from The Wicca Handbook
by Eileen Holland
Wiccans see
the year as an ever turning wheel and celebrate its cycles: the waning
and waxing of the Moon, the changing seasons, progression through the
houses
of the Zodiac, the agricultural year, and the solar year with its cycle
of the sun/earth relationship. Eight Wiccan holidays mark the stages of
the Wheel of the Year.
We have four
Greater Sabbats:
February 2: Imbolc
May 1: Beltane
August 1: Lughnasadh
October 31: Samhain
and four Esbats
or Lesser Sabbats:
Spring Equinox: Eostre
Summer Solstice: Litha
Autumn Equinox: Mabon
Winter Solstice: Yule
This is a brief
introduction to Wiccan festivals and some of the many ways to celebrate
them. Our feast days are based on those of the ancient Celts, so they
make
most sense in the northern temperate zones. Southern hemisphere witches
often celebrate them in reverse, reflecting their opposite seasons. We
usually celebrate the holy days on their eves as well.
Please
note that Solstice and Equinox dates are approximate because they vary
slightly in some years.
December 21
WINTER SOLSTICE, also called
Longest
Night. This inaugurates the celebration of Yule, which ends at New Year.
The
Goddess gives birth to the god, the Child of Promise who is reborn with
the returning sun.
Yule
is a joyous celebration of family and friends, of peace and love and
positive
energy. Witches incorporate ancient pagan traditions into our
festivities,
traditions like yule logs, giving gifts, wassail cups, mistletoe
charms,
bringing evergreens into the home and decorating a tree.
February 2
IMBOLC, also called Imbolg, Oimelc,
Candlemas, Earrach and Groundhogís Day
This
is the quickening of the year. Winter buds appear on bare trees and
green
life stirs under the frozen earth. The infant Sun (the god) grows in
size
and strength.
Imbolc
is fire festival of lights, sacred to the Irish goddess Brigid. Witches
light candles to illuminate the winter darkness, and start our spring
cleaning.
March 21
SPRING EQUINOX, also called Ostara
or Eostre
The
year is in perfect balance between light and darkness. The god is now a
green youth and the Goddess is in her Maiden aspect. Their courtship
dance
begins.
Ostara
is a solar festival of fire, light and fertility sacred to the Saxon
goddess
of Spring, Ostara/Eostre. Witches follow the old pagan custom of dying
or painting hard-boiled eggs, then balance the eggs on their ends to
symbolize
equilibrium. We work magic to balance any imbalances in our lives.
May 1
BELTANE, also called May Eve,
Samradh, Cetsamain and Walpurgis Night
The
light has grown longer and everything is flowering. The virile young
Lord
and the fertile Maiden celebrate the evident consummation of their
relationship.
Beltane
is sacred to Maia, Greco-Roman goddess of Spring. It is a fire and
fertility
festival that celebrates the transformation from Maiden to Mother
through
the mystery of sexuality. Beltane Eve is prime time for the Great Rite.
Witches gather dew on May morning, put flowers on our altars, leave
offerings
for fairies, and tend sacred places like groves and wells.
June 22
LITHA, also called Summer Solstice,
Midsummer and St. John's Day
The
Earth is in full bloom. The Mother is pregnant and the god (the Sun) is
King of Summer at the peak of his powers.
Litha
is the longest day, marking the division of the year. Witches celebrate
abundance, fertility, virility, the beauty and bounty of Nature. This
is
a good time for handfastings and male rituals, for workings of
empowerment,
consummation or culmination.
August 1
LUGHNASADH, also called Lammas,
Lunasa and Hlafmass, the Festival of Loaves
The days start
growing shorter and the fields are heavy with crops ready to be
harvested.
The corn king is sacrificed and mourning begins for the death of the
god
(the Sun).
Lughnasadh
is the first of the Wiccan harvest festivals, a festival of fire and
light
named for the Celtic god Lugh/Llew, Lord of Light. Witches bake bread,
put grain on our altars, count our blessings and give thanks to the
Goddess.
September 21
MABON, also called Autumn Equinox
Crops
are harvested, light and darkness are again in balance. The god sleeps
in the womb of the Goddess, waiting to be reborn.
Mabon
is sacred to the Celtic god Mabon, a Son of Light, son of the mother
goddess
Modron. This second harvest festival is a time to enjoy the fruits of
your
labor and give thanks for abundance. Witches put the fruits of the
season
on our altars, bake bread and pies, work magic to balance imbalances.
October 31
SAMHAIN (pronounced sow-en),
also called Halloween, Allantide, Geimredh and All Hallows Eve.
The
harvest season closes, the days grow darker and winter is initiated.
The
Goddess enters her time of sleeping and dreaming. The god (the Sun)
awaits
rebirth.
Samhain
is witchesí new year, both solemn and joyous, the night when the
veil between
the worlds is thinnest. It can be celebrated in high revelry with
costume
parties and witchesí balls, or solemnly as a night for honoring
ancestors
and contacting departed loved ones.
