Esbats

While the Sabbats are a time for Pagans and Witches to celebrate, Esbats, or lunar rituals, are a time for Witches to work magick. Esbats are considered working celebrations because not only are they a time to do any needed magick, but they are also a time to honor the Goddess. It is perfectly fine to simply do a ritual in honor of the Goddess if your life is working out well enough that you don't have any need for magick.

Esbats can be held as often as you like, though they are typically held every full moon, meaning a Witch will have at least 13 nights (or days) to work magick. The reason the full moon is chosen for an Esbat is so that a Witch can perform the ritual of Drawing Down the Moon to empower herself. Drawing Down the Moon is like drawing the power of the Goddess into yourself--strengthening and empowering yourself, so that you might use that energy for your spellwork.

As mentioned before, there are 13 full moons that will occur in a year (on a solar calendar). Each full moon carries a traditional name:

Full Moon in...(month) Is Named The...

January : Wolf Moon

February : Storm Moon

March : Chaste Moon

April : Seed Moon

May : Hare Moon

June : Dyad Moon

July : Mead Moon

August : Wyrt Moon

September : Barley Moon

October : Blood Moon

November : Snow Moon

December : Oak Moon

(varies) : Blue Moon

Because the moon has a 28-day cycle, sometimes two full moons will occur within one month. The second full moon of that month is called the Blue Moon.

The Harvest Moon is not mentioned in the table above because it is the Full Moon that falls nearest to Mabon, and the month that occurs in may vary just a little.