The Sabbats

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It is estimated that the Sabbats have been observed in various places and in various forms for at least 12,000 years. The word "Sabbat" comes from the old Greek word "sabatu" meaning "to rest". Since performing an act of magic is work, it is customary that no magical working be done on a Sabbat unless there is a pressing or life-threatening need. The eight solar Sabbats represent the turning of the Wheel of the Year and each honors a stage in the eternal life cycle of the Goddess and God. The Sabbats and their lure as we know it survived thanks to a handful of hearty pagans who refused to turn their backs on their beloved religion. *Imbolc-Feb. 2 Imbolc was not originally a Sabbat as we think of one today, but a special day set aside to honor the Goddess who was slowly turning the Wheel of the Year back to Spring. Because the heart has always been thought of as the organ of love it was adopted as a February/Imbolc symbol. Imbolc is a time of hope and looking forward, but it is still bitterly cold at the time of this celebration, therefore, it is not surprising that fireplace lore is a large part of this Sabbat. *Ostara (The Spring Equinox) Ostara was the name of the Virgin Goddess of Spring in ancient Germany. It is for her this Sabbat is named. The most pervasive symbol of Ostara is, without a doubt the egg. Ostara is not only a time of balance, but one where light becomes triumphant over darkness as the Wheel of the Year carries us forward to the lusty month of May and to Bealtaine. *Bealtaine-May 1 Beltaine falls opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year. It is traditional to take home a smoldering piece of the Bealtaine balefire to bring summer blessings into your home. Ashes from the Bealtaine balefire were scattered over the fields to bless and protect them, and infertile women would take these ashes and tie them in a bag around their necks. Bealtaine is a joyous, lusty, carefree Sabbat. It is a time for feasting, rejoicing, frivolity, and celebration. No solemnity is permitted. It is a time to look outward and forward, a yearly reenactment of the primal joy all creatures and plants of the earth feel at Spring, after a long cold winter's rest. *Midsummer (The Summer Solstice)-June 22 This is the longest day of the year, the height of the sun's power. At midsummer the Goddess is heavy with pregnancy, just as the earth is pregnant with the coming harvest's bounty and the cattle in the field await calving-but the fertility rites continue. Of all the Sabbats this is one which was most often celebrated during the daylight hours rather than at night. It is not surprising that a traditional Midsummer event is to start the day by waking early enough to great the rising sun. Food for the Midsummer Sabbat can include any yellow or orange food -sun colors- which gives you plenty to choose from. *Lughnasadh-August 2 Lughnasadh is the first of three harvest Sabbats. In old Irish the word "Lunasa" means "August". It honors the Celtic Sun God Lugh, but it is principally a grain festival sometimes called the Sabbat of First Fruits. Other names for this Sabbat are First Harvest, August Eve, and Lummas, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "loaf-mass", the Sabbat's most commonly used name. Lughnasadh has always been a Sabbat where only grains and vegetables were sacrificed, as animals were usually reserved for the autumn holidays. The feast of Lughnasadh is one of the largest of any Sabbat. All the first fruits of the season are consumed, especially any and all grains that have been harvested. The feast is often consumed at least partly inside a ritual circle with generous liberations being made to the deities. Grain ales made around Lughnasadh were dedicated to the God in his aspect as Harvest Lord. *Mabon (The Autumn Equinox)-September 22 The Sabbat is named for Mabon, the Welsh God who symbolized the male fertilizing principle in the Welsh myths. Mabon is often referred to as the "Witches' Thanksgiving". In keeping with feasting traditions, it is fitting that you should offer part of your meal in sacrifice. At this time of the year the two best ways to do this are by putting something out for the wild animals who will be glad to have it as winter begins to set in, or by giving either time, money, or food to a shelter or social service organization that feeds the homeless and hungry on Thanksgiving. Mabon is not only a time when night and day are equal, but all things are in balance for one brief moment. Mabon marks the end of the second harvest, a time when the majority of crops are gathered. Nuts, apples, and grapes-all autumn crops-are featured items at the Sabbat feast. Berries which began to ripen in summer are now ready to be made into jam, jellies, and wine. In many traditions there is a taboo against eating autumn berries after Mabon unless they were made into wine. Wines from the autumn grape harvest have always figured prominently in harvest rites. Vines also figure heavily in Mabon symbolism. They are used as decoration for altars, as raw materials for the making of wreaths and as head crowns for Mabon worships. The vine is a symbol of the season and its emptiness represents a completed harvest. The Mabon feast is a rich one, full of all the bounty of the earth. The horn of plenty, used to represent Thanksgiving, is another symbol of Mabon. It is both a phallic symbol and when stuffed with the fruits of the harvest, a womb gushing forth its autumn bounty. *Samhain-October 31 The Sabbat called Samhain has many meanings. Among these, it marks the end of the third and final harvest, it is a day to commune with and remember the dead, and it is a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. Samhain is popularly know today as Halloween. It is not and never was associated with evil or negativity. It has always been a time to reaffirm our belief in the oneness of all spirits and in our firm resolution that physical death is not the final act of existence. Though death is very much a part of Samhain, symbolism, this Sabbat also celebrates the triumph of life over death. *Yule (The Winter Solstice)-December 22 Yule is a time of mixed emotions. When the Wheel of the Year brings us to Yule, the God is reborn of the Virgin Goddess. The God is represented by the sun which "returns" after this darkest night of the year to again bring warmth and fertility to the land. Yule has been the most widely celebrated of all the Sabbats because its customs and lore have so deeply invaded popular cultures and the mainstream religions, and virtually every culture in the Northern hemisphere in some way once acknowledged the return of the sun at its weakest point. Foods, especially ones traditional to the Yule Sabbat, were of central importance at this holiday. Yule became a time to anticipate, one in which to celebrate abundance and forget desire. Gift exchanges are part of the holiday and can be included in any Yule gathering.