The Sabbats
Stewart Farrar, internationally known witch and author has the following to
say about Sabbats... Life is a process, not a state; and the Witches’ Sabbats are essentially a means of putting
oneself in tune with that process.... Witches, on the whole, enjoy ritual - and we are a naturally joyous people.
Like worshippers of other religions, we find appropriate ritual uplifts and enriches us. But our rituals tend to
be more varied than other faiths’, ranging from the formal to the spontaneous.
Of the Sabbats, Samhain, Imbolg, Beltane, and Lughnasadh are the Greater Sabbats, while the Spring Equinox
(Ostara), Summer Solstice (Midsummer), Fall Equinox (Mabon) and Winter Solstice (Yule) are the Lesser Sabbats.
(Note: the dates for the Lesser Sabbats may vary by a day or two from year to year and according to traditional
usage, while the dates for the Greater Sabbats tend to include the ‘eve’ and the following ‘day’.)
Table of Contents
Yule - December 21st
The Winter Solstice, usually referred to as Yule, occurs during December 21st - 23rd. At this Sabbat, we
celebrate the birth of the Sun King. In some traditions, the celebration actually begins on ‘Mother Night’ and ends
twelve days later on ‘Yule Night’ (which helps explain the origin of the twelve days of Christmas). Many of the
traditions from our pagan ancestors have been brought into modern day observance of this holiday, including the
Christmas tree and Santa Claus.
The tree was originally lit with candles to show the Sun King that his light was welcomed in the household and
it was decorated with objects which represented either gifts for the Sun King or blessings the person wished to
receive from Him. Many of the ornaments were shaped as fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, candy or cookies
(to ensure a bountiful harvest), musical instruments (to represent the joyous celebration of the return of the Sun
King) and frogs (as protection and to bring an early Spring).
What is now Santa Claus was once Father Christmas. He is often depicted wearing or carrying a sprig of holly
(a representation of the Holly King - the king of the dying year) It is interesting to note that his sleigh is drawn by
antlered creatures (a representation of the Horned God?) and that there are eight of them (perhaps representing
the Sabbats themselves). He is said to enter homes through the chimney, the traditional entrance of a witch on a
broom and the traditional exit of a shaman flying in spirit (in that case the smoke hole of a teepee). It is also intriguing
that in Italy, Santa Claus has been replaced by a beautiful lady witch who flies around on her broom on
‘twelfth-night’ distributing gifts to children by coming down their chimneys.
Read the Yule 2005 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Yule 2006 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Yule 2007 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Imbolg - February 2nd
Imbolg is observed around February 2nd. This is a fire festival, but the emphasis is on light rather than heat.
It is during this Sabbat that we banish Winter. One of the ways to do this includes gathering all the greenery left
from Yule and burning them in the Imbolg fire. Most of the customs surrounding this Sabbat are designed as acts of
sympathetic magick to lure back the sun and speed up the coming of Spring.
Imbolg is also known as Candlemas (the name under which it was Christianized). This name possibly derived
from the practice of ritually lighting fires to lure back the slowly waxing sun. One of the most popular of these was a
candle lighting custom where a young woman (representing the Virgin Goddess) enters the ritual area carrying a
circle of lit candles. This was, in essence, a light Sun Wheel - a symbol of the Wheel of the Year being lighted and
warmed again by the returning sun. (Later, the custom of wearing the candles as a chaplet on the head was adopted
from one of the Norse invader’s Yule customs)
The name ‘Imbolg’ means ‘in the belly’. It is the quickening of the year - the first fetal stirrings of Spring in the
Womb of the Mother. It also means 'ewe’s milk' and it is around this time of year when pregnant ewes begin lactating.
In Europe, the event was celebrated by making a ritual drink from cider, mashed apples, honey, and the milk of
pregnant ewes.
Probably the most well known symbol of this Sabbat is the Grain Dolly (often called the Bride). The Dollies are
made of sheaves of grain (either straw, corn, wheat or barley) which, in ancient times, would have been the last
sheaf of wheat or the last row of corn (etc.) harvested. It was believed that the spirit of the grain (or the Goddess
Herself) resided in the last grain harvested, where it had retreated for the coming winter. This last grain of the old
harvest is the seed of the next harvest (another link in the continuous chain of birth, death, and rebirth).
