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Note: Spellings and names change within different paths. This contains information from Wiccan and Celtic sources. Greater Sabbats: Cross Quarters Samhain- death Imbolc- purification Beltaine- fertility Lughnasadh- first harvest Lesser Sabbats: Quarters Yule- Winter Solstice Ostarta- Vernal (Spring) Equinox Litha- Summer Solstice Mabon- Autumnal Equinox 
Yule: December 21 or 22 Rebirth of the Sun Daylight hours are short and increase as the year progresses. The Sun grows in strength. Honor the Lady for the symbolic labor of the Sun and her gift of light to the world. Colors: Red and Green Imbolc: February 2 Observe the recovery of the Goddess. She rests regaining her strength. Time of new beginnings and initiations, purifications, spring cleaning and growth and renewal. Festival of the Triple Goddess Brigit, whose breath gave life to the dead. Colors: White
Ostara: March 21 or 22 This is the coming of spring. New birth to all dormant. Time of increasing fertility. Balance of light and dark. Sowing time in the North. Earth cycle of plant and animal fertility, spell producing, new beginnings. Colors: Pastels Beltaine: April 30 or May 1 Recovery is complete. Fertility at its peak. Celebrate union of God and Goddess. Good time for Handfastings and setting plans and goals. Time of the Horned God and Lady of the Greenwood. Honor the house guardian. Colors: Red and White
Litha: June 21 or 22 Coming of Summer Sun's masculine energy at peak. The time when the Sun cast three rays of light into the world. Rededication of the Great Goddess and the Great God. Colors: Bright Colors
Lughnasadh: July 31 or August 1 First Harvest Held in honor of the sun God Lugh. Thank the God for a bountiful harvest. Wanning God and Waxing Goddess. Colors: Green and Brown
Mabon: September 21 or 22 Final Harvest All tasks set forth are coming into frutation. Prepare for winter. Balance of light and dark. Time of rest and meditations on reincarnations in preperation for Samhain. Colors: Rich Earthy Tones
Samhain: October 31 Observe the Passing God Time of death and transition. Honor those passed away. Time when the veil between our world and the otherside is the thinnest. This allows the spirits of the dead to cross over and be with their loved ones and family. The beginning of the Celtic new year. Colors: Black and Orange
-The Wheel of the Year- An understanding of the nature of rituals is important before fully defining The Wheel of the Year. There are three primary forms of ritual in Wicca. Celebratory rituals are the opposite of so called "solemnities" such as Handfastings and funeral rites. Solemnities (which are rarely solemn,) celebrate ourselves and the various life changes that we go through. Celebratory Rituals are rituals which are held to celebrate the turning of the seasons, the glory of the Gods, and numerous other celebrational things. The third type of ritual, Working Ritual, is ritual with a defined purpose, such as healing, or releasing negative energy. Working Rituals may be to aid disasters which you are too far away to physically help, or to comfort and heal those who you can't be with. Working Rituals fulfill all the same purposes as "Praying for" something or someone, and praying is a type of Working Ritual. Remember, all ritual is merely "advanced prayer." The Wheel of the Year is comprised of four solar or "celestial" holidays, called "Quarters" and four harvest holidays, called Cross-quarters. The solar holidays are held on the equinoxes and solstices. An Equinox (ee-kwin-ox or, alternately, e-ki-nox) is a point of intersection between the Sun's annual path and the celestial equator. At those moments, the Sun is exactly over the equator and day and night are of equal length. The Spring or Vernal Equinox, called Ostara occurs around March 21st, The Autumnal equinox, or Mabon, occurs around September 21st. The Equinoxes are considered the "First day" of Spring and Fall . A Solstice is when the sun is furthest from the equator and the day is either the longest or the shortest day of the year. The longest, around June 21st, is the Summer Solstice, called Midsummer and Litha, which is the "first day" of Summer. The shortest, around December 21st, is Yule, or Midwinter, and is the "first day" of Winter. In ancient traditions, there were only two seasons, Summer, the light half of the Year, which was said to relate to the Goddess, and Winter, which was the time of the God. This is easily related to early agricultural society, in which the field is important for summer and the hunt for fall. A hunter/gatherer society would find the belief in the Goddess and God as near instinctual, whereas the industrialized world would find itself more disjointed and separated from "natural" belief. The idea of the "noble savage" from much earlier industrial age writings expresses this feeling. By writing books about African and Native American heroes from "the wild," "untainted by the corruption of society," our more recent ancestors were expressing the tortures of unfulfilled spirit. By rediscovering The Wheel of The Year, we