Howl At The Moon Day

What the day is

Howl at the Moon Day is observed on October 26. The instruction is to go outside after dark and howl, alone or in company, for no reason beyond the doing of it.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented.

The premise contains a widely believed error. Wolves do not howl at the moon. They howl more at night because they are most active then and sound carries further in cool, still night air, and they point their heads upward because raising the muzzle projects the sound further, not because they are addressing anything overhead. There is no established link between howling frequency and lunar phase.

What howling actually does is communicate across distance. A wolf howl can carry several miles in open country, and it serves to locate separated pack members, assert territory to neighboring packs, and reinforce bonds within the group. Wolves recognize individuals by voice, and a chorus howl involves members deliberately pitching away from one another, which makes a small pack sound considerably larger than it is.

Dogs retain the behavior unevenly. Some howl at sirens, which occupy a similar frequency range to a distant howl; some never do. Breeds closer to working and northern lines tend to howl more than those bred away from it.

Humans howling together is its own phenomenon, and it surfaced widely during the pandemic, when neighborhoods in several countries took to howling at a set hour as a way of making contact while isolated.

How to take part

• Go outside after dark and actually do it. The self-consciousness is most of the exercise.
• Get others to join. A single howl is embarrassing; a chorus is a different experience entirely.
• Do not be surprised if the dog joins in, or if every dog within a street does.
• Listen to recordings of a real wolf chorus and notice how the voices avoid matching pitch.
• Be considerate of the hour and the neighbors, who did not necessarily consent to this holiday.