Witches Holidays Sabbats

The Wheel of the Year is a Wiccan and Neopagan term for the annual cycle of the Earth's seasons. It consists of eight festivals, spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year. These festivals are referred to by Wiccans as Sabbats.

A look into Witches' Holiday's (Sabbats)

Samhain - October 31.

Samhain (pronounced sow - en) is considered the beginning of the Pagan Year. It is thought that the veil between the living and the dead is weakest on this night. It has been known as Ancestors Night or The Feast of The Dead. It is the most publicized of the Witches Holidays. Most reports from Christians claim it is a celebration for the "demon" Sam Hain (?), it is not. It is a time of reflection on the past year and coming to terms with death. Some Wiccans set a place at their dinner table this night for departed ancestors.

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Yule - This is a movable Holiday - Around December 22.

The Winter Solstice, a good calendar will give you the exact date each year. Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God. Yule was not stolen from Christians, rather they adopted it for their use in 273 AD, to celebrate the birth of "The Great Teacher"; which incidentally was originally celebrated in January. Yule has long been thought to be the time of divine births. The God is associated with the sun after this, the longest night of the year, since the days begin increasing in length.

Imbolic - February 2.

Is a festival of purification. This is when most dedications come. It is a celebration of the recovering of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. -Imbolc, which is alternatively termed Imbolg or Oimelc, is a festival marking the beginning of spring which was celebrated in Ireland during the Iron Age. A Celtic pagan festival, its original purpose and associated practices are unknown, although it has been suggested that it was associated with the goddess Brigid, who was later Christianised as St. Brigid, and whose saint day was located at the same time as the earlier Imbolc, around 1 or 2 February.

In the 20th century, Imbolc was resurrected as a religious festival by three Neopagan faiths; Wicca, Neo-druidry and Celtic reconstructionism. In the first two of these religions, Imbolc is viewed as one of eight Sabbats celebrated annually, which are collectively termed the Wheel of the Year, and is partly celebrated because it falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. In Wicca, Imbolc is commonly associated with the goddess Brigid, and hence the Wiccan Goddess, and as such it is sometimes viewed as a "women’s festival" with specific rites only for female members of a coven.

Gaelic folklore - The holiday was, and for many still is, a festival of the hearth and home, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the early signs of spring. Celebrations often involved hearthfires, special foods (butter, milk, and bannocks, for example), divination or watching for omens, candles or a bonfire if the weather permits.

Ostara - This is a movable Holiday - Around March 20.

The Spring Equinox, night and day are the same length, once again a good calendar will give you this information. The Goddess blankets the earth in fertility.

Beltane / May Day - May 1.

The word Beltane actually refered to the fire itself and ment lucky fire. Fire Festival - Beginning of summer. Modern wicca look to Beltane as a celebration of love and fertility. A time of two becoming one. A time to honor house guardians. This is much different than the original meaning of Beltane which related more to cattle.

Litha - This is a movable Holiday - Around June 21.

The Summer Solstice another name for this Sabbat is Midsummer. It is longest day of the year. A time of passion and success. --The celebration of Midsummer's Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. Some people believed that mid-summer plants, especially Calendula, had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. In later years, witches were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other powerful beings, though this is not the case today.

The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, as it is customary for cultures following lunar calendars tend place the beginning of the day on the previous eve at dusk at the moment when the Sun has set. In Sweden, Finland and Estonia, Midsummer's Eve is considered the greatest festival of the year, comparable only with Walpurgis Night, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.....

Lammas - August 1. Celebrates the beginning of the harvest season.

Lammas is a Neo-Pagan holiday, often called Lughnasadh, celebrating the first harvest and the reaping of grain. It is a cross-quarter holiday halfway between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). In the northern hemisphere, Lammas takes place around August 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Leo in the tropical zodiac, while in the southern hemisphere Lammas is celebrated around February 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Aquarius. On the Wheel of the Year, it is opposite Imbolc, which is celebrated on February 2 in the northern hemisphere, and late July / early August in the southern hemisphere.

Mabon - This is a movable Holiday - Around September 23.

The Autumn Equinox, once again the day and night are the same length. A time of rest after the rigors of harvest.

--Autumnal Equinox: The holiday of Autumn Equinox, Harvest Home, Mabon, the Feast of the Ingathering, Meán Fómhair or Alban Elfed (in Neo-Druidic traditions), is a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and God during the winter months. The name Mabon was coined by Aidan Kelly around 1970 as a reference to Mabon ap Modron, a character from Welsh mythology. In the northern hemisphere this equinox occurs anywhere from September 21 to 24. In the southern hemisphere, the autumn equinox occurs anywhere from March 18–22. Among the sabbats, it is the second of the three harvest festivals, preceded by Lammas/Lughnasadh and followed by Samhain.

Suggested Website Reading: My Book Of Shadows / wikipedia.org / Wiccan_Holidays / wheel of the year

Did you know that "The Full Moon" is seen as a source of energy from which Wiccans pull to aid their magic. Names that are synonymous for beauty and mystery of the moon are: Luna, Selene, Ishtar.

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