Festivals
When and where
Beltane
Samhain
31
October (30 April in the Southern hemisphere)
Lughnasah
Yule
Esbats
Lunar
festivals
By
celebrating the natural cycle of the year through
ritual,
we can attune ourselves to nature and the Divine
that
is inherent in all things.
Samhain:
Shadowfest (Strega),
Martinmas
(Celtic/Scottish)
October
31
Samhain,
popularly known as Halloween, is the
Witches'
New Year.
It
is 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.
Darkness
increases and the Goddess reigns as the
Crone,
part of the three-in-one that also includes the
Maiden
and Mother.
The
God, the Dark Lord, passes into the underworld
to
become the seed of his own rebirth (which will
occur
again at Yule). Many Pagans prepare a Feast for
the
Dead on Samhain night, where they leave offerings
of
food and drink for the spirits. Divination is
heightened
this night.
Jack-o-lanterns,
gourds, cider, fall foliage can be used
as
altar decorations.
Yule:
the Winter Solstice, Yuletide
(Teutonic),
Alban Arthan (Caledonii)
Around
Dec. 21
Yule
coincides closely with the Christian Christmas
celebration.
This
Sabbat represents the rebirth of light. Here, on the
longest
night of the year, the Goddess gives birth to the
Sun
Child and hope for new light is reborn.
Yule
is a time of awakening to new goals and leaving
old
regrets behind.
The
Christian tradition of a Christmas tree has its
origins
in the Pagan Yule celebration. Pagan families
would
bring a live tree into the home so the wood
spirits
would have a place to keep warm during the
cold
winter months. Bells were hung in the limbs so
you
could tell when a spirit was present.
Food
and treats were hung on the branches for the
spirits
to eat and a five-pointed star, the pentagram,
symbol
of the five elements, was placed atop the tree.
The
colors of the season, red and green, also are of
Pagan
origin, as is the custom of exchanging gifts.
A
solar festival, Yule is celebrated by fire and the use
of
a Yule log. A piece of the log is saved and kept
throughout
the year to protect the home. That piece is
used
to light the next year's log.
Candlemas:
Imbolic (Celtic), Imbollgc
Brigantia
(Caledonii), Lupercus (Strega)
February
2
Candlemas
involves celebrations of banishing the winter
and
welcoming the spring.
At
the time of Candlemas, the newborn Sun God is seen
as
a small child nursing from his Mother.
At
this phase of the cycle, winter is swept away and new
beginnings
are nurtured. Some Wiccan groups favor this
time
of year for initiations into the Craft.
It
is traditional at Candlemas to light every lamp in the
house
for a few minutes in honor of the Sun's rebirth.
Ostara:
Vernal (Spring) Equinox, Alban
Eiler
(Caledonii)
Around
March 21
The
Spring Equinox is the point of equilibrium - the
balance
is suspended just before spring bursts forth from
winter.
The
God and Goddess are young children at play and
holiday
festivals use brightly colored eggs to represent the
child
within.
The
Easter Bunny also is of Pagan origin, as are baskets
of
flowers.
Traditionally,
Ostara is a time for collecting wildflowers,
walking
in nature's beauty and cultivating herb gardens.
This
is the time to free yourself from anything in the past
that
is holding you back.
Beltane:
Mayday, Bealtinne (Caledonii),
Festival
of Tana (Strega), Walburga
(Teutonic)
April
30 (Mayday is celebrated on the first of May)
Beltane
is the time of the sacred marriage which honors
the
fertility of the Earth; it represents the divine union of
the
Lord and Lady.
Celebrations
include weaving a web of life around the
Maypole
and leaping the Beltane fire for luck. Wiccan
handfastings
are common at this festival.
This
is a time of self-discovery, love, union and
developing
your potential for personal growth.
Midsummer:
Summer Solstice, Alban Hefin
(Caledonii)
Around
June 21
The
Summer Solstice, the longest day, is a time of
triumph
for the light. This holiday represents the Sun
King
in all his glory.
In
many Wiccan celebrations, this is when the Oak King,
who
represents the waxing year, is triumphed over by the
Holly
King, who represents the waning year. The two are
one:
the Oak King is the growing youth while the Holly
King
is the mature man.
Healings
and love magick are especially suitable at this
time.
