Sabbats
Each Ritual celebrates one portion of the Cycle of Life.
Yule & Candlemas (Imbolc) are Inception
Beltane & Ostara are Birth & Growth
MidSummer (Litha) is Maturity
Lammas & Mabon are Harvest
Samhain is Death & its subsequent Spiritual Transformation
The Story of the Sabbats
At Midwinter (Yule) the God is born as the Son of the Goddess. She also can be seen as re-birthing Herself as the bright and the magickal Maiden.
At Imbolc, the Goddess is both Mother and Maiden . She has recently given birth and is fruitful and creative. She is also newly burgeoning along with the snowdrops and ewes' milk. She is Maiden. The God is young and is growing.
At the Spring Equinox (Ostara) the God and Goddess are both youthful and vibrant with the excitment of Their potential.
At Beltane, the God and Goddess, having come to maturity, mate and celebrate Their love with joy.
At Midsummer (Litha) the Goddess is mature and glowing. The God Changes. Slowly He begins to turn His face towards the realm of quiet and shadows. The Goddess is serene and fruitful Mother to the glory of nature.
At Lammas, (Lugh) the Goddess, as Earth Mother presides over the first harvests. In a sense the God now dies, cut down with the Corn. In another sense He is reborn in all the provisions made from the harvest.
At the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) the Goddess is still the gentle Mother Earth. This is really the Second of the "harvest' celebrations. The God is only a shadowy presence.
At Samhain, the end of October, the God is the true Lord of the Underworld. The Goddess is the Wise Crone. They are both old and they are clothed in the air of mystery. This is the time of death, leading them to rebirth, once more at Midwinter/Yule.
Celebrate The Wheel Of The Year
The Witches' calendar contains eight key festivals, called Sabbats. At these we mark the changes of the seasons and the stories of the Goddess and the God. Whenever possible Witches will gather together to celebrate these festivals by dancing, singing and honoring the Goddess and the God by re-enacting their stories, but Solitary Witches also mark the Sabbats. At the end of these rituals we celebrate by feasting with food and wine. Many of the Sabbats have a familiar feel to non-Witches as they have been taken over by new belief systems and incorporated into their calendars. Briefly the Sabbats are:
SAMHAIN - 31 October. The most important festival, marking the beginning and end of the year, the beginning of the resting season of the land and a time of remembrance of those who have gone before. A feast of the Goddess as Crone and Wise One.
YULE - 21 December. The Winter Solstice when the decreasing days give way to increasing light and life and we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun.
IMBOLC - 2 February. The time when the first signs of life are seen returning to the land and the Goddess changes her robes of Crone for those of Maiden.
OESTARA - 21 March. The Spring Equinox, when day and night are equal. The festival of the Goddess Eostar, who is derived from the Goddess Astarte, and whose symbols are the egg and the hare.
BELTANE - 1 May. The second most important festival of the year, when the Goddess changes her robes of Maiden for those of Mother and we celebrate the marriage of the Goddess and the God.
LITHA - 21 June. The Summer Solstice. Here the Sun is at the peak of its power; from this time onwards the days gradually grow shorter again.
LAMMAS - 1 August. The festival of the first of the harvest. The feast of Lugh and of the Sacrificial King, who is these days most often represented by a gingerbread man.
MADRON - 21 September. The Autumn Equinox, once more a time of balance when day and night are equal. The feast of the height of the harvest.
On the return to Samhain the year has turned full circle, hence the term 'Wheel of the year'. People living in the Southern Hemisphere will find their seasons are reversed and may prefer to celebrate the Sabbats as appropriate to the season rather than the calendar date.
Written by: Seshet
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