April's "Pink Moon" To Illuminate The Sky This Weekend

The annual "Pink moon" will illuminate the night sky this weekend. However, the name doesn't mean the moon will appear pink. The full moon of April was named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox - a plant native to the eastern US - one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring.

While the full moon will illuminate the sky this entire weekend, it will be at its peak fullness on April 17 at 12.15 am.

The April moon is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Fish Moon. It is also referred to as the Pesach or Passover Moon.

For Hindus, this full moon corresponds with Hanuman Jayanti, the celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman, celebrated in most areas on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra.

For Buddhists, especially in Sri Lanka, this full moon is Bak Poya, commemorating when the Buddha visited Sri Lanka and settled a dispute between chiefs, avoiding a war.

In the Christian ecclesiastical calendar, this is the Paschal Moon, from which the date of Easter is calculated. Paschal is the Latinized version of Pesach. Generally, the Christian holiday of Easter, also called Pascha, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.