Full Moon
Celebrations

The Full Moon is a time when we commemorate the month's lunar event either alone or in a group with a celebration. Perhaps Going With (meditation), spellwork, healing, or worship may be done and group business may be discussed. It is an opportunity to meet with friends. Full Moon Get-Togethers are not the same as the Festivals.

There are thirteen Full Moons each year. Magic performed at this time has enhanced power. Some will do spells at this time for that reason. How the Full Moon is celebrated varies by Trad, some place importance on magic, others prefer to do magic solo.

It is always appropriate to make the Full Moon a special day. A special evening meal followed by a walk under the light of the moon (if it is safe to walk outside in your area and if it's not raining or snowing). Families with young children may follow the meal with games. Couples may have a romantic dinner followed by something more intimate. The night of the Full Moon is also an excellent time to meditate as well as a time for spellwork.

Terminology

Some people use the term sabbat, which is a social or ritual gathering or meeting which may be held at any time, including a Full Moon, a Festival, for a special occasion or whenever a group desires. We do not use this term in Blue Moon Manor Trad but some Trads do use it.

An esbat is another term we do not use in Traditional Craft, it refers to the Wiccan and Neo-Pagan term for a full moon get-together. In Traditional Craft, this can be known by various names in various Trads ; in this Trad we usually refer to it simply as the Full Moon.

A festival is one of the old public pagan holidays. As such, festivals varied from place to place. Festival are celbrated as a local Trad custom. In some Trads only the harvest festivals are observed, while almost all Trads celebrate Yule (pronounced: you`el ). However, keep in mind festivals are a tad less important than Full Moon Celebrations.