Full moon & new moon in December 2027
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 25 September 2026
The year ends with the Cold Moon on December 13, the winter solstice on December 22 and a final new moon on December 27 — a clean frame for looking back at 2027, and about as neat an alignment of sky and calendar as any month offers.
Full Cold Moon · Margashirsha Purnima (Dattatreya Jayanti)
- New York (ET): Mon, Dec 13, 11:09 AM
- Chicago (CT): Mon, Dec 13, 10:09 AM
- Denver (MT): Mon, Dec 13, 9:09 AM
- Los Angeles (PT): Mon, Dec 13, 8:09 AM
- London: Mon, Dec 13, 4:09 PM
- India (IST): Mon, Dec 13, 9:39 PM
- Sydney: Tue, Dec 14, 3:09 AM
- UTC: Mon, Dec 13, 4:09 PM
New moon: Mon, Dec 27, 3:12 PM ET
Distance at full moon: about 368,131 km (average ≈ 384,400 km).
In the sky
The full moon peaks at 16:09 UTC (11:09 a.m. Eastern) and is closer than average, so the nights of December 12 and 13 are bright. Near the winter solstice the full moon rides the highest arc of the year and stays up longest, the mirror image of a low summer full moon. The solstice falls at 02:42 UTC on December 22 — the evening of December 21 in the Americas. The Geminid meteor shower, one of the most reliable of the year, peaks around December 13–14, unfortunately close to the bright full moon this time, which will wash out all but its brightest members; the fainter Ursids follow around December 22 in darker skies after the new moon later in the month.
Names and traditions
Margashirsha Purnima is observed as Dattatreya Jayanti in parts of India, honouring the composite deity Dattatreya, regarded as an embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together; Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (10.35) that among months he is Margashirsha. The December solstice is the shortest day and has been marked by nearly every culture, from Yule to Dongzhi to Saturnalia's older Roman roots, as a turning point from darkness back toward light. Cold Moon is the almanac name, referring simply to the depth of winter.
A practice for December
Cold Moon: warm practice
Slow sun salutations and a longer relaxation suit December. Keep the room warm, and be patient with a body that moves more slowly in the cold.
Solstice: the longest night
Sit in the dark for ten minutes before lighting a single candle, a small private echo of the many solstice light ceremonies held around the world.
New moon, Dec 27: close the year
Read what you wrote in January. Write one line for 2028, treating the exercise as continuation rather than a fresh, unrelated resolution.
Dattatreya Jayanti: simplicity
Dattatreya's teaching stories often praise learning from ordinary things — a spider, a river, a child. A day of noticing small teachers in daily life fits the occasion.
Moon phases have no proven effect on health or mood; these are markers for reflection, as they have been in many traditions.