April 2025 Full Pink Moon

April’s full Moon is called the Pink Moon, and it occurs on Saturday, April 12.  The Moon will look full when it rises at 8:01PM EST, but it won’t be a true full Moon until 8:22PM EST when the Moon has moved in its orbit so that Earth is directly between the Moon and Sun.   April’s full Moon has long been associated with flowers that begin to bloom this time of year, particularly the flower moss pink also called creeping ground phlox.  Moss pink is one of the earliest and most widespread spring flowers and it’s most often pink in color.  This Moon is also called the Paschal Moon as it is the first full Moon after the spring equinox.  In the Christian world this Moon is used to set the date for Easter.   In Jewish tradition this Moon is called the Passover Moon and marks their freedom from Egypt.

Although Pink Moon is the most common name for April’s Moon, Native Americans also have other names that are associated with the rebirth and new growth that was occurring around them. For example, the Oglala tribe called this Moon the Moon of the Red Grass Appearing, the Choctaw call it the Moon of Blackberry, and the Cherokee call it the Flower Moon.  Some of the names come from farming such as the Winnebago Planting Corn Moon.  Other names are associated with animals like the Cheyenne name When Geese Lay Eggs.  Many tribes in the Pacific Northwest call this moon the Fish Moon probably referring to the salmon or shad returning to spawn.  For many northern tribes it hasn’t warmed enough yet to see the rebirth and new growth signs of spring. Their Moon names reflect the end of winter such as the Arapaho name Ice Breaking in the River and the Dakota name Moon When the Streams are Navigable Again.  The Lakota name, When Wives Crack Bones for Marrow Fat, refers to the scarcity of food as the winter ends.

The Pink Moon has many names but no matter what we call it, for most of us it’s a hopeful sign of spring and good things to come.