This week: Once in a Blue Moon Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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Once in a blue moon someone like you comes along.
—Van Morrison
Blue moon you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own.
—Lorenz Hart |
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There's a Blue Moon next month.
No, the Moon won't look blue. Probably. That does happen, but even more rarely, and mostly unpredictably. It has something to do with atmospheric conditions here on Earth.
The folkloric Blue Moon is the third full moon in a season containing four full moons. It's likely you've heard a different definition, but that one is erroneous. "Season" refers to the time between a solstice and an equinox, or vice-versa; usually, you only get three full moons in a season, and various cultures had names for these full moons: Harvest Moon, Wolf Moon, Cold Moon, Strawberry Moon, etc. You often see them associated with calendar months, but that, too, is incorrect, as these labels for full moons (in their original languages) predated the Gregorian calendar.
I think of the Blue Moon as kind of a leap moon, helping to realign the lunar calendar with the solar, seasonal one.
So, what makes this a Blue Moon? Well, here in 2024, coordinated with the Gregorian calendar and US Eastern Time (which is Writing.Com official time):
Solstice, 20 June 16:50
Full Moon, 21 June 21:08
Full Moon, 21 July 6:17
Full Moon, 19 August 14:26
Full Moon, 17 September 22:34
Equinox, 22 September 20:43
This means the Blue Moon is the one on August 19. One can only occur in February, May, August, or November; never any other calendar month. And it never coincides with the false definition of Blue Moon.
Obviously, with the moment of peak fullness occurring at 2:26 in the afternoon, those of us in or anywhere near that time zone won't get to see it at that time. But that hardly matters; it'll look full enough the night before, and the night after. Assuming, of course, clouds don't get in the way.
There's nothing special about its appearance, either. But it's never a bad idea to take the time to gaze at the Moon.
If you've made it this far, you may be wondering what this has to do with the Fantasy newsletter. Fair. Consider, though, that much Fantasy literature is based on folklore and mythology. Also, you may be writing about other worlds with different calendars and astronomical cycles. Perhaps even multiple suns and/or moons. Cultures on those worlds would have developed their own folklore and mythology, different from ours. Looking at other real-world examples might give us the inspiration we need to come up with our own. |
Some Fantasy for your enjoyment:
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Last time, in "Drinks" , I discussed some of the cultural aspects of libations.
s  : In the US, life seems to centre around the Church and associated rituals. In Australia, it is based around the pub and associated rituals. Maybe that is why in my fantasy world I have conflated the two, with a lot of religious elements being found in taverns and public houses.
It's more like coffee houses here, much to my dismay, because I'd rather socialize at a bar, on those rare occasions when I choose to socialize at all.
NaNoNette  : In one of my fantasy stories, I had a character get his bottle of fairy wine taken away and emptied out into the sink as a form of punishment.
That's alcohol abuse. Also, no one deserves that.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : In my John Wrangler stuff, I use something called Strong Juice - a catch-all fermented fruit juices by Feral Humans basically. Feral humans use it as a trade item, for medicine, and as part of a way of showing the dead respect - where they pour some upon the remains of the dead, to make sure the spirit crosses over, and doesn't haunt the living.
The "pour one out for the fallen" cultural thing happens in consensus reality, too, and, unlike the last comment, doesn't qualify as alcohol abuse in my opinion.
GeminiGem🐾  : Cultural differences are definitely interesting. I had a German co-worker who was horrified to see me adding lots of ice to my water. What she didn't know was that I added ice to everything: water, coffee, soda, even wine. Yes, I said wine. I had to swear my sister-in-law to secrecy so the rest of my wine-snob family wouldn't find out.
I'm a wine snob and I find that blasphemous. (Okay, no, seriously, you like what you like.)
Beholden  : Thank you very much for including my short story, A Remote Chance, in your Editor's Picks section.
Most welcome!
So that's it for me for July! See you after the Blue Moon. Until then,
DREAM ON!!! |
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Fantasy: July 24, 2024 Issue [#12650]
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