The word “moon” has been around as long as the English language， which is not surprising because the moon was critically important to early civilizations. It comes from the Old English “mona” and shares a root with the word “month”—because the moon revolves around the Earth once a month. While the sun stays the same day after day， the moon changes every night， allowing ancient people to identify the days and months and seasons.

月亮一词的出现时间与英语一样长，这并不奇怪，因为月亮对早期文明至关重要。它来源于古英语mona，和单词month有同一个词根——因为月亮每月绕地球旋转一次。当太阳日复一日地停留在同一个地方时，月亮每晚都在变化，这使得古人能够识别出白天、月份和季节。

Today， we have calendars and clocks to help us keep track of time. But some of the old names for the moon （especially a full moon） have stuck. Many， though not all， of these names for moons are linked to traditions related to ecology and ways of life. While you might have heard of some of the names were referring to， we bet there are lots that will surprise you.

今天，我们有日历和时钟来帮助我们跟踪时间。但是一些古老的月球名称（特别是满月）一直沿用下来。有许多月亮的名字是与生态和生活方式有关的传统联系在一起的。虽然你可能听说过我们提到的一些名称，但我们敢打赌，有很多名称会让你大吃一惊。

Strawberry Moon

草莓月

Throughout history， the arrival of certain plants， animals， or weather patterns have been used for the naming of moons. For example， the strawberry moon—you guessed it—coincides with the arrival of strawberries.

纵观历史，某些植物、动物或天气模式被用来命名月亮。例如，草莓月——你猜到了——恰逢草莓上市。

Many Native nations throughout the United States link a particular moon to these （wild） strawberries. Which moon that was depended on where those tribes lived. In the warm southern United States， the Natchez people called the April full moon the strawberry moon. For the Cherokee people， March is known as the strawberry moon， or anvhyi in Cherokee. For the Anishnaabe， June is known as odeimini-giizis or strawberry moon. And there are half a dozen other variations.

美国各地的许多土著居民都把特定的月亮与这些（野生）草莓联系在一起。月亮的类别取决于那些部落住在哪里。在温暖的美国南部，纳齐兹人把4月的满月叫作草莓月。对于切罗基人来说，3月被称为草莓月，也就是彻罗基语中的anvhyi。对于Anishnaabe来说，6月被称为odeimini-giizis或草莓月，并且还有六种其他的变体。

Blue Moon

蓝月亮

Today， the blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. Its awfully rare for a blue moon to come around—it only occurs once every 2.7 years.

如今，藍月亮是指日历月中的第二个满月。蓝月亮的来临非常罕见——每2.7年才可能出现一次。

The blue in the blue moon is thought to come from the Old English word be-l?wa， meaning “betrayer”—possibly because it was out of sync with the usual moon cycle.

蓝月亮中的blue被认为源于古英语单词be-l?wa，意思是“背叛者”——可能是因为它与通常的月球周期不同步。

Harvest Moon

丰收月

Before it was a 1992 album by the Canadian artist Neil Young， the harvest moon referred to the full moon closest to autumnal equinox， typically in September or October.

在1992年加拿大艺术家尼尔·杨的专辑出版之前，丰收月指的是最接近秋分的满月，通常在9月或10月。

The word “harvest” comes from the Old English word h?rfest which referred to the autumn season. In the mid-1200s， “harvest” became more closely associated with the sense we know it today—the gathering of crops. The expression “harvest moon” is attested to by 1704.

harvest这个词来自古英语单词h?rfest，它指的是秋季。在13世纪中期，harvest变得与我们今天所知道的意义更加紧密地联系在一起——农作物的收集。丰收月這个表达是在1704年被证实的。

Many cultures have harvest moons， including a number of Native American languages. In China， the Moon Festival （Zhongqiu Jie）， also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival， is celebrated during the harvest moon. As part of the celebration， families traditionally share mooncakes， a kind of sweet pastry.

许多文化中都有丰收月，包括许多美洲方言。在中国，月亮节（中秋节）也被称为中秋节，是在丰收月庆祝的。作为庆祝活动的一部分，家人们会以传统的方式分享一种甜点——月饼。

Cold Moon

冷月

In most parts of the United States， January is cold—bitter cold. So it makes sense that for many Native American tribes， the name for the January or other winter full moons translates to some variation of cold moon.

在美国的大部分地区，1月是冷冰冰的。因此，对于许多美洲土著部落来说1月或其他冬季满月的名称被译成了冷月的一些变体，这个名称是可以理解的。

In Cherokee and Mohawk， the cold moon takes place in January. In Eastern Comanche， its December. For the Central Shoshoni people， the cold moon takes place in November.

在切罗基和莫霍克，冷月出现在1月。在东科曼奇，是12月。对于肖肖尼人来说，冷月出现在11月。

While the expression “cold moon” appears in many literary texts in English—even in Shakespeare—it isnt until the early 1800s that English-language texts note the Native American expression cold moon in relation to the January full moon. In the English tradition， the January full moon would have been known as the moon after Yule—Yule being the name for the winter solstice.

虽然冷月这种表达出现在英语的许多文学文本中——甚至在莎士比亚的作品中也有出现——但直到19世纪初，英语文本才注意到美洲土著居民的冷月这种表达与1月的满月有关系。在英国的传统中，1月的满月将被称为圣诞节之后的月亮——圣诞节是冬至的名字。

Milk Moon

牛奶月

It is said that， the name “milk moon” is a colonial English expression for the full moon in April. As the theory goes， grass is particularly abundant in April， allowing the farm animals to make a lot of milk.

据说，牛奶月是殖民地国家对4月满月的一种表达。传闻，4月特别丰富的草可以让许多农场动物大量产奶。

The earliest written uses of the expression “milk moon” in evidence come from late 19th and early 20th century studies of tribes in Mongolia and their names for different months. One of these， when translated， was known as the milk moon. However， at least by the early 20th century， the April full moon was termed the milk moon in English-language almanacs.

“牛奶月”这个词最早的书面用法来自19世纪末和20世纪初对蒙古部落和他们为不同月份进行命名的研究。其中一个在翻译时被译为牛奶月。然而，至少到20世纪初，4月满月才在英语年鉴中被称为牛奶月。

Word Study

track /tr?k/ n. （人、动物或车辆留下的）足迹，踪迹;车辙

keep track of  了解……的动态;与……保持联系

Bank statements help you keep track of where your money is going.

coincide /'k???n'sa?d/ v. （两件或更多的事情）同时发生

The strike was timed to coincide with the party conference.

term /t??m/ v. 把……称为;把……叫作

At his age， he can hardly be termed a young man.