On March 7th at around 1:40 p.m. the Lenzmond (which corresponds to the worm moon) is full.
If the cat doesn't know today whether it wants to go in or out, your focus doesn't want to last long at work, or some seem a little nervous, clumsy, or irritable today... it could be the moon.
Full Moon in winter
Before the calendar
In ancient cultures, each full moon was given a name. Old German month names show that this was also the case in Europe.
While the Gregorian calendar in use today uses the solar year as the starting point for calculating time, a lunar calendar is based on the length of lunar cycles - i.e. the time span from one new moon or full moon to the next. The moon names are usually based on seasonal characteristics in nature (e.g. snow moon or storm moon) and important seasonal dates of agriculture (e.g. harvest moon or fall moon) or hunting (e.g. beaver moon or buck moon).
The Moon as a Timepiece
The term "month" itself is derives from "moon". In Old High German around the 8th century the month was called mānōd. Moon, month (*mēnōt- 'month, moon') can be attached to the root *mē- 'to measure'. As a temporal orientation, it designates the period between full moon and full moon, at the same time also the moon, which serves as a timekeeper.
Primstaven winter side: The primstav is a eternal calendar ("evighetskalender") made of wood or exceptionally another hard material. Notches and symbols on the main staff denote fixed dates that can be attributed to a modern calendar. Each day is marked with an incised notch or line, and every seventh day has an additional mark. Public holidays and anniversaries are marked with special symbols. (Image: Audun Dybdahl)
The term primstav is related to the Norse word prim. The first word associated with the golden number is the number of the year in the 19-year lunar cycle. The next two in the spirit of lunar resurgence. Golden numbers are rare in Scandinavian prime numbers. And the word Prim is the Norse word for new moon. Stav means staff. The new moon was once the basis for counting time. Another term for the calender rod can be found in Old Norse: prímstafr.
Primstaven Summer Page: The main function of the main system is to keep the calendar in order within the year, so that one knows when the year begins and whether it is a leap year. The Primstav is turned to the summer side on April 14th and to the winter side on October 14th.
In the eastern Alpine countries and in Scandinavia, such simple stick calendars survived until the end of the Middle Ages and later included the Christian holidays. (Image: Audun Dybdahl)
Calendar
The Julian calendar is one of the oldest solar calendars and a forerunner of the Gregorian calendar used today. The Julian calendar was established in 45 BC. introduced by Julius Caesar - hence the name "Julian" calendar - in the Roman Empire. While the old moon and month names are still used in some regions of the world today, they are hardly ever used in everyday life in German-speaking (or even English-speaking) countries. The displacement of old month names in Europe and other Western cultures began with the introduction and gradual spread of the Julian calendar. In this calendar, the months had Latin names - to which our current month names are directly related.
As the medium changed, so did the scope of the calendar. The paper left more space for illustrations and symbols. From this single-sheet calendar it was only a small step to the old farmer's calendar ("Mandlkalender").
This calendar from Styria in the 18th century has survived almost unchanged in book form to the present day. The Alte Bauernkalender (old farmers calendar) aka Mandl Calendar (manikin calendar) has developed from old calendar forms such as stick calendars and wooden calendars. Precursors can be found in the Admont farmer calendar (around 1500) and the Augsburg calendar.
Lenzmond
The German term for March "Lenzmond" is derived directly from the Old High German term for spring: lenzo or Lenz. In March, one of the two annual equinoxes takes place. In the northern hemisphere it marks the beginning of spring.
Other names for the March full moon are Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Sugar Moon, Bark Moon, Chaste Moon and Lenzing (see also Lenzing Moon for an in-depth analysis https://www.der-steirische-brauch.at/.../m%C3%A4rzenfadel...).
Cool March moon over the mountains.
More Connections
"Gjø", "Goa" or "Gói" in Iceland (gōmānaðr, gō-mān-að-r, an.) is the penultimate winter month in the Old Norse calendar (there are only summer and winter months there). It starts on Sunday between February 18th and 24th and lasts until Tuesday between March 20th and 26th. Goi is the name of a frost giantess, the name Goa indicates a winter flower. Like Thorri, Goa is a winter figure, a goddess or a symbol for the cold season.
The snow rose is the winter flower par excellence.
Firn Snow in the Snow Month?
According to other sources, "Gói" could also mean "snow month" (gjö = track snow) or "old" snow. The word Góa itself is probably of "old snow" origin. This old snow could correspond to our firn snow, which is easy to track and in which the tracks hold. This is the result of multiple thawing and refreezing and becomes granular in the process. In itself, firn snow is snow in high mountain regions that has been there for at least a year [Old High German firni means "previous year", "old"] and has therefore survived an ablation period. Firn snow is formed by repeated thawing and refreezing and becomes granular in the process. Therefore, we commonly refer to "old" spring snow as firn, which is correct in a broader sense. Hard-packed snow is old snow with a consolidated snow cover as a result of changing weather periods (thaw, frost periods). Cracked crust is superficially thawed and frozen deep snow.
Typical firn snow; Picture on the right: "track snow"
The above Norse month designations for the month from mid-February to mid-March come from ĝhei-2: ĝhi- 'winter, snow' (idg.). The same root is also found in Celtic month names, in Old Cornish goyf; Breton goan̄v, Gaulish winter month Giamon[ios].
Women's Month and International Women's Day
According to the old Icelandic calendar, "Konudagur" (Women's Day) falls on the first day of Góa. On this day, women are given flowers and chocolate. Konudagur is the actual Valentine's Day in Iceland. In Norse antiquity, March was generally referred to as "women's month".
Konudagur in Island.
To all men: Men's Day (Bóndadagur) fell according to the old Icelandic calendar on the first day of the month Þorri, the month before. Man's Day was traditionally dedicated to the householder or courtier, who was usually a diligent farmer. Bóndadagur means "farmers' day" in Icelandic.
In March, we celebrate World Women's Day on the 8th of March. The first International Women's Day was held on 19 March 1911 in Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the USA. The political demand was the right to vote and to stand for election for women. More than a million women took to the streets, an unprecedented mass movement.
Flowers for the women.
Since the circle closes so nicely here, I end the article at this point.
References:
https://www.dwds.de/wb/etymwb/Mond
https://www.dwds.de/wb/Monat
https://www.bergwelten.com/a/was-ist-eigentlich-firnschnee
https://snl.no/primstav
https://www.inreykjavik.is/konudagur/
https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Man%27s_Day_and_Woman%27s...
https://snl.no/gj%C3%B8
https://www.wikiwand.com/de/Kalendarium
Audun Dybdahl: Primstaven i lys av helgenkulten: opphav, form, funksjon og symbolikk. Tapir, 2011.
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