Many Wiccan sources state that to celebrate the Sabbats is to, in essence, become closer to the Goddess and the God.

    The Wiccan New Year is celebrated on what most people consider to be Hallowe'en.  Therefore I have described, in order, the Sabbats and the Esbats beginning with Samhain, or Hallowe'en...

S A M H A I N

Wiccan New Year: Oct 31st

During Samhain (SOE-in), Wiccans celebrate the Final Harvest. This holiday is also known as "November Eve", among other names.

It is at this time that the wheel turns from Summer into Winter. Offerings are left for those who have passed on and it is a time to communicate with and to honor those ancestors who are no longer with us in body, but who are there in spirit.

It is a time to project for a future of balance, harmony, joy and health.

For some, a time of thanks to those who suffered the Burning Times. Instead of working magick, Samhain can be a time of rememberence. We celebrate the end of Summer, when the worlds are open to one another.

It is a time to honor and temporarily say farewell to the Old God, and to celebrate the Goddess for letting us experience the joys of Summer.

Samhain is also a great time for reflection. Of coming to terms with the one phenomenon we have no control over: death.

Y U L E

Winter Solstice: Dec 21st

Yule is a lesser Sabbat and occurs on the longest night and shortest day of the year: Winter Solstice. It is a time to gather and call back the light of the Sun, to insure rebirth of the Sun in the sky!

It is a time to honor the rebirth of the God, symbolized by the newly waxing Sun, which rises earlier each day from this point on into Midsummer.

Trees or potted evergreens are honored as symbols of continuing fertility of the Earth. Yule logs are lit.

Altars are decorated with evergreen, holly, pinecones and mistletoe.

Since this is a lesser Sabbat, it is a good time for magick to be worked!

I M B O L C

Feast of Torches: Feb 2nd

Imbolc is a festival of lights to encourage the Sun's return. A Greater Sabbat, it is a good time to perform self-dedication rituals.

Imbolc marks the first stirring of Spring, as we are aware of the Sun waxing and it's energy growing stronger!

Winter will soon come to an end and Mother Earth is slowly awakening from her sleep, ready to start anew.

The altar is adorned with the color white, symbolizing the Maiden.

O S T A R A

Spring Equinox: Mar 20th

One of the four lesser Sabbats, Ostara marks the start of Spring! A time of beginnings, of action, of 'planting' spells for future growth.

Day and Night are equal and the fertility of the Earth is celebrated. It is a time to give thanks for the up and coming light half of the year.

Ostara honors the awakening and rebirth of the young God, the young Goddess, and the Earth after her Winter's sleep.

Altars can be decorated in the light colors of Spring. Pale yellows, blues and violets and dusty shades of pink and rose.

 

 

B E L T A N E

May 1st

One of the four Greater Sabbats, Beltane (B'yal-t'n) is a time to welcome back the Goddess and celebrate the 'marriage' of her and the God!

It is a fertility festival centered around the weaving of the May pole.

It is a celebration of the return of full-blown fertility; the return of vitality, passion, and hopes!

This is where the wheel turns from Winter into Summer, with the cauldron as the focal point representing the Goddess' fertility and the essence of rebirth and womanhood.

M I D S U M M E R

Summer Solstice: June 21st

Litha: The Sun is at the peak of His power! But this is time when the Sun will also begin to lose it's strength. The Goddess is pregnant with the coming harvest.

Litha is a Lesser Sabbat where we give thanks for fertility and growth. It is also a time of great magickal power, where the powers of nature reach their highest point.

Altars may be dressed in colors representing the heat of Summer: bright yellow, deep reds, gold and green.

Thanks is given to the Earth for all of the flowers, herbs, and greens in full bloom. Love is also in full bloom, as this is a most popular time for the Pagan Ceremony of Handfasting!

L U G H N A S A D H

Aug 1st

Lughnasadh (LOO-n'sar), also called Lammas, is the first of the three Harvest festivals ~ the Grain Harvest.

A time for thanksgiving, we give thanks for the crops and the fertility of the Earth.

We remember Summer's warmth and bounty and know that nothing in the Universe is constant.

We honor the weakening Sun God and give thanks for the seeds and plants that went through the death process (harvest) in order to be reborn next season.

Lughnasadh, one of the Greater Sabbats, may be reserved for celebration and thanks.

M A B O N

Autumn Equinox: Sept 22nd

A Pagan Thanksgiving! A time when day and night are equal.

Mabon, the second of the three Harvest Festivals, is a time to prepare for the Season of Sleep--the dark time of Fall and Winter.

It is a time of meeting with our true inner selves; to grow and further our journey toward self-enlightenment so that when we return to the coming cycle of light (Spring/Summer), we will be more peaceful and balanced.

Mabon is a celebration to honor the ageing Deities and to pay honor to the dead at their final resting place.

The Altar can be decorated in the colors of Autumn: golds and browns, deep oranges and reds.