Rauhnacht 4: a look at your April
Rauhnacht 4 · 2026/27
Night of December 28 into 29, stands for April
Theme of the evening: Best times
Rauhnacht 4: card of the night
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Video · 34 seconds
Your April in December
The fourth Rauhnacht, from December 28 to 29, traditionally corresponds with April. This time is an invitation to reflect on the best moments of the year. Calculate it for free: theastroacademy.com
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What happens on December 28 could be a small preview of your April. This is the idea behind the fourth Rauhnacht, one of the twelve nights between the years. The theme for this evening is “Best times”. Imagine scrolling through your photos from the year. This is an invitation to ask yourself: Which good feeling would you like to experience more of? This is not a prediction. Think of it as a mirror for your own thoughts. See what your chart shows for April. Work it out for free at theastroacademy.com.
Contents
The fourth Rauhnacht is the night of December 28 into 29. According to custom, this night offers a preview of the upcoming April. For Rauhnacht 4, we focus on happy memories and what makes a time feel good to you.
Rauhnacht 4 in brief
| What | This night |
|---|---|
| Date | Night of December 28 into 29 |
| Stands for | April |
| Theme | Best times |
| Question for the evening | Which moment of this year should stay with you? |
| Ritual | Look through the photos of the year and pick one moment to keep. |
| In the custom | Smudging house and stable is part of the twelve nights in many regions. |
Your audio for tonight
The audio of the evening from the healing library. The preview is free.
What your chart shows for April
The Rauhnächte as a bridge to the new year
Rauhnacht 4 takes place on the night of December 28 to 29. Tradition links each of the twelve nights to one month of the coming year.
This fourth night corresponds to April, offering a space to reflect on its themes. The Rauhnächte, the German term for the twelve nights between the years, historically mark the difference between the lunar and solar calendars.
People have long used this quiet period for contemplation and setting intentions. The specific themes for each night on our site are our own program to guide this reflection.
What makes a moment feel truly good
The theme for this evening is about remembering your best times from the year that is ending. This is a chance to identify the actual feeling of a happy moment, rather than just listing achievements.
- identify feeling: Check for yourself what joy or contentment feels like for you.
- common elements: Consider what these good moments might have in common.
- consider aspects: Was it the people you were with, the location, a specific activity, or a certain inner state of mind?
The question for tonight is: Which feeling from a happy memory would you like to experience more of in the new year?
Revisit your year in pictures
A simple ritual for this evening can help you connect with the theme.
- scroll photos: Scroll through the photos you took over the last twelve months.
- Your phone's camera roll or an online photo gallery can work well for this purpose.
- look without judgment: Look at the images without judgment.
- notice pictures: Notice which pictures make you smile or feel a sense of warmth.
- pick one photo: Pick one photo that represents a favorite moment and save it somewhere you can easily see it, perhaps as your computer's wallpaper for a day. This single image can serve as a tangible reminder of the feeling you identified earlier. It is not about holding on to the past, but about recognizing what nourishes you so you can cultivate more of it in your life.
Your dreams and the morning's first mood
An old custom suggests paying close attention to your dreams during the fourth Rauhnacht. Whatever you dream of tonight is said to offer a hint about the theme for your April.
You can write it down in a Rauhnacht journal when you wake up. Also, notice your very first feeling upon waking the next morning. Is it calm, energetic, thoughtful, or something else?
This first mood can be another symbolic image for the month ahead, offering a different perspective from your dreams. In many German-speaking regions, this night was also a traditional time for smudging the house and stables with incense to cleanse and protect them. It is one part of the rich customs surrounding the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany.
| Source | Offers hint about | Action |
|---|---|---|
| dreams | theme for April | write down in journal |
| first mood | symbolic image for month | notice upon waking |
| old custom | cleanse and protect | smudging house and stables |
How often does the full moon fall on Rauhnacht 4?
A full moon fell on Rauhnacht 4 in 2 of 100 years, so about once every 50 years. A lunar cycle lasts about 29.5 days, which is why the full moon rarely hits any single night.
In the Rauhnächte 2026/27 neither a full moon nor a new moon falls into the twelve nights: the full moon comes just before, the new moon just after.
| Season | Moon in the nights |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 | none |
| 2027/28 | New moon, December 27, 2027, night 3 |
| 2028/29 | Full moon, December 31, 2028, night 7 |
| 2029/30 | New moon, January 4, 2030, night 11 |
| 2030/31 | none |
| 2031/32 | Full moon, December 28, 2031, night 4 |
| 2032/33 | New moon, January 1, 2033, night 8 |
| 2033/34 | Full moon, January 4, 2034, night 11 |
Calculated with the Swiss Ephemeris for the seasons 1950/51 to 2049/50. The day of the exact full or new moon in German time counts; the nights are the evenings from December 25 to January 5.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the fourth Rauhnacht?
- The fourth Rauhnacht, or Rauhnacht 4, is always the night from December 28 to December 29. It is the fourth of the twelve nights that traditionally begin after Christmas in many parts of Europe.
- Which month is associated with Rauhnacht 4?
- Rauhnacht 4 is traditionally associated with April of the coming year. People pay attention to events, dreams, and their mood during this night as a symbolic preview for what April might hold.
- What is a good activity for the fourth Rauhnacht?
- A fitting activity is to reflect on happy moments from the past year. You could look through your photos and choose one that represents a particularly good memory to focus on what brings you joy.
- Why do the twelve nights stand for the twelve months?
- The idea comes from the gap between the 354-day lunar year and the 365-day solar year. This leftover time of about twelve nights was seen as special and outside of ordinary time, making each night a symbolic container for one month of the new year.
- Do my dreams on this night predict what will happen in April?
- The custom of interpreting dreams during the Rauhnächte is best seen as a tool for personal reflection, not a literal forecast. A dream might point to a theme or a feeling that could be relevant for you in April, giving you something to consider for yourself.