Full moon & new moon in May 2027
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 25 September 2026
The May full moon is the most important full moon of the Buddhist year: Vesak, or Buddha Purnima, remembering the Buddha's birth, awakening and death, all said to have occurred on this same lunar day in different years. In 2027 it peaks on May 20, a good anchor for a full day of quieter practice.
Full Flower Moon · Vaishakha Purnima (Buddha Purnima / Vesak)
- New York (ET): Thu, May 20, 6:59 AM
- Chicago (CT): Thu, May 20, 5:59 AM
- Denver (MT): Thu, May 20, 4:59 AM
- Los Angeles (PT): Thu, May 20, 3:59 AM
- London: Thu, May 20, 11:59 AM
- India (IST): Thu, May 20, 4:29 PM
- Sydney: Thu, May 20, 8:59 PM
- UTC: Thu, May 20, 10:59 AM
New moon: Thu, May 6, 6:59 AM ET
Distance at full moon: about 393,891 km (average ≈ 384,400 km).
In the sky
At about 393,900 km this is a smaller-than-average full moon, drifting toward the year's farthest in July. It sits in Scorpius, near the red star Antares for observers who look on the evening of May 19 or 20 — a striking pairing of a golden moon and a red star low in the south-southeast for mid-northern latitudes. May evenings are also a reasonable time to spot Jupiter or other bright planets depending on the year's positions; a stargazing app or local almanac will confirm what is up. The eta Aquariid meteor shower, debris from Halley's Comet, peaks in early May and is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and tropics before dawn.
Names and traditions
Vesak is observed on the Vaishakha full moon in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia, though some countries set it by their own calendars and dates can differ by a day or a full month in years with an extra lunar month. The almanac name, Flower Moon, needs no explanation in May, when wildflowers are at their fullest across much of the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
A practice for May
New moon, May 6: pick a precept
Buddhist lay practice on moon days often means keeping extra precepts. Choose one — no alcohol, or no harsh speech — for the fortnight leading to the full moon.
Vesak: a day of sitting
Alternate twenty-minute sits with slow walking for a morning. Offer a candle or flowers if that suits you, following the simple devotional gestures common at Vesak observances.
Dana
Giving is central to Vesak. A small donation to a temple, food bank or teacher is traditional, and need not be large to be meaningful.
Evening: metta
A short loving-kindness meditation in the evening — wishing well first to yourself, then to others — fits the spirit of the day even for those outside a Buddhist lineage.
Moon phases have no proven effect on health or mood; these are markers for reflection, as they have been in many traditions.