Esbats honor the lunar cycle, and are set aside for coven meetings, to conduct ritual and perform magic. There are thirteen Esbats, one for each moon of the year. Sometimes the moons are given names:
January: Cold Moon
February: Storm Moon
March: Chaste or Barren Moon
April: Seed Moon
May: Hare or Fertile Moon
June: Dyad Moon
July: Mead Moon
August: Green Moon
September: Barley Moon
October: Blood Moon
November: Snow Moon
December: Oak or Holly Moon
Extra Moon: Blue Moon
Each Esbat celebrates the qualities of the moon in association with the planting/reaping cycle common in nature religions. Esbats are celebrations of the cycle of life.
Magic
Magic is seen sort of like a prayer, but with a kick. It is believed by Wiccans to be a force harnessed from the natural world and available to all, and is a focused concentration of will for a specific goal.
The power necessary for magic to happen can come from energy raised through chanting or dancing as a coven or an individual. Herbs and objects are often used in spells to aid the magic, or to draw on the specific energies of those objects included.
Contrary to popular television shows, magic does not happen with the flick of a hand or the wink of an eye. It is not a force that resides within a specific person, but a natural force that can be accessed by all.
Magic is not good or bad, white or black. Magic only is, and the intent of the magic user determines the quality or color connotation of the magic.