| The Witch's Holidays |
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| Yule - (Winter Solstice) (Lessor) Usually Dec 20 or 21. It is a time of renewal and rebirth. The God is reborn of the Goddess on this, the longest night of the year, giving us hope for the coming season. The days begin to grow longer. Imbolg (Candlemas) (Greater) Feb 1. Celebrates the banishment of the winter season. The lengthening days are the strengthening of the God. The Goddess is recovering from the birth. Ostara - (Spring Equinox) (Lessor) Mid-March; Celebrate fertility and blessings for future planings. The energies shift from the sluggishness of winter to the life & exuberance of spring Beltane - (May Day) (Greater) Celebrate love, union, and the joining of 2 halves to make a whole (seed + earth = life) the Maypole! The God enters manhood and impregnates the Goddess. Some celebrate "Old Beltane" on May 5. In olden times, young people would spend the night in the forest, "a-maying," and older people would remove their bands. Sexual activity is associated with this sabbat, deriving from the "Great Rite". Mid-Summer - (Summer Solstice) (Lessor) The God is at his highest power. The Goddess is pregnant and preparing for harvest. Lammas - (Greater) Aug 1. The 1st harvest. A day of thanksgiving. The God is beginning to lose power. This is a traditional time of Tailltean marriages. These trial marriages lasted a year and a day (until the next Lammas). It is also a time for craft festivals. Mabon - (Autumn Equinox) (Lessor) Completion of the harvest. The God (and nature) prepares for death (winter). The Goddess is sorrowful at the God's impending death, but is also joyful from the life within her womb. Samhain - (Halloween) (Greater) The Witch's New Year!! The festival of the dead. The God dies. A time for reflection. The veil between the world of the living and dead is thin, allowing communication between the 2. Divination powers are strongest at this time. |
| Our holidays are divided into 2 groups: Sabbats and Esabats. Sabbats: There are 8 in a year. They are solar festivals, celebrating the seasonal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The sabbat begins at sundown on the eve of the sabbat (a Celtic tradition) and continues until sundown of that day. There are 4 "Greater" sabbats, marking the quarters of the year. There are 4 "Lessor" sabbats, marking the half-quarters. Esabats: There are 13 in a year. They are lunar festivals, celebrating the full moon. |