SABBATS
Part of our shared human existence is the need to commune. The oldest religions, the foundation of our newer ones, built the schedule of worship around the earth's seasons, the sun and the moon. It's easy to see how this would have evolved. People were beholden to the whims of nature, unlike now when we can eat tomatoes all year round, buying them at a supermarket. We are so spoiled we get antsy when our microwave pot-pie takes SEVEN MINUTES to heat up.
The “wheel of the year” appears in pagan religions, Judaism, and others. Much as the astronomers divided the heavens into quadrants and then trios within the quadrants, the wheel of the year follows the ebb and flow of the seasons, the holidays occurring repeatedly on a pattern.
There are four major Sabbats, festivals, that mark the four quadrants of the year and four minor Sabbats. The calendar is solar and follows the sun and moon through the cycling sky. A Sabbat is a holiday gathering, and each of these holidays have special significance.
Samhain : October 31 (Major Sabbat)
This is a time of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. For people living off the land, it was time to get ready for an unknown length of time of hardship. Cattle were slaughtered ritually and for sustenance on this night. As Christianity grew to dominate Europe, the “pagan” people did not want to relinquish their customs. Much as all the following holidays, the Church simply augmented the pagan custom by adding it to the Christian calendar, thereby keeping the peoples’ rituals in place but replacing their gods. Halloween becomes the Christian “All Soul's Day” on November 1.
Yule/Winter Solstice December 21
The Ancient Romans celebrated the festival of Saturnalias at this time, the time when the shortest day of the year occurs. After Yule, the days begin to get longer. Christmas was graphed onto Yule, and many Christmas traditions are taken directly from this holiday. Similar to the Christian celebration of the birth of the Son of god, Christ, Yule celebrated the birth of the Sun god, the male aspect of a dual deity.
Candlemas February 2 (Major Sabbat) The bringing back of light to the wheel. This is Bridgit’s holiday.
Spring Equinox 21st or the day before the Equinox . This is the festival celebrating the goddess Eostar when the Sun returns. The days are growing longer and the earth is becoming fecund. The festival's god was represented by rabbits and eggs, the symbol of fertility.
Beltane, May 1 (Major Sabbat) The beginning of true Spring and all the fertility rites that accompany it. Mating season, in other words. This is the origin of the Maypole. Think about its symbolic meanings.
Midsummer Eve June 21 (Lesser Sabbat) The longest day of the year, opposite Yule. Collect the morning dew as it is said to have magickal properties. This is the height of the summer season, represented by the celebration of marriage.
Lughnasadh, Lammas July 31 (Lesser Sabbat) The preparation for the first early harvest.
Autumn Equinox/ Mabon September 21 (Lesser Sabbat) This is the harvest festival.
Part of our shared human existence is the need to commune. The oldest religions, the foundation of our newer ones, built the schedule of worship around the earth's seasons, the sun and the moon. It's easy to see how this would have evolved. People were beholden to the whims of nature, unlike now when we can eat tomatoes all year round, buying them at a supermarket. We are so spoiled we get antsy when our microwave pot-pie takes SEVEN MINUTES to heat up.
The “wheel of the year” appears in pagan religions, Judaism, and others. Much as the astronomers divided the heavens into quadrants and then trios within the quadrants, the wheel of the year follows the ebb and flow of the seasons, the holidays occurring repeatedly on a pattern.
There are four major Sabbats, festivals, that mark the four quadrants of the year and four minor Sabbats. The calendar is solar and follows the sun and moon through the cycling sky. A Sabbat is a holiday gathering, and each of these holidays have special significance.
Samhain : October 31 (Major Sabbat)
This is a time of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. For people living off the land, it was time to get ready for an unknown length of time of hardship. Cattle were slaughtered ritually and for sustenance on this night. As Christianity grew to dominate Europe, the “pagan” people did not want to relinquish their customs. Much as all the following holidays, the Church simply augmented the pagan custom by adding it to the Christian calendar, thereby keeping the peoples’ rituals in place but replacing their gods. Halloween becomes the Christian “All Soul's Day” on November 1.
Yule/Winter Solstice December 21
The Ancient Romans celebrated the festival of Saturnalias at this time, the time when the shortest day of the year occurs. After Yule, the days begin to get longer. Christmas was graphed onto Yule, and many Christmas traditions are taken directly from this holiday. Similar to the Christian celebration of the birth of the Son of god, Christ, Yule celebrated the birth of the Sun god, the male aspect of a dual deity.
Candlemas February 2 (Major Sabbat) The bringing back of light to the wheel. This is Bridgit’s holiday.
Spring Equinox 21st or the day before the Equinox . This is the festival celebrating the goddess Eostar when the Sun returns. The days are growing longer and the earth is becoming fecund. The festival's god was represented by rabbits and eggs, the symbol of fertility.
Beltane, May 1 (Major Sabbat) The beginning of true Spring and all the fertility rites that accompany it. Mating season, in other words. This is the origin of the Maypole. Think about its symbolic meanings.
Midsummer Eve June 21 (Lesser Sabbat) The longest day of the year, opposite Yule. Collect the morning dew as it is said to have magickal properties. This is the height of the summer season, represented by the celebration of marriage.
Lughnasadh, Lammas July 31 (Lesser Sabbat) The preparation for the first early harvest.
Autumn Equinox/ Mabon September 21 (Lesser Sabbat) This is the harvest festival.
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