Basic information about the Sabbats from Catala's Page. For more info, check out my Sabbats website here!
From December 21 through December 31. The shortest day of the year and the longest night. The Goddess gives birth to a son, the God. The festival of the sun's rebirth, and a time to honor the God. Love, family, togetherness and accomplishments of the past year are also celebrated. It is celebrated by fire and the use of the Yule log. A portion of the Yule log is saved to be used in lighting next year's log. This piece is kept throughout the year to protect the home. The Yule log is burned to give life and power to the Sun. Hang mistletoe over doorways, decorate the Yule tree and exchange gifts. Bayberry candles are also burned to ensure wealth and happiness throughout the following year. The reindeer stag is also a reminder of the Horned God.
 | Traditional Foods: Roasted Turkey, nuts, eggnog and mulled wine. |
| Incense: Bayberry, cedar, pine and rosemary |
| Candles: Gold, red, green and white |
| Sacred Gemstones: Cat's eye and ruby |
February 2. Marks the time to welcome spring. The recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. A festival of light and of fertility. A good time for self-dedication rituals (performed or renewed). Represents new beginnings and spiritual growth, and the "sweeping out of the old". This is also a good time to look over your magickal cabinet.
| Traditional Foods: Sunflower seeds, poppyseed breads and cakes and herbal teas. |
| Incense: Myrrh and wisteria |
| Candles: Brown, pink and red |
| Sacred Gemstones: Amethyst, garnet, onyx and turquoise |
March 21. Marks the first day of spring. The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting forth from Her sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening fields and delights in the abundance of Nature. This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens. Eggs are colored and placed on the altar as magickal talismans. The familiar Easter Bunny is a Pagan derivative, as are baskets of flowers. The colors light green, lemon yellow, and pale pink are traditional for this holiday.
| Traditional foods: Hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, and the 1st fruits of the season. |
| Incense: African violets, jasmine, rose, sage and strawberry |
| Candles: Gold, green, yellow |
| Sacred Gemstones: Amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone and jasper |
May 1. Celebrating the union of the Goddess and God, and thus is also a fertility festival. Also celebrates the returning sun (or Sun God). The traditional colors for Mayday are red and white. Flower petals can be strewn about the circle and later swept into a pile and distributed around the perimeter of the house for protection.
| Traditional Foods: Red fruits, herbal salads, red or pink wine punch, and large, round oatmeal or barley cakes. |
| Incense: Frankincense, lilac, and rose |
| Candles: Dark green |
| Sacred Gemstones: Emerald, orange carnelian, sapphire and rose quartz |
June 21. Marks the longest day of the year. Midsummer is a classic time for magick of all kinds. Believed that whatever is dreamt of on this night will come true for the dreamer. A celebration of passion and success.
| Traditional Foods: Fresh vegetables, summer fruits, pumpernickel bread, ale and mead. |
| Incense: Frankincense, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose and wisteria |
| Candles: Blue, green, gold and red |
| Sacred Gemstones: All green stones (emerald and jade). |
August 2. The time of the first harvest. The God loses His strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer. The God is dying, and yet lives on inside the Goddess as Her child. We are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant.
| Traditional Foods: Homemade breads (wheat, oat and corn bread), nuts, wild berries, apples, rice, berry pies, elderberry wine, ale and meadowsweet tea. |
| Incense: Aloes, rose, sandalwood |
| Candles: Orange, yellow |
| Sacred Gemstones: Aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx |
September 21. Marks the completion of harvest. Day and Night are equal. God prepares to leave His physical body toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess. A time for thanksgiving and meditation. River and stream stones gathered over the summer can be empowered for various purposes.
| Traditional Foods: Corn bread cakes, wheat products, breads, nuts, vegetables, apples, cider, carrots, onions, potatoes and pomegranates. |
| Incense: Benzoin, myrrh and sage |
| Candles: Brown, green, orange and yellow |
| Sacred Gemstones: Carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow agate |
October 31. The Wicca say farewell to the God. A temporary farewell. He isn't wrapped in eternal darkness but readies to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule. It is also said to be the time when the veil between the worlds is very thin, when souls that are leaving this physical plane can pass out and souls that are reincarnating can pass in. This holiday is considered the Witches' New Year, representing one full turn of the seasonal year. A time of reflection, of looking back over the last year. Remembering our ancestors and all those who have gone before. It is said that lighting a new orange-colored candle at midnight on Samhain and allowing it to burn until sunrise will bring one good luck; however, bad luck will befall those who bake bread on this day or journey after sunset. Black candles are used to ward off negativity. Wiccan traditions - rune casting, making jack-o-lanterns, and standing before a mirror and making a secret wish.
| Traditional Foods: Apples, pumpkin pie, hazelnuts, corn, cranberry muffins and breads, ale, cider and herbal teas. |
| Incense: Apple, heliotrope, mint, nutmeg and sage |
| Candles: Black and orange |
| Sacred Gemstones: All black gemstones (jet, obsidian and onyx) |