fulfill that spirit. The Cross-Quarters, named Beltane, Lughnasa, Samhain and Imbolc, are harvest festivals "tacked on" to the Wheel of The Year as society became more agricultural. Beltane (bell- tayne) marks the completion of planting, Lughnasa (loo-nah-sah) marks the first harvest, Samhain (sowhen) was the second harvest and the time for the first slaughter, the slaughter of those animals destined for the dinner table. Yule (youl) represented the second slaughter, the slaughter of animals who would not make it through the "season of storms" and was the harvest for winterapples, potatoes and other second-crop winter fruits. Imbolc (im-bolk) represented first thaw, the turning of the soil and was the time when animals and women alike got pregnant. Each festival had its own share of traditions and rituals, that stretched cross-culturally and religiously. Christianity, Roman invaders and Druids passed the rituals back and forth between them, and the modern Wiccan Wheel of the Year is a synthesis of these, and our diverse cultures.
-The Dying King- A predominate myth in Wicca is the Myth of the Dying King, who is born, in this pre-Christian myth, at Yule. The Goddess rests after his birth, and the land "hibernates" resulting in the cold, harshness of Winter. She begins to awaken at Imbolc, and the infant God, the Sun, begins to exert power with her. By Ostara, she has embraced the land in fertility, and her son walks with the land, bringing forth the hidden and new-born animals. Beltane comes, and a mature God and the Goddess are joined as one, she conceives, and at the Summer Solstice, they appear together, gloriously full of power. At Lughnasa, as the sun begins to "Weaken" so too does the God . The Goddess paves the way for his death, by beginning to withdraw from the Earth so that the people know to harvest and by the Solstice, she, beginning to slow down with the increasing burden of the pregnancy, and he, steadily growing older, are equal in power. They mutually decline until Samhain, where the God dies, and the Goddess rests in preparation for the long labor ahead. In one tradition, a feast is held for the Goddess in her last month, and after the feast, she begins the arduous labor that parodies December, with periods of pain and relief, always with the anticipation of the final rebirth of the "Sun King." In this tradition, the feast was held thirteen days before Yule, to represent the thirteen months of the lunar year. In my Clan/Family, we've extended this period, and , as you may've guessed, we hold "The Final Feast" on Thanksgiving, and save our money, keeping all meals in December as frugal as possible until the big feast celebrating the birth of the God. This helps us keep in mind the "feeling" of this time of the year for our ancestors.
-The Equinoxes(Equinoces)- The Spring, or Vernal Equinox is also called Ostara, Eostra, Festival of the Trees, Alban Eilir, Ostra and Persephone's day, and represents the "coming to life" of the earth. Wiccan rituals of this day often involve seed planting, dancing, egg painting (an ancient Pagan custom) and huge banquets of herbed bread, spring berries and rhubarb. Children born or conceived on Ostara are said to be healthy, strong, imaginative and "green thumbed." Ostara is the time to work "rebirth" Magicks, and an old tradition of Ostara is to call "off" debts. Some peoples believe that by "holding on" to the past, you prevent the future, so, to speed the future up, you have to "give up" the past. Unfortunately, the utility company doesn't seem to understand that. A modern way to celebrate the severing of the past is to try to have all of your December bills paid off by Ostara. Pay the bills, save the paperwork that comes with it, clip off the part you keep for your records, and burn them in a great stack in a fire set Ostara morning. Try to spend the period between Ostara and Beltane accomplishing as much as possible. Open the windows, clean the house and "finish off" the dark half of the year so that by Beltane, the year is "fresh and new." Remember, the ritual's just half of the practice! The Autumnal Equinox, also known as Alban Elfred, Mabon, or The Feast of Second Harvest, is just that, a feast, held after the second harvest. The celebration often includes feasts of grain foods, domestic meats like mutton or beef, and apples and tender young pumpkins. Autumn is construction season where I grew up, and many Pagan groups hold "Barn-raising" type festivals, fixing leaky roofs, building temple spaces, or even working to build houses for members who may not have the money to buy or hire a contractor. This is, of course, fully dependent on the number of people you have, but a hard day of physical labor, topped by a feast, really helps citified folk to get the "feel" of a day at harvest. Children born at Mabon are generally compared to the harvest. If it was good, the child is said the "Grow tall and prosper like the grain," but a poor season usually boded badly for an infant, not because of his/her date of birth but because of the food supply, and the child was said to be lucky to survive past Yule.
