Chapter 14: Sabbats

The Sabbats are the holidays that a Wiccan celebrates. There are eight of them in a year Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon and Samhain.

I can sit for hours and tell you how the Christian took our holidays and made them their own but that would be just wasting time and telling you something you already know. It is a proven and known fact that Christians picked the day that their God was born to be next to the day the Pagan God was born. It was easier to keep the people converted if you gave them holidays to celebrate. And instead of making them change their habits they just took already existing holidays and used them and changed their meaning. Many of our Sabbats are still used today by farmers, whether they know it or not, they check their almanacs to find out when will be the best time to plant and harvest their crops. This is what the people did many centuries ago and being as it was the busiest and most celebrate time they would hold festivals to thank the Gods for their bounty or to ask for a bountiful harvest when planting.

Many of the traditions that existed back then are still used today. You still hear the word Yule used at Christmas time. Many just think it is a happy word. The mistletoe was a Pagan tradition that is still used today. Bringing in a Christmas tree was derived from the Pagan’s bringing in the Yule Log and lighting it. How many of you make sure your tree is down by New Years or it will be bad luck. This is a Pagan tradition as well, they felt that the Yule Log had to be complete by the twelfth night or the year would be bad. But, Yule is not the only holiday that was used to create modern day celebrations. Ostara is now Easter. Did you ever wonder what colored eggs and bunnies had to do with Jesus dying? Well nothing. But to Pagan’s the eggs and bunnies represented fertility and reproduction. Groundhog’s Day on February 2nd was Imbolc; Pagan’s took this time to look at the coming spring. Winter was behind them and the animals where starting to prepare to have their young. It was a time of hope of things to come. Now we use the Groundhog to tell us whether spring is coming or not.

So as you can see the holidays have been there all along they are just now being returned to the rightful owners again.

Yule
Date Celebrated: December 21
Also Called: Winter Solstice
History: Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God from the virgin Goddess. It is the shortest day of the year. The typical Yule celebration lasted 12 days and started the eve before the Solstice. This is where the song “12 Days of Christmas” got its roots. In ancient Egypt it was a time to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun God, Ra and to celebrate the creation of the universe.
Traditions: The Yule Log came from the Celts. It was from an Oak tree and brought into the home, decorated with holly, mistletoe and evergreens to represent the God and Goddess being reunited. Later in history 3 holes were added to the top of the log to represent the Goddess in her three forms. The Yule log is allowed to burn completely; however, a piece of it should be saved to light the next year’s log.
Known today as: Christmas

Imbolc
Date Celebrated: February 2nd
Also Called: Candlemas
History: Imbolc represents and honors the Goddess in her Maiden form. She is recovering from having given birth to the God. It is the 1st spring celebration and marks the moment when the beginning of spring can be seen. The word itself has different meanings depending on the culture. To the Celtics it means “the belly” referring to the pregnant livestock but to the Gaelic’s it means “in the milk” referring to the sheep that have given birth to the first offspring of the year.
Traditions: We celebrate this festival with lights, candles, and things that imitate fertility. Some create “Brid’s Bed” by making a female figure of straw and placing it into a basket where a phallic symbol wand is placed across the female to represent impregnation of the Mother. Evergreens from Yule are removed and burned to prevent hauntings of the home, as the corner into spring has been turned.
Known today as: Groundhog’s Day, St. Brigid’s Day

Ostara
Date Celebrated: March 21st
Also Called: Spring Equinox
History: The word Ostara is the name of the Virgin Goddess of Spring in ancient Germany. This is a festival of fertility and is the 2nd spring celebration. The Goddess has fully awakened from her sleep. This is the first day of spring, the God and Goddess and encouraging the animals to reproduce. This is the time of year when the days and nights are equal in length.
Traditions: Colored eggs and the Easter Bunny.
Known today as: Easter

Beltane:
Date Celebrated: May 1sat
Also Called: May Day
History: The 3rd Spring Celebration. Beltane is also a fertility festival. The young God has entered manhood. This is when the God and Goddess fall in love and she becomes pregnant. Everyone starts to prepare for the hotter months of summer. Beltane is associated with love.
Traditions: Dancing around the May Pole
Known today as: May Day

Litha:
Date Celebrated: June 21st
Also Called: Summer Solstice
History: This is the longest day of the year and exactly opposite of the Winter Solstice. The powers of nature have reached their highest point. Many find this to be the best day for magick.
Traditions: No traditional celebrations
Known today as: First Day of Summer

Lammas:
Date Celebrated: August 2nd
Also Called: Lughnassadh
History: Lammas is the time the harvest starts. The God is loosing strength while the Goddess watches as he is dying yet knowing he is already re-growing within her. The people are starting to prepare for the winter to come. This is the 1st harvest festival.
Traditions: Canning food for winter, and harvesting herbs to be dried.
Known today as: First Day of Fall

Mabon:
Date Celebrated: September 21,
Also Called: Autumn Equinox
History: This is when the harvest is completed. Day and night are once again equal in length. The Goddess has acknowledged the weakening Sun. This is the 2nd harvest festival.
Traditions: Completing the drying of herbs and plants for the winter.

Samhain:
Date Celebrated: October 31
Also Called: Halloween
History: Considered the Witches New Year. It represents one full turn of the seasonal year. We are saying goodbye to the God until his birth at Yule. This is the time when we look back over the year and thank the God and Goddess for the good things we have. Many believe this is the night when the veil to the other side is at its weakest. We reflect back on our ancestors that have passed over and remember them with fondness.
Traditions: Jack-o-Lanterns
Known today as: Halloween or All Hollows Eve