To create the Dollies, the sheaves were woven into either human or symbolic form. The form is dressed as a
bride at Imbolg and laid in a Bride’s bed (a small corn crib or wooden doll bed). Here, she awaits her husband (son).
Male fertility symbols (nuts, priapic wands, etc.) are placed into the bed with her. If the impression of them was
found in the ashes in the hearth in the morning, the year would be fruitful and prosperous.
The Moon is the light symbol of the Goddess and stands for her threefold aspect of Maiden, Mother, Crone
(Enchantment, Ripeness and Wisdom). So it is fitting that Imbolg is the feast of Brigid, the radiant triple
Muse-Goddess, who is also a fertility bringer. The making of 'Brigid’s Crosses' (generally equal-armed crosses
woven from rushes, straw or wheat) is traditional. The crosses are hung over the entrance to the home to bring
prosperity, luck, healing, peace etc. (depending upon what you focused on while weaving the cross)
Read the Imbolg 2005 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Imbolg 2007 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Imbolg 2008 Edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Spring Equinox (Ostara) - March 21st
Also called ‘Lady Day’, this is a good time to mentally ‘plant’ seeds. They can be seeds for an idea of some
kind, for some kind of change, or for anything you want to have manifest in your life over the Spring and Summer.
In Slavic pagan traditions, this was believed to be a day when Death had no power over the living. In their
tradition, a personification of Death was symbolically ‘killed’ by throwing him into moving water to drown.
Flowers (symbols of life renewed) were tossed in after him and he was sung to as he floated down river. After
Death’s drowning, brightly painted red eggs were passed around during a procession to the ritual site where
the new life of Spring was celebrated with food, dance, and strong drink. This feast featured foods associated
with fertility, such as cake, honey, and eggs.
Eggs are the traditional symbol of Ostara, beginning with the egg itself - the gold of the yolk
represents the Sun God, the white of the shell represents the Goddess, who gave birth to the God. The egg, as
a whole is a symbol of birth and rebirth. The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit originates with the
legend of Goddess Eostre... So much did a lowly rabbit wish to please this Goddess that he laid the sacred eggs
in her honor, gaily decorated them and then humbly presented them to her. She was so pleased that she wished
to share her joy with all of humankind. In honoring her wishes, the rabbit went through all the world and
distributed the little decorated gifts of life.
Easter eggs were traditionally colored red, in honor of the Sun. In the Ukraine, the eggs were intricately
decorated by writing on them in a rich language of symbols which was almost endless in number and variation.
These eggs were called ‘pysanky’. In that country there is an ancient legend that tells of a demon monster that
will devour the world. The monster is chained and as it strains and pulls, the links of it’s chains are weakened,
but every Spring, the chain is strengthened in proportion to the number of pysanky that are made and exchanged
that season.
In Mexico and the American Southwest, there is another pagan custom revolving around eggs (here, they are
called cascarones). Eggshells are hollowed out and painted, then filled with traditional pagan symbols for spring
(perfume, confetti, lavender, sage, etc.) and resealed with tape. The object is to take your cascarones out on
Ostara morning, catch your loved ones by surprise and hit them over the head with the egg. As the insides rain
around you and your loved one, both of you are blessed with the love, luck and new life of the season.
Other traditional symbols of Ostara include the lily and the lamb. The lily was a symbol of life in pagan Greece
and Rome, where it adorned altars and temples on Ostara. Young men, playing the role of the lusty young God,
would present them to the young woman they were courting. Accepting the lily in public meant much the same
thing as accepting a diamond ring does now. The lamb was sacred to virtually all virgin Goddesses of Europe, the
Middle East and North Africa and was so ingrained in the mindset of the peoples of that region that it was carried
over into Spring religious rituals of the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter.
In Wales, Ostara was the time of the official return of the young Goddess after her winter hibernation. On this
day of balance, She was believed to be able to meet her youthful God on equal terms, mate with him and become
impregnated with not only the God who will be born at Yule, but with the autumn harvest as well. The Norse also
honored their Virgin Goddess and celebrated her mating with the young God. Sexual relations were almost
obligatory on Ostara Eve. (this portion of the Sabbat has been moved to Beltane by most pagan
circles)
Read the Ostara 2005 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Ostara 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Ostara 2008 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
The word Beltane means bel-fire (of bale-fire) which was the fire of the Celtic God Bel (whose
name is traceable to the Middle Eastern God Baal - which simply means ‘Lord’). Bel-fires were lit on
hilltops to celebrate the return of life and fertility to the world. It is traditional in many lands for people
to jump the balefire. It was jumped to bring a husband or wife, to ensure safe travels; pregnant women
even jumped it to ensure an easy delivery. Cattle were driven through the ashes of the fire or between
two balefires to ensure a good milk yield
It is traditional to take home a piece of the Beltane bale-fire and start the first cookfire of the summer
season with it. (To use old fire was to invite bad luck, perhaps even bringing the winter back to stay.) But,
you must not ask for a piece of the fire, you must just take it. There is a strong taboo in Scotland and Ireland
against giving away any portion of the Beltane fire because of the belief of most Europeans that fairies could
not make their own fires and had to get them from a human source. It was believed that to achieve this, fairies
came to the Beltane celebration disguised as humans and would ask for a part of the Beltane fire to take with
them. If given a piece, the fairies would then have a measure of power over the giver.
In Sweden, the balefire must be lit by two people striking flints together. This is symbolic of the sexual
union of God and Goddess. Beltane circles were once constructed with the May-pole at the center and a balefire
at a distance at one or all four cardinal points.
Possibly the most well known Beltane custom is that of the May pole. It used to be that the May-pole was
made from the communal pine tree from which all but the uppermost branches had been removed. Red and
white ribbons were attached to the top (white for the Goddess and red for the God). Traditionally, there were
eight dancers (one person for each Sabbat), paired into four couples. The men would grasp the red ribbons
and the women the white and together they would weave the birth canal by moving in circles around the pole,
weaving under each other’s interlocked, upheld arms in mock sexual union. The May-pole itself is the phallic
symbol, impregnating the birth canal being woven around it by the dancers.
Making and exchanging wreaths of flowers or foliage is also a very old Beltane tradition. The wreaths
were kept as amulets from Beltane until June, when they were placed on the Midsummer fire or in sacred
groves or sanctuaries.
Read the Beltane 2005 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Beltane 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Beltane 2008 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Summer Solstice (Midsummer) - June 21st
The Summer Solstice, also called Midsummer (and occasionally called Litha) occurs around June 21st - 23rd.
The earth is midpoint on her journey around the sun. It is the first day of summer and the longest and strongest day of
the year. With the Sun high in the heavens, the powers of light are readily evoked; anything that shadows your
soul can be set aflame by the Sun's protective glow. Midsummer celebrates the full powers of life and the beginning
of the change from a waxing to a waning year. From this point on, day light begins to decrease and the nights
lengthen. Midsummer is both a fire festival (the God aspect) and a water festival (the Goddess aspect). It is the time
when the Oak King (the God of the waxing year) is replaced by the Holly King (the God of the waning year). We
look forward to the inward-looking peace of the dark.
In Europe, Midsummer was a time for celebration and dancing. There were bonfires to celebrate the Sun, and
the people jumped the flames, much as they did at Beltane, making wishes. It was believed that the summer grains
would grow only as high as they were able to jump. One of the highlights of these festivals was to roll a burning
wheel down a hillside to imitate the action of the sun and for purification of any evil spirits.
Read the Midsummer 2005 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Midsummer 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-na-saw), also referred to as Lammas, is the next holiday. It is celebrated around
July 31st - August 2nd, and is the first of the three harvest Sabbats. It is when we celebrate and harvest the ripening
grains; the first of a bountiful crop that will see us through the winter months. As witches we honor the
first harvest and give thanks to Mother Earth for sharing Her gifts. The gathering of the first crops of the year is
also a manifestation of the success and extent of the power raised during the Beltane ritual.