-The Solstices(Solstia)- Like the Equinoxes, the Solstices are said to be "lesser" ceremonies. The Summer Solstice, called Litha, is when the God and Goddess reign with the most power. It is a time of "high Magick" a time for feasts, dancing, games of strength and endurance and warfare (usually of the reenactment variety.) Children born on the Summer Solstice are supposed to be fiery, smart, strong, temperamental and willful, red haired children born on the Solstice are said to be "marked" by the Sun King, and will receive special blessings. Feasts of The Summer Solstice are of "orange" foods, carrots, wild berries, peaches, and any fruit which has a brief period of sweetness, especially persimmons in Southern Wiccan traditions. This is the night of Morpheus, Psyche, Demeter, Apollo and Horae. Prophetic dreams of this night are said to always come true. The Winter Solstice, or Yule, is both the celebration of Midwinter and the contemporary Wiccan's "Christmas." In my family, we have a Yule Tree, which we decorate with star and moon Santas, brooms, cookies, cranberries, popcorn, our sacred cords and all sorts of relics, a crystal from this vacation, an ornament from another. Our son is taught of St. Klaus, Woden delivering gifts from his sky-sleigh pulled by reindeer, and of the birth of the baby "Sun" God. We tell Christian friends that our family is Wiccan, that "happy holiday" and "happy Yuletide" cards are acceptable, and "Merry Christmas" is not. Frosty the Snowman, a Visit from St. Nick, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and such things can be very secular, and we bake cookies of crosses, stars of David, stars, angels, Santas, dredels, peace symbols and crescent moons and give them out in great huge batches to our friends, as "Unity" cookies. We've learned to accept "December Holidays" as a time to celebrate our Unity as a human race and our individual beauties, too, the true goal of Multiculturality. At Ritual, we give each other handmade gifts, usually of food, and we each pick a name out of a hat and give a gift to a coven member at a feast/party on the actual "Christmas" night (face it, being alone for Christmas sucks, even if you're not Christian.). A child born on Yule is said to have the power of the Sun God, and the mother is said to be blessed too, of especial sacredness are infants with black hair, who are said to have the powers of the storms, and very pale children born on Yule are said to come from the womb of the Goddess and be great workers of Magick. The "gift" child is often a changeling, say the old ways, and will die by spring, but bring great prosperity to the family, not my idea of a "Blessing." A venison Stew the night of Yule, rich with potatoes, carrots and turnips is the "traditional" Yule feast, served with pan bread and Yule Wine, which is often a cranberry-apple wine made at Samhain, or Mulled Cider. A vegetarian Wiccan meal I went to consisted of Stewed Pumpkin with carrots and a bunch of other indistinguishable vegetables and grains. As I always say, "Whatever works." -Imbolc- Imbolc (February 1st or 2nd) is the Festival of the beginning of the end of Winter. Fires are kindled, and a light is placed in each window to show good fortune the way to the house. It is said that to turn out a beggar on Imbolc is to risk turning out the weakened Goddess in disguise. One older trad says, "Take a beggar into your house on Imbolc, give him your best chair, your best meat, your best blanket, if he stays until Ostara, you shall be greatly rewarded." Imbolc is also the festival of the unsung deed, when we lived in sub-artic Syracuse, NY, this consisted of sneaking out and shoveling the whole neighborhood, or driving around to jump start cars. Children born on Imbolc are said to be the "first children of Spring" and will always be one step ahead of everyone else. Feasts of Imbolc are of potatoes, turnips, bread, rabbit and venison, and are supposed to be both meager and hopeful, often using the last of the spices, salt and other supplies of the winter.
