The Sabbats

SAMHAIN / HALLOWEEN / FEAST OF APPLES
May 1 - Southern Hemisphere
Oct 31 - Northern Hemisphere

--or first full Moon in Scorpio. Ancestor night. Feast of the Dead. Halloween.
--Pronounced “sow-en” or “sow-un”.  This is the last day of the Pagan year. The new year begins the day after on November 1. (also known as All Saint's Day)
--This is the day when the veil between this world and the spirit world is thinnest. Communication with the dead is easiest and spirits are most common.  Also an excellent night for divination. Feasts and parties are held in remembrance of those who have died. This is a time for resolving problems.
--Ways of celebrating Samhain can be the traditional giving of candy to trick-or-treaters, divining, or placing out cookies and cakes for the spirits. Leave doors and windows open as it is thought to allow the dead to pass through the house without getting confused and lost inside.

YULE / WINTER SOLSTICE
June 20 - 23 - Southern Hemisphere
Dec 20 - 23 - Northern Hemisphere

--or Winter Solstice. Alban Arthuan. Festival of lights.
--The first day of winter and the longest day of the year.  This day is celebrated as the death and birth of the Sun God - the Divine Child. The full moon after Yule is considered the most powerful of the whole year. Yule is the celebration of the death of the Oak king and the rebirth and renewed reign of the Holly king.
--Celebrate Yule exactly as you would Christmas. When the pagans of old were taken over by Christian rule, the Christians found it impossible to convert the pagans. They eventually allowed the pagan peoples to keep their holidays as long as they did them in the name of their Lord, Jesus Christ. This is why Christians celebrate the birth of their lord on this night, even though (even stated in the bible for those bible thumpers out there) Christ was born in the spring with the lambs. The Yule log, made of oak, is burned as sacrifice of the old dead Oak king. Decorate with holly to celebrate the coming of the Holly king. This day is a light festival, with as many lights on the tree and altar as possible to celebrate the coming of the new child. Mistletoe is hung because in the ancient days couples would play out their trial marriages on this day. ceremonies were held beneath Oak trees strung with garlands of mistletoe. Oak has antibiotic properties and so mistletoe is rarely found growing on it. It was believed that if mistletoe was found on an Oak, it symbolized a pleasant, understood bond between the two. Couples who wanted to marry would dance together beneath the trees and, upon passing under the mistletoe, would kiss, sealing the marriage for a year and a day. After this time, if they decided they still were in love, they would be officially married or, could go their separate ways.

IMBOLC / CANDLEMAS
Aug 1 - Southern Hemisphere
Feb 2 - Northern Hemisphere
 
--or the first ful moon in Aquarius. Brigantia, Imbolc, Candlemas.
--The time of cleansing and newborn lambs. The name is from “oimelc” or “sheep’s milk”. Festival of the maiden, in preparation of growth and renewal. Time of spring cleansing.  Festival of the goddess Brigit, whose breath gave life to the dead.

OSTARA / SPRING EQUINOX
Sept 20 - 23 - Southern Hemisphere
March 20 - 23 - Northern Hemisphere

--Ostara, Aeostar, Easter. Spring Equinox.
--The first day of spring. Time when light and dark are in perfect balance, yet the light is growing stronger. Sowing time in the North. New beginnings.
--Ways of celebrating are dying beautiful eggs and leaving them in the forests and the gardens for the spirits and little people. Leave dyed eggs in the fields to promote fertility of crops and abundance. You can also celebrate by allowing the children to find the eggs and then going back and leaving the most beautifully dyed eggs for the nature spirits. This is also another Pagan holiday turned Christian. One must wonder, after all, what dyed eggs and fertility bunnies have to do with Christ’s resurrection. This is also a time for lovers to get together. Celebration often involves lovemaking.

BELTANE / MAY DAY
Oct 31 - Southern Hemisphere
May 1 - Northern Hemisphere

--or first full moon in Taurus. May Day.
--A fertility festival with nature enchantments. Powers of elves and fairies are growing and will peak at the Summer Solstice. A time of great magic, it is good for divination and for establishing a woodland or guardian shrine.
--Ways of celebrating are building shrines to nature spirits. This is the time to honor the house guardians. Leave small gifts of honey cakes, wine and sweets for the little people.

LITHA / SUMMER SOLSTICE
Dec 20 - 23 - Southern Hemisphere
June 20 - 23 - Northern Hemisphere

--Alban Heruin.
--The first day of Summer. This is a time of dedication to your religion. The sun casts three rays to light the world.

LUGHNASSADH / LAMMAS
Feb 2 - Southern Hemisphere
Aug 1 - Northern Hemisphere

--or the first Full Moon of Leo. Lunasa.
--This is the turning point of the year. The waning God and waxing Goddess.
--Celebration includes harvest festivals and spellwork for good fortune and abundance.

MABON / AUTUMN EQUINOX
March 20 - 23 - Southern Hemisphere
Sept 20 - 23 - Northern Hemisphere

--Alban Elved. First day of autumn.
--The balance of light and dark. Time of long rest after labor and completion of the harvest. A time of thanksgiving.
--Celebration includes quiet feasting, and meditation and reincarnation in preparation for Samhain.