The famous pink full moonor April’s “pink moon,” is expected to grace the spring sky tonight, peaking at 12:37 a.m.

The Almanac summarizes why this particular full moon, which this year occurs 11 days before the Resurrection Sunday of Orthodox Easter, is called that, what more we know about it and the facts and folklore related to it.

The Moon this month will appear slightly larger and brighter than usual, but it won’t actually be pink.

This super-full moon was known to Native Americans as “Pink Moon‘, because it signaled the appearance of a plant with pink flowers, one of the first blossoms of spring.

According to the old agricultural work calendar, the names of each full moon are mainly derived from Native Americans.

Traditionally, each name was associated with the entire month in which it also appeared.

Usually, the names were given based on the flora and fauna as well as the specific tasks that were mainly done especially in that time period or with the natural phenomena that were taking place at that time.

In this case, the full moon got the name “Pink Moon” from the plant “Phlox subulata» which usually blooms in the month of April and has a characteristic pink color, which dominates the natural landscape of Northeast America.

The full moon of April is also known as the “Pink Moon” or “Easter Moon».

Although as mentioned above the Moon is not literally pink, sometimes the full moon can appear to have a very slight, pink tint for a few moments due to the reflection of sunlight.

As for the term “Easter Moon”, it is determined by the vernal equinox.

Specifically, when the full moon of April falls before the vernal equinox, it is called “Lenten Moon“, while when it takes place after the equinox, it is called “Easter Moon”.