It is finally beginning to be established in the online communities, that the old Germanic day began with the dusk, that the old Germanic holidays lasted three days and that they were celebrated on the Full Moons. But there still seems to be some confusion whether these three days began on the evening of the peak of the Full Moon or if the peak of the Full Moon was on the second night.
We would like to clarify this by using both common sense and basic observations of the night sky. Let us quote Jeff Magnum from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory:
“Technically, the point at which the Moon is ‘full’ lasts only an instant. To the naked eye, though, the Moon can appear to be full for upwards of three days.”
We think that since the Moon is the determining agent of when the holidays take place, it is likely that it is also the determining agent of the length of the holidays as well. Meaning that while the Full Moon peaks on a certain date in the modern calendar, this would likely be the second night of the holiday itself.
We would like to clarify this by using both common sense and basic observations of the night sky. Let us quote Jeff Magnum from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory:
“Technically, the point at which the Moon is ‘full’ lasts only an instant. To the naked eye, though, the Moon can appear to be full for upwards of three days.”
We think that since the Moon is the determining agent of when the holidays take place, it is likely that it is also the determining agent of the length of the holidays as well. Meaning that while the Full Moon peaks on a certain date in the modern calendar, this would likely be the second night of the holiday itself.