SabbatSabbat noun (French, literally, sabbath, from Latin sabbatum ) 1): Witch’s Sabbath First used in this sense 1652
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Sabbat is a holiday on which Wiccans celebrate the male energy of the All, which is represented by the God and the Sun. These days celebration of God just as Esbats celebrate the Goddess. There are eight Sabbats. Two of the Sabbats mark the Equinoxes - those days when daytime and night time are of equal duration. The Sabbats also include the longest day of the year and the longest night of the year - known as solstices- and the mid points between these days.Samhain (pronounced sow-inn)(October 31) is also known as Halloween. This is our time of endings and beginnings, so the New Year is celebrated at Samhain. This is a quieter time, a time when the veil between worlds is thin and the spirits may pass more easily. At Mabon, the God Lugh died in order for us to live through His abundance. During the intervening time, He has gathered the spirits of those that have died over the year and waits for this night so that they may pass through the gate to the other side. This is the time to revere our ancestors and to say farewell to those that have passed this last year. It is also a time of divination. This begins a time of darkness. From now until Yule, the days grow darker and colder. We light bonfires are ignited and rituals performed to honor our deceased loved ones. Many Halloween traditions stem from Samhain. The wearing of scary costumes was originally used to scare away those souls that may mean harm. The jack-o-lantern was another means of scaring away hostile spirits, the candle within a beckoning light to those that you wish to welcome.
Yule
The Winter Solstic (Dec. 21-22) This is a time of mixed
emotions for Pagans who are surrounded by Christmas celebrations
which are not a part of their traditions, though
Christmas practices are rooted in ancient pagan
practices. When the Wheel of the year
brings us to Yule, the God who died at Samhain is
reborn of the virgin Goddess. The God is represented
by the Sun which returns after the darkest night of
the year to again bring warmth and fertility to the
land. The profusion of lights on houses and trees at
Christmas is a modern version of the pagan custom of
lighting candles and fires as acts of sympathetic
magick to lure back the waning sun. Yule has been the most widely
celebrated of all the Sabbats because its customs
and lore have so deeply invaded popular cultures and
the mainstream religions, and virtually every
culture in the northern hemisphere in some way once
acknowledged the return of the Sun at its weakest
point. Some anthropologists believe Yule was celebrated as a religious
festival as early as12,000 years ago, and some claim it
is many millennia earlier. Yule's importance was obvious
to early human civilizations. As the nights grew
darker and longer, and the days colder and shorter,
it was imperative that the sun be lured back to the
Earth. Though most cultures understood astronomy
long before we give them credit, and knew the sun
was where it always had been, they still felt moved
to celebrate the old rites which were symbolic
rather than factual to them. The festival was
important because it kept them in tune with the
cycle of the seasons, marked the New Year, allowed
them a time to gather with friends and family, and
to worship their deitys in joy and thanksgiving.
Ostara
Vernal or Spring Equinox (March 20-21)Many of the symbols of Ostara (oh-STAR-ah) are also common to Easter.
Eggs have been a symbol of renewed life and
fertility since the time of ancient
Egyptians and Persians. In fact, in both
cultures people dyed eggs and ate them
in honor of the returning of spring. The
Egyptians also saw hares or rabbits,
which were associated with the Moon, as
a symbols of fertility and rebirth.
Imblog(Febuary 2)
Originally a special day set aside to honor the
Goddess who was slowly turning the
wheel of the year back to spring.
Winter was a harsh season for our
pagan ancestors, one during which
many died of disease and
mal-nutrition. Therefore, it is not
surprising that most of the customs
surrounding this Sabbat are designed
as acts of sympathetic magick to
lure back to the sun, and speed up
the coming of the balmy warmth of
spring.
Two other names commonly used for
this Sabbat are Embolic and Timely,
both meaning ewes milk. This was the
time when pregnant ewes begin
lactating, and the event was
celebrated as another sign that
winter was ending. In Cornwall they
honored this event by making a
ritual drink from cider, mashed
apples, honey, and the milk from
pregnant ewes.
The Romans dedicated the Sabbat to
Venus, the goddess
of love. The first flower
of spring, the crocus, was sacred to
her, and the flowers
were picked and used to lavishly
adorn homes, alters, and people
especially young women who
represented the virgin goddesses at
the Sabbat rituals.
Though the Roman version of the
Imbolg Sabbat was dedicated to
Venus, the month of February was
dedicated to the Goddess Februa is
the Goddess of fresh starts, and her
month was often euphemistically
referred to as the cleansing
time.The Romans also had a board
game whch featured a crone and a
dragon at one end, and a maiden and
a lamb at the other. The object was
to have the lamb conquer the dragon,
making the crone goddess into the
virgin goddess once again and there
by turning the wheel of the year to
spring.