Midsummer Night's Eve is supposed to be a good
time
to commune with field and forest sprites and faeries.
Lammas:
Lughnassadh (Celtic),
Cornucopia
(Strega), Thingtide (Teutonic)
August
2 (Lughnassadh, the Celtic festival in honor of
the
Sun God, is held on the 7th)
This
is the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest.
The
Sun King, now Dark Lord, gives his energy to the
crops
to ensure life while the Mother prepares to give way
to
her aspect as the Crone.
Now
is the time to teach what you have learned, to share
the
fruits of your achievements with the world.
Wheat
weaving, such as the making of corn dollies, is
traditional.
Bread is baked and the altar is decorated with
fruits
and vegetables of the harvest.
Autumn
Equinox: Mabon (Celtic), Winter
Finding
(Teutonic), Alban Elfed
(Caledonii)
Around
Sept. 21
At
the Autumn Equinox, the days and nights are equal. It
is
a time of balance, but light gives way to increased
darkness.
It
is the second harvest, and the Goddess mourns her
fallen
consort, but the emphasis is on the message of
rebirth
that can be found in the harvest seeds. It is a good
time
to walk the forests, gathering dried plants for use as
altar
decorations or herbal magick.
Cornbread
and cider are good additions to festivities and
fall
leaves make good altar decorations.
I
decided it would probably be good to include this, even though there are
sites with a lot more information about
the
holy days, but it's always good to have something locally, too!
The
Wheel of the Year
The
Wheel of the Year is symbolic of eternity, and one turn of it equals one
year. Each of the "spokes" on this
wheel
represent one of our 8 holidays, or Sabbats.
What
Do You Call These Sabbats?
The
Sabbats fit into two catagories. Greater/Lesser, and Fertility/Harvest
Sabbats.
1.Samhain: October 31
2.Yule: Circa December 22 (Winter Solstice)
3.Imbolc: February 2
4.Ostara: Circa March 22 (Spring Equinox)
5.Beltaine:May 1
6.Midsummer: Circa June 22 (Summer Solstice)
7.Lughnassadh: August 1, or 2
8.Mabon: September 22 (Autumn Equinox)
The
dates vary because traditions vary. Also, if the practitioner can only
do it on a weekend after the Sabbat, or
before
it, that is ok. I usually find that is the case with being incredibly busy
with work, school, and everything else.
If
all I can manage is lighting a candle and chanting over it in a circle
then so be it. The God/dess understands. As
long
as you acknowledge the Sabbat and celebrate it in some way, it's ok. If
all you can manage is a short to
medium
prayer before you go to bed that is ok too. Usually I do that if I am ill
with a bad cold or the flu or
something,
don't strain yourself if you are sick. You *need* that energy to get well!!
In this case a short prayer is
the
best option.
Samhain,
or Witches' New Year, the Last Harvest. This holiday is known by many
names.
For most of the general population in the United States is is called Halloween.
It is also known as: "The
Feast
of All Saints Day", "All Hallows", "Hallowe'en", "Mischeif night", and
many other names.
For
the Witch, it is a holiday where we honor our dead friends, relatives,
ancestors, and even pets who have passed
on.
We remember them by putting an extra plate at the dinner table for them.
This is also the night on which the
veil
between our world and the spirit world is at it's thinnest. This isn't
to say we all whip out the ouija board and
bother
resting souls (most of the Pagans and Wiccans I talk to don't have much
good to say about the ouija board.
Some
have never even touched it before). Some do try and contact their ancestors,
but some prefer to just honor
them
with a prayer, and a place at the table.
This
is also when it is traditional to celebrate the last harvest before the
falling of Winter snow.
Other
activities may include reading the tarot cards for the new year, and other
traditional Halloween things like
"Trick
or treating" for candy, dressing up, bobbing for apples, having a new-year
party because the wheel begins
to
turn again.
Religious
signifigance is that our God has once again passed on to be reborn again
at Yule, while the Goddess
carries
his fire from the sun within her womb.
Yule,
Winter Solstice. This is a joyous holiday indeed. This is not a rip-off
of the Christian Christmas,
because
many divine babies were born at this time. Mithras is one example. There
are many things that are still
celebrated
today by Christians that have Pagan origins. The Yule tree, decorated with
all sorts of decorations.
