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The four greater sabbats are the ones that fall exactly between the solstices and equinoxes. It may seem odd to mark the “cross-quarter days” as more fundamental (and greater) than the “quarter days” coming from the sun itself. The Wiccan sabbat Ostara is named for the Saxon goddess Eostre (or Ostara). This festival is about balance, falling on the Spring Equinox when the days and nights are of equal length. Fertility, growth, and renewal are the themes of Ostara. Pagan holidays consist of celebrating and honoring the seasons of Nature wherever we live. It can be as easy or complicated as you choose to make it, just like any other holiday. Ancient Pagans would be filled with hope and fear during Lammas — hopeful for a bountiful harvest, but fearful that it wouldn’t be enough to last the winter. Vetrnaetr – A Norse pagan holiday to honor ancestors and the harvest. It signifies the time to use the meat of the farm animals and start hunting. The Goddess Hela is honored on this night. The Norse also believe the veil between the worlds is thinner during this night.
Roberts, Brian K. (1987). The Making of the English Village: A Study in Historical Geography. Longman Scientific & Technical. ISBN 978-0-582-30143-6 . Retrieved 14 December 2015. Time out of time', when the barriers between this world and the next were down, the dead returned from the grave, and gods and strangers from the underworld walked abroad was a twice- yearly reality, on dates Christianised as All Hallows' Eve and All Hallows' Day. Full Sturgeon Moon (12:32 PM, MST) – The August full moon gets its name from the Algonquin tribes that surrounded the North American Great Lakes. The August full Moon has also been called the Green Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, the Barley Moon, full Grain Moon, and the Red Moon. The day is also often used for commitment ceremonies or even renewing of the vows. Four Lesser Sabbats (Wiccan Holidays)
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This sabbat is focused on giving thanks above anything else. Reflect on what you’ve been given, and what seeds of ideas you can plant for the new year. Give yourself something to look forward to through the doldrums of winter. Krampusnacht – Eastern European and other Germanic people celebrate ‘Krampus night.’ every year. Krampus is a horned, beastly creature that terrorizes children who have been naughty. Over the last decade, this holiday has grown in popularