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There is a big beautiful moon shining brightly upon us and this is June’s Strawberry Moon. It has showed itself starting this Tuesday night and will be there for the next few days, bringing light in the black night’s sky. But there is an entire legend that has provided this sweet reference to June’s Moon.
It appears that native Americans were very big strawberry enthusiasts, as they greatly used the plant for a wide variety of purposes. Firstly, they used the fruit for its delicious taste and great collection of nutrients as food. Then, they used the leaves to make tea and several types of medicine.
The plant used to grow wild on the fields in those times, much like some berries that hikers still find on mountain trails today. So the more they developed uses for all the valuable features offered by the strawberry plants, the more they wanted to control where and how they grew and to determine the best times to harvest the small plants.
And so, they realized that the first part of June was the best time to pick the delicious red fruit. Then, they realized that this coincided with the presence of a large full moon on the night sky that made its appearance every year.
This is how June’s moon became known as the Strawberry Moon and it has been passed down from generation to generation that it is while the light of the Strawberry moon shines that the sensitive fruit need to be picked in order to get the full potential from the entire plant.
And the tradition has been kept alive up to present days when some Americans still hold the Strawberry moon tradition at the core of the way that they plant and harvest the delicious summer strawberries. And there is a priceless romance about that.
Keeping certain traditions alive conveys a rewarding sense of continuity and represents great solace in our high-speed society. The Strawberry Moon is a symbol of past times when nature plaid a much bigger conscious role in our lives.
So tonight or the following few nights, take a few minutes to gaze at the beauty of the big bright Strawberry moon and think about how it has been guiding our ancestors for years and years. You can even treat yourself to a bowl of fresh strawberries to bid summer a very sweet and warm welcome.
Image Source: earthmoonandstars
