Once in a Blue Moon

Once in a Blue Moon" refers to occasional happenings. This Friday, August 31st will be our first Blue Moon since March 2010 and the next one won't be until July 2015.  But why is it called a Blue Moon, when it isn't really blue at all.  Here is a little history behind the saying. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. In years past, especially before the calendar was standardized, it had another meaning. During a calendar year, usually there are 12 full moons which means 3 full moons in each of the 4 seasons. Occasionally, a calendar year will have 13 full moons. This means one season has an extra full moon. To keep track of time, the moons within a season were referred to a early, mid and late. A 4th moon appearing in a season created a problem. So the 3rd moon in that season was called a blue moon. This allowed the 4th and final moon to still be called the late moon. This extra full moon created additional problems. Monks who kept track of the calendar found this upset the regular arrangement of church festivals. The extra moon was difficult to predict and consequentially its occurrence disrupted a lot of well laid plans. This is one of the reasons the number 13 is considered unlucky. It was an unlucky monk who had to sort out the remaining festivals and rearrange the church schedule. So enjoy its light and be thankful for a standardized calendar. (Photo by Getty image)