Lughnasadh honors the mystery of the growing grain which has begun to ripen and is just beginning to be
harvested in small quantities. The Goddess, in the form of the grain, transforms herself into the life-giving element of
bread. Because bread was one of the main staples of our ancestors, the ripening of the grain was the cause for
great celebration. The reaping, thrashing and preparation of these breads spawned great ritual and ceremony to
ensure bounty for the following year.
Even though we are in the middle of summer, we can plainly see that fall is approaching. After the equinox, the
nights begin growing longer as the days slowly become shorter. Now is the time to begin storing and preserving
food for the winter. The God is prevalent as his essence begins to merge with the harvested crops, a sacrifice that
will be realized with the new growth in the spring. Make yourself ready for the coming time of introspection by
getting rid of bad habits or unwanted things in your life. Sacrifice them by throwing symbols of them into the sabbat
fire. Gather the tools of your trade and bless them in order to bring a richer harvest next year. Visit one of the local
pick-your-own farms in your area and actually harvest some of your own food. Emulate the sacrifice the God
makes by giving of yourself; share your harvest with others who are less fortunate.
Read the Lughnasadh 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Fall Equinox (Mabon) - September 21st
The Autumn Equinox, which is also called Mabon or Harvest Home, occurs around September 21st - 23rd. The
end of Summer has officially come and we honor equal night and day. We still feel the waning presence of the sun
and acknowledge the lengthening darkness to come. This is the second of the three harvest festivals and is the
time when fruits and vegetables are harvested. Food is stored and prepared for winter while celebrating a time of
plenty in preparation for a time of frugality. It is a time of feasting; we enjoy the fruits of our labors and we share
our abundance with those who do not have enough.
This is the witches Thanksgiving; a time for appreciation of the fruitful harvest and the future return of the
bounty just harvested. We share in the universal rhythm of rebirth and reincarnation as we acknowledge the
waning power of the Sun. It’s a time of suspended activity when we change gears to a different phase; it can
therefore be a time of psychic and psychological turbulence. But, being an equinox, it is also a time of balance.
It is a time of going within ourselves and making preparations for our survival, physically and spiritually,
during the winter months; the time for introspection and deep thought. For thousands of years in Greek culture,
the mysteries of life and death were celebrated at the Fall Equinox. The legend of the mystery is that Demeter
transformed the barren land of the Eleusinian plain into a field of golden grain. Then one kernel of grain was
shown to the people illustrating to them that each birth was the returning of the soul and that the earth's cycle of
birth and death reflected the human cycle. It is said that they were told at this time that "In silence is the seed of
wisdom gained".
Read the Mabon 2005 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Mabon 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Samhain - October 31st
Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-in’ the ‘ow’ rhymes with cow) is observed on October 31st. Also referred to as
All Hallows Eve, Samhain is when the Celtic New Year is celebrated, which is why many witches choose to
celebrate it as their New Year as well. Since it is the New Year, it is a time for renewal. This makes it a perfect time
to evaluate your life and rid yourself of bad habits or excess emotional baggage and start again with a clean slate.
During Samhain, the veil between the world of man and the world of spirit is at its thinnest so those who have
passed over can easily come and go as they please. Their spirits seek the warmth of the Samhain fire and communion
with their relatives still living. It is a time to remember those who have departed the world of man.
This is the last of the three harvest festivals and marks the completion of harvest as it is the time when we
harvest meat. In our ancestors time, farmers were not able to feed an entire herd for the whole winter so every
year at Samhain. they slaughtered a portion of their stock. This practice provided meat for the family through the
coming winter and helped ensure there would be sufficient feed for the remaining stock. Crops also had to be
harvested by Samhain because it was believed that mischievous creatures called ‘Pooka’ spent that night destroying
or contaminating whatever remained in the fields.
Read the Samhain 2005 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Read the Samhain 2007 edition of "The Mystical Cauldron" newsletter.
Table of Contents
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©1999-2008 Rev. Angel Shultz