Once in a Blue Moon
"Blue moon" appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528:
If they say the moon is blue,
We must believe that it is true.
Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain.
The more recent phenomenon, where the blue moon is considered to be the second full moon in a calendar month, last occurred on July 31, 2004. Although the full moon occurring Thursday, May 31, 2007, will look like an ordinary full moon, it will actually be a bit extraordinary—a blue moon. May 2007 will have two full moons: the first on May 2, the second on May 31—that second full moon is called the blue moon.
Perhaps it will happen when the moon is blue? If you are waiting for a blue moon to do something... Now is the time! Tomorrow IS the BLUE moon....
And this of course reminds me of the song Blue Moon....and the Cowboy Junkies do a wonderful rendition of it.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the movie with Nicolas Cage and Cher and the older couple sitting on the park bench talking about telling someone you love them on a full moon. When you do this it's supposed to mean that the love will last forever. The movie is called Moon Struck, watch it and dream of a once in a lifetime love.
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