In the Wiccan tradition, the Lord and Lady are seen as young and innocent at this time of the year. The day and night are of equal duration at the spring or vernal equinox. In the days that follow, the hours of light grow longer, spring blooms in the air and the Lord and Lady, as do all creatures of Nature, begin to wonder about one anothe. A Wiccan celebration of Ostara might include boiling and decorated eggs. Some Wiccans even do egg hunts and eat chocolate bunnies. If you can celebrate at the exact moment of the vernal equinox, you can even balance a raw egg on one end because of the change of the Earths tilt. In ritual, witches might bless seeds for future planting. This is also a good time of year to buy a new ritual broom for sweeping out negative energy'\
Beltaine
(May 1st) This is the first day of summer
and the first full moon of Taurus,
which is Beltaine. We call forth praises for the lord of
animals and to the Fair lady of the
Flowers who bring great blessings to
our lives. From now until Samhain is the time of the
Greater Sun, and shall it shine
forth within our souls, for in truth
Beltaine means
bright fire. And we raise up a mighty May-pole, true
and fair, like a tree which rises
up into the sky, and we lay upon it ribbons, flowers and bright
colored garlands. And all gathered and dance a
merry dance around the pole and sing
songs of joy long into the
night.We also lay bright flowers and garlands
upon the cattle grazing in the
fields and we tie rowan berries on the posts beside our
doorways, and take time into our
hearts to think upon the nature of
our strength and the truth of our
desires. For at this time has
mighty Lugh, Lord Light and King of
the Sky, come forth to make his
conquests in the world.
Litha The Summer Solstice (June 20 or 21) this is the longest day of the year. It is a time to celebrate vitality, creativity, vigor, health and abundance. All over the world, people gather to honor and acknowledge this time of Light and Energy and to connect with this Solar tide of abundance, health and the beginnings of the fruits of their labors.One of the customs associated with the Summer Solstice is the blessing of animals: pets, familiars, work animals and animals which will be slaughtered in the Fall for Winter food. The blessing focuses on the animals health, growth, vitality and fertility. Bless and charge your pets or familiar with energy to strengthen your bond with them at the Summer Solstice. This is also the time when the herbs, both wild and cultivated, are reaching their greatest potency. Gather them before they begin to seed and dry them to use in your rituals and in the medicines that you make in late summer and early Fall. Collect herbs for which you will use flowers and leaves as the Moon waxes (gets larger). Roots are gathered during the Waning Moon. As you gather them, thank each one and cut it cleanly a few inches above the ground for the herbs with which you will use the flowers and leaves. For the roots that you gather, pull gently from the earth, collecting only about a third of the plants so that they will grow abundantly again next spring. Roses are particularly associated with the Summer Solstice and Midsummers Eve is especially potent for love magick. You may make a rose petal infusion to add to wine, or strew your bed with rose petals before retiring to help you dream of your soul-mate. Standing stones and stone circles are also symbolic of the Summer Solstice. The dolmen, or standing stone, reminds us of the virility of male energy and of the Sun which in magick and psychology is representative of the male. Stone circles symbolize the ever rolling Wheel of the Year and cycles of the Sun, the natural laws of the universe and the womb of the Earth. If you can find one naturally occurring, perform your Solstice celebrations within it, or leave food and herb offerings within it for our wild-land sisters and brothers. You can also create your own stone circle by placing 8 larger stones at each of the spokes of the Wheel of the Year, equidistance apart, and filling in the spaces between with smaller stones for a circle you can use year round. Another custom at the Summer Solstice is the practice of tossing wishes and offerings into wells and springs. For a wish or offering of thanks, hold a special stone, feather or sprig of herb in your hands as you focus and meditate on your desire. Pour the desire or gratitude into the stone, feather or sprig and when you have filled it, toss it with power and intention into the well or spring. The Summer Solstice is the time of the marriage of the Sun and the Moon, which is one of the reasons that the month of June has become the traditional month of marriage and union. One of the symbols for the power of the Sun is fire; for the Moon is water. To enact their union you may choose to create a SunWheel out of weavings of thin, dried branches or braided, dried herbs. You may then (carefully) ignite your SunWheel and roll it a short distance into running water or drop it carefully into a pool of water to unite the energies.
Mabon
(MAY-bon),The
Autumn Equinox(Sept 21) This is one of
the lesser Sabbats, is the second
harvest festival and is held on the
Autumn Equinox to celebrate the last
fruits of the year. Some people call
this holiday Harvest Home. Night and day
are of equal duration on this date, and
you can feel the approach of winter and
darkness. The Lord is preparing for his
death at Samhain, and the Lady is
beginning to mourn his loss. Rituals to
honor this Sabbat might include late
season vegetables such as squash, nuts,
and sheaves of late wheat and corn. A
cornucopia, a symbol of prosperity and
plenty, is a nice addition to you altar
at this time of year. Some witches like
to hold feasts or do food magick on this
holiday.Blessed be this season of Mabon,
time of the second harvest, the harvest
of fruit and wine. Tonight all things
are in balance: Goddess and God, Life
and Death, Light and Dark. Tonight the
darkness will conquer the light, leading
us ever deeper into the waning year.
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