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The Sabbats in a Nutshell
October 31 -- November Eve -- Samhain
The night lengthens and we work with the positive aspects of darkness in the
increasing star- and moonlight. Many Craft traditions, following the ancient Celts, consider this
the eve of the New Year (as day begins with sundown, so the year begins with the first day of Winter).
It is one night when the barriers between the worlds of life and death are uncertain, allowing the
ancestors to walk among the living, welcomed and feasted by their kin, bestowing the Otherworld's
blessings. We may focus within ourselves to look "through the glass darkly", developing our divination
and psychic skills.
December 21 -- Winter Solstice -- Yule
The sun is at its nadir, the year's longest night. We internalize and synthesize the
outward-directed activities of the previous summer months. Some covens hold a Festival of Light to
commemorate the Goddess as Mother giving birth to the Sun God. Others celebrate the victory of the
Lord of Light over the Lord of Darkness as the turning point from which the days will lengthen. The
name "Yule" derives from the Norse word for "wheel", and many of our customs (like those of the
Christian holiday) derive from Norse and Celtic Pagan practices (the Yule log, the tree, the custom
of Wassailing, et al).
January 31 -- February Eve -- Imbolc (Oimelc) or Brigid
As the days' lengthening becomes perceptible, many candles are lit to hasten the
warming of the earth and emphasize the reviving of life. "Imbolc" is from Old Irish, and may mean "in
the belly", and Oimelc, "ewe's milk", as this is the lambing time. It is the holiday of the Celtic Fire
Goddess Brigid, whose threefold nature rules smithcraft, poetry/inspiration, and healing. Brigid's fire
is a symbolic transformation offering healing, visions, and tempering. Februum is a Latin word meaning
purification -- naming the month of cleansing. The thaw releases waters (Brigid is also a goddess of
holy wells) -- all that was hindered is let flow at this season.
March 21 -- Vernal Equinox -- Ostara
Day and night are equal as Spring begins to enliven the environment with new
growth and more newborn animals. Many people feel "reborn" after the long nights and coldness of
winter. The Germanic Goddess Ostara or Eostre (Goddess of the Dawn), after whom Easter is named, is
the tutelary deity of this holiday. It is she, as herald of the sun, who announces the triumphal
return of life to the earth. Witches in the Greek tradition celebrate the return from Hades of Demeter's
daughter Persephone; Witches in the Celtic tradition see in the blossoms the passing of Olwen,
in whose footprints flowers bloom. The enigmatic egg, laid by the regenerating snake or the heavenly
bird, is a powerful symbol of the emergence of life out of apparent death or absence of life.
April 30 -- May Eve -- Beltaine
As the weather heats up and the plant world burgeons, an exuberant mood prevails.
Folk dance around the Maypole, emblem of fertility (the name "May" comes from a Norse word meaning
"to shoot out new growth"). May 1st was the midpoint of a five-day Roman festival to Flora, Goddess
of Flowers. The name "Beltaine" means "Bel's Fires"; in Celtic lands, cattle were driven between
bonfires to bless them, and people leaped the fires for luck. The association in Germany of May Eve
with Witches' gatherings is a memory of pre-Christian tradition. "Wild" water (dew, flowing streams or
ocean water) is collected as a basis for healing drinks and potions for the year to come.
June 21 -- Summer Solstice -- Litha or Midsummer
On this day, the noon of the year and the longest day, light and life are abundant.
We focus outward, experiencing the joys of plenty, tasting the first fruits of the season. In some
traditions the sacred marriage of the Goddess and God is celebrated (in others, this is attributed
to the springtime holidays). Rhea, the Mountain Mother of Crete, has breathed out all creation. It
is also the festival of the Chinese Goddess of Light, Li.
July 31 -- August Eve -- Lughnasadh or Lammas
This festival has two aspects. First, it is one of the Celtic fire festivals,
honoring the Celtic culture-bringer and Solar God Lugh (Lleu to the Welsh, Lugus to the Gauls). In
Ireland, races and games were held in his name and that of his mother, Tailtiu (these may have been
funeral games). The second aspect is Lammas, the Saxon Feast of Bread, at which the first of the grain
harvest is consumed in ritual loaves. These aspects are not too dissimilar, as the shamanic death and
transformation of Lleu can be compared to that of the Barley God, known from the folksong "John
Barleycorn". This time is also sacred to the Greek Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis.
September 21 -- Autumnal Equinox -- Mabon or Harvest Home
This day sees light and dark in balance again, before the descent to the dark
times. A harvest festival is held, thanking the Goddess for giving us enough sustenance to feed us
through the winter. Harvest festivals of many types still occur today in farming country, and
Thanksgiving is an echo of these.
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Sabbat Lore
The Sabbats explained!
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