Some people prefer to just celebrate the Sabbats. I see those as Sun holidays, since they are all determined by the solar calendar. The Esbats are Moon holidays, since they are determined by the moon. I think that celebrating both is important for a balance in my religious practice.

However, I had put off writing this article for a while because I never really celebrated these apart from a group. When I first started learning about Paganism in the form of Wicca, the only thing I knew to do to celebrate the full moon was to do a “Drawing Down of the Moon”. However, I had never progressed far enough in my Wiccan studies to learn how to do this, so once I started celebrating with a Circle that only sporadically celebrates full moons. For years, I didn’t really celebrate Full Moons. Sometimes I just forgot. Other times, I didn’t keep track of the full moons. Now that I am trying to revitalize my faith, I am trying to celebrate them. At the time of this writing, I still didn’t know how to do a “Drawing Down of the Moon”. I did some soul-searching and some research and this is what I came up with.

This is what this Esbat celebrates:

• The most powerful time of the Lunar cycle
• Most magically potent time of the Lunar cycle
• The cyclic nature of life
• Women’s monthly cycles
• The Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess
• Fertility and fruition

Here are some ways that I and others celebrate it culturally.

• Dance under the full moon
• Make some music: sing, play instruments, etc.
• Walk outside
• Bake moon cookies or crescent rolls
• Make moon water
• Do divination like runes, pentacles, tarot cards, etc.
• Take a calming bath with candles, oils, or anything else that feels right to you.
• Make a candle
• Write poetry
• Do something with the specific nature of which moon it is. Wear flowers for flower moon, eat strawberries for strawberry moon, etc.
• Meditate

Here are some ideas for Full Moon rituals

• Charge crystals, ritual tools, jewelry, or anything really
• Write down any habits, fears, or anything else you want to get rid of. Burn the paper.
• Ask the (usually female) deity of your choice for wisdom in a seashell. Hold the seashell to your ear to see what they have to say.
• Consume moon water with ritual intent.
• Do a purification ritual.
• Any magical working that could use some extra power from the moon