-Beltane- Beltane (May 1st) is a festival which somehow escaped total absorption by Christianity, and, even in modern times, has been practiced almost instinctually by country folk, usually as May Day. Pink, white and red are the colors, with spring primroses, violets, pansies and crocus the flowers of choice. Irises, sacred flower of the rainbow goddess, are said to bode a glorious summer if in bloom by Beltane, and a rainbow on Beltane is a powerful mystic sign. Children, especially girls, born on Beltane are the "children of the Goddess", and children conceived on Beltane are said to have "luck and fortune beyond the world." In celebration of Persephone's homecoming, bowls of flowers are placed everywhere, and nosegays are placed on the doors of absolute strangers. Beltane is the fertility ceremony supreme, with May Pole dances, and caldrons and bowls of wine free-flowing. A word of caution here, Beltane seems to be the trigger for many powerful instincts, and the most responsible, least fertile people I know have little January children to show for it. Likewise, if you are finding it difficult to conceive, try waiting a week and attempting on Beltane. I have two glorious "nieces-who-aren't- really" as a result of a good friend taking my advice. With fertility clinics running in the tens of thousands for simple treatments, can faith, a little May Wine and a night of passion really be that risky? "Womanhood" ceremonies, new business deals, real estate buying and other rites of passage are all for Beltane, as are the "passion" fruits, like strawberries, cherries, passion fruit and kiwi. Eating a pomegranate on Beltane is said to be in bad taste, however, and this is a basically vegetarian holiday, no meat at the feast unless it's spring chicken or the first fish of the season. The essence of Beltane is "party," starting all over and getting it right this time. No doubt of the Celebratory nature of Beltane is possible. -Lughnasa- Lughnasa, (August 1st/July 31st) is the feast of the first harvest, and its feast is usually of grains, corn and blueberries. Children born on Lughnasa, like children born on Mabon, are said to be like the crop that is brought in. Very little is written of Lughnasa, and it seems to be a fairly recent holiday, appearing within the past 500 years. Often Mabon and Lughnasa are combined into great harvest festivals once everything is done, and the suggestion of defined "first" and "second" harvests conjures thoughts of machinery and single crops. More likely, Lughnasa was the beginning of the harvesting season, with Mabon its end. Lughnasa, without a doubt, is the most often overlooked festival of the year.
-Samhain- Samhain, (October 31st) pronounced "so-When" like "so-when is Samhain?," is the holiday that has been confiscated, wrapped up in a bright pink "happy" bag and returned to us barely recognizable as "Halloween." Contrary to bizarre portrayals by Wiccan revisionists, Samhain was a time for sacrifice in the ancient world, sacrifice of those cattle and sheep that wouldn't live through winter, but also occasionally of a person, who, by "dying with" the God could sort of "plead the case" of a pleasant winter with the Celestial forces. Children born on Samhain are said to be great in power but attracted to "necromancy, graveyards and other ghoulish things," and children conceived on Samhain were said to be the incarnations of unsettled dead, so sex on Samhain is fairly taboo. It is said that the "veil" between the worlds is thinnest on Samhain, and communication with, and even attacks by, the dead are part of its mysticism. Welcoming the ancestors to the Samhain feast is common, as is wearing masks so dead enemies can't find you. Celebrations in honor of beloved people who have passed away are common on Samhain, and it is the Wiccan New Year, because of the Ancient Druidic belief that day began with the setting of the sun, and thus the dark half of the year was the beginning. New Years resolutions are made on Samhain, and it is the traditional day to raise a covener within the circle. |
