead of the somewhat arbitrary months and weeks of the traditional calendar, ours is divided into the natural solar and lunar phases. Back on the home
page is a list of the solar phases, the names we have given them, and the dates they begin.
| Mar 20 - May 4 |
Spring |
Bud |
| May 5 - Jun 19 |
|
Flower |
| Jun 20 - Aug 5 |
Summer |
Growth |
| Aug 6 - Sep 21 |
|
Bounty |
| Sep 22 - Nov 5 |
Autumn |
Blaze |
| Nov 6 - Dec 20 |
|
Feast |
| Dec 21 - Feb 3 |
Winter |
Crystal |
| Feb 4 - Mar 19 |
|
Thaw |
The Lunar Phases
Moon Phases are also part of our calendar. In modern times, the year has been divided into months and weeks. The weeks relate to the quarter phases of the moon's 28 day cycle, but the months relate to the sun cycles of solstices, equinoxes and the four seasons. Thus the months are not 28 days, but instead range from 28 to 31 days, so there are not a constant number of moon cycles in a solar year. Our calendar features the full, waning, new and waxing
moons on the outside of the wheel. They are our weeks. In the Native American tradition, we have named each moon. Some of the names, like Strawberry and Popping Tree, come from Seneca Indian tradition (part of the Iroquois confederacy and our local tribe). One name from Western European culture has survived even in our industrial society - The Harvest Moon.
We divided the year into 13 equal fixed periods. Each as close to 28 days as we could make them. But From full moon to full moon is 29.5 days. The technique we use for determining a moon's name is to see which fixed period it falls in. See the list below. Note that any period may occasionally be skipped when the full moon "straddles" the upper and lowe dates of a period.