Pagans
of the ancient times probably decorated with candles and food, instead
of lights and colored balls.
The
wreath, the mistletoe, the Yule-log (with a sun etched onto it symbolizing
the Baby Sun God's return) burning in
the
fire-place, and they say that Santa was once a Shaman. *grin*
Religious
signifigance is that our God is once again born from the Goddess. The Goddess
now sleeps until Imbolc
to
awaken again as a young maiden.
Imbolc.
This is the holiday where we are reminded that Spring will be here soon.
The Earth still sleeps under
her
blanket of snow, and the Young Maiden Goddess is beginning to awaken from
her long winter's nap. This is
when
the groundhog comes out to tell us if we are still going to have a lot
of winter left. This is probably derived
from
some kind of ancient pagan practice, but I'm not sure how it relates other
than the sybolic awakening, and
deciding
if we are to have more snow and cold. If anyone knows more about the groundhog
having pagan origins
please
Email me
Traditionally,
this is the time when we coax the Goddess to awaken during our Imbolc ritual.
Ostara,
Spring Equinox. Fertility now is beginning to rise up slowly from the earth.
This holiday is
where
the tradition of two symbols of fertility came from which are still used
today by Christians who aren't even
aware
of the origins. The bunny and the egg. This is the time of year when we
decorate eggs, and the bunny hides
them.
The basket full of decorated eggs symbolizes the womb full of fertility
almost ready to burst forth onto the
Earth.
This
is the time of the Wheel of the Year which we celebrate the courtship of
the Goddess and God. Because she
gave
birth to him at Yule does not mean that this is incest. This is Symbolism
in nature. I've never met a pagan
mother
who abuses her children. The Goddess and God play the parts of all our
lives. At one point we are all one of
their
aspects, so this is how they represent us. A female is a maiden, a mother,
a crone; and a male is a boy, a
father,
and a grandfather at some point in their lives. They are merely symbolically
living in terms we can all
understand.
You can celebrate by taking a walk through a nature-trail or into your
backyard to recognize the
changes
in the Earth as she awakens even more.
Beltaine,
May Day. This holiday is a fertility holiday. Crops are blessed for the
coming year, and dancing
around
the phallic may-pole is a tradition still carried on today by some people.
This
holiday represents the sacred union of the Goddess and God. Fertility bursts
forth from the shell that once
contained
it and the greenery of the Earth is fast returning in full-force.
Midsummer,
Summer Solstice. This is the holiday that Shakespeare based "A Midsummer
Night's
Dream"
on. This is a time of high magick, faery magick, balefires(bonfires), promises
of a bountiful harvest, and
visions
of pregnant Goddesses. This is the time when the power and energies of
magick are at their highest. Draw
down
the sun as you would draw down the moon, but use a wand or athame instead
of a chalice, and feel the power
of
manhood at it's peak.
Lughnassadh
(prounounced: Loo NAHS ah)This holiday is the first of the three harvest
holidays. The work
of
the summer and spring is finally paying off in the first harvest.
Offerings
of bread can be offered to feary folk, and left for wild animals. During
this time you may wish to honor
the
pregnant Goddess, and the waning energy of the Sun God, as the sun begins
to fade. You can honor them by
leaving
libations (offerings) of bread and cider.
Mabon,
fall Equinox This is the second of the three harvest sabbats. The Goddess
is now heavily
pregnant
with the God, and the God's warmth is still slowly fading away. As his
power fades, the Goddess begins to
mourn
his warmth, but she knows his power will return at Yule.
The
Goddess and God are honored by leaving another offering of the second harvest,
if you are of age you may
leave
an offering of Wine. (since I don't condone under-age drinking, but if
you are under-age and you leave an
offering
of wine, that's ok, but you didn't hear it from me! *giggle*) Thank the
Goddess and God for the bountiful
harvests,
and wonderful year of teaching and lesson-giving.
Esbats
Esbats are traditionally held on Full or New Moons, but can actually be
held any time you wish when you
want
to honor the dieties! When held on a full-moon you may use milk as the
drink, and crescent-shaped cookies,
or
cakes for the simple feast. It is just another holiday to say "thank you"
to Them, and time to honor them
especially
if something special has happened recently that you fell They have had
a hand in. They appreciate it!
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