The Dappled Forest's Moon Festivals are integral to religious and social life, both in rural areas and the big city. While each unique Moon Festival has its own specific observances and rituals, there are still many things that each festival has in common. No matter the time of year, Moon Festivals are opened the night before the full moon with a temple service, and offerings to the Goddess of Four Faces, usually seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as candles, alcohol, and gold coins. Except for during the winter, starting at sundown on the night of the full moon, to sunrise the next day, vendors set up in the streets of towns and villages alike to celebrate. This is what caused the Moon Festivals to be called such.
Only two weeks before Yule, the Cold Moon is the last holiday where one is preparing for the coming Winter. Festivities are still lively, yet almost quiet compared to celebrations during Autumn. An altar during this Moon Festival often features parsnips, pumpkin, and spiced cider.
The second Moon Festival during Winter, the Quiet Moon is marked by a sense of solitude and contemplation. While there are festivities, they are often smaller and more subdued. The main offerings are stews made with root vegetables like beetroot, potato, and carrot, as well as dried meats and spiced wine.
As the Snow Moon approaches, people are often getting ready for the end of winter, and the approaching celebration of Imbolc, the start of Spring. This Moon Festival’s activities center around rebirth and preparation for the beginning of planting season. Offerings on the altar usually include pickled or preserved foods, ale, nuts, and seeds.
The first Moon Festival of Spring, the Seed Moon is marked with joyous festivity, and is the liveliest of the Moon Festivals. Besides the normal festival, there are often feasts after temple the night before. The main offerings are spring onions, kale, and other leafy greens, as well as the normal alcohol, candles, and gold coins.
Due to its proximity to the beginning of the Dappled Forest’s Debut Season, the Pink Moon is a time for socializing and creativity. Altars are often adorned with the jewelry and other accessories of young women in the household in hopes of gaining favor with the Spring Goddess. Other offerings include fresh cut flowers, spring greens, spinach, and arugula.
May’s Flower Moon is associated with intense emotion and strength in relationships. It is commonplace to put photos or belongings from loved ones on the altar, as well as their favorite food and drink, so that the relationship with them might strengthen.
The first Summer Moon Festival, the Mead Moon is celebrated in similar fashion to the holiday of Beltane, with singing, dancing, and bonfires all being commonplace during the festivities. Altars during the Mead Moon are often stacked with cooked meat, strawberries, cucumber, tomato, and, of course, lots of mead.
The Buck Moon is associated with feelings of growth and maturity, and is capped off on the morning after the Festival with Hunting Day, a traditional day where young Seelie fae men prove themselves on a deer hunt, a custom which has died off in most other countries. Traditional Buck Moon offerings include cooked meats, wild gooseberries, and other foraged foods.
Celebrated just after Lammas, the harvest is in full swing during the Grain Moon. As with the previous Quarter Day, altars during this Moon Festival are often filled with freshly harvested grain and homemade bread, as well as mushrooms, beans, plums, and various berries.
The Harvest Moon festival marks the end of the Summer growing season, and the beginning of preparations for Winter. This Moon Festival is a time to remember the past, but also look towards the future. Traditionally, offerings include beans and pears. Autumn is also when mead is beginning to be made for the next year, so honey is commonplace on many altars.
Just days before the holiday of Samhain, the Feast of the Dead, the Moon Festival for October focuses on many similar themes, such as the remembrance of those who have passed on to Mag Mell, or the Otherworld. While many offerings are saved for Samhain, many like to leave pumpkin dishes and mulled cider on their altars for the Goddess and their deceased loved ones.
The Oak Moon holds a very special place amongst the Moon Festivals, marking the end of the 'Growing Months,' the term used to refer to Spring, Summer, and Autumn, and the beginning of the 'Sleeping Months,' or Winter. The Oak Moon is a time once again for reflection, introspection, and preparation for Winter. Common offerings include mead and honey dishes, as well as turnip, leek, and broccoli.
The Blue Moon Festival, which occurs the night before Lammas, is an especially important Moon Festival for Ceathodannians. Due to its strangeness – the only full moon to occur in the same month as another – the Blue Moon represents miracles. During this time, many will pray for salvation, curing of illnesses, or saving from hardship. Offerings during this time are primarily difficult to cultivate foods, including sweet potato, celery, artichoke, and eggplant. Money is also a common offering, as well as expensive fabrics and jewelry with rare jewels.