Wheel of the Year

Sabbats



December 21

YULE, also called Longest Night.

This begins the celebration of Yule. The Goddess gives birth to the god, the Child of Promise who is reborn with the returning sun.

Yule is a joyous celebration of family and friends, of peace and love and positive energy. Witches incorporate ancient pagan traditions into our festivities, traditions like yule logs, giving gifts, wassail cups, mistletoe charms, bringing evergreens into the home and decorating a tree.
 
February 2

IMBOLC, also called Imbolg, Oimelc, Candlemas, & Earrach.

This is the rebirth of the year. Winter buds appear on bare trees and green life stirs under the frozen earth. The infant Sun (the god) grows in size and strength.
Imbolc is fire festival of lights, sacred to the Irish goddess Brigid. Witches light candles to illuminate the winter darkness.

March 21

SPRING EQUINOX, also called Ostara or Eostre.

The year is in perfect balance between light and darkness. The god is now a green youth and the Goddess is in her Maiden aspect. Their courtship dance begins.
Ostara is a solar festival of fire, light and fertility sacred to the Saxon goddess of Spring, Ostara/Eostre. Witches follow the old pagan custom of dying or painting hard-boiled eggs.

 


May 1

BELTAINE, also called May Eve, Samradh, Cetsamain and Walpurgis Night.

The light has grown longer and everything is blooming. The virile young Lord and the fertile Maiden celebrate the consummation of their relationship.
 It is a fire and fertility festival that celebrates the transformation from Maiden to Mother through the mystery of sexuality. Beltane Eve is prime time for the Great Rite. Witches gather dew on May morning, put flowers on our altars, leave offerings for fairies, and tend sacred places like groves and wells.

June 22

LITHA, also called Summer Solstice, Midsummer and St. John's Day.

The Earth is in full bloom. The Mother is pregnant and the god (the Sun) is King of Summer, at the peak of his powers.
Litha is the longest day, marking the division of the year. Witches celebrate abundance, fertility, virility, the beauty and bounty of Nature. This is a good time for handfastings and male rituals, for workings of empowerment, consummation or culmination.

August 1

LUGHNASADH, also called Lammas, Lunasa and Hlafmass, the Festival of Loaves.

The days start growing shorter and the fields are heavy with crops ready to be harvested. The corn king is sacrificed and mourning begins for the death of the god (the Sun).
 A festival of fire and light named for the Celtic god Lugh/Llew, Lord of Light. Witches bake bread, put grain on our altars, count our blessings and give thanks to the Goddess.

September 21

MABON, also called Autumn Equinox.

Crops are harvested, light and darkness are again in balance. The god sleeps in the womb of the Goddess, waiting to be reborn.
Mabon is sacred to the Celtic god Mabon, a Son of Light, son of the mother goddess Modron. This second harvest festival is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and give thanks for abundance. Witches put the fruits of the season on our altars, bake bread and pies, work magic to balance imbalances.

October 31

SAMHAIN (pronounced sow-en), also called Halloween, Allantide, Geimredh and All Hallows Eve.

Samhain literally means "summer's end". To the Celts, Samhain was a turning point from light into darkness, they believed that on this night there was access to the land of the dead, Tir nan Og. Many Pagans/Wiccans today celebrate Samhain on between October 31st - November 2nd. It is a day that we honor our dead  Samhain is also a time we reflect on the year. This is our New Year, when the Wheel of the Year has gone full circle and begins again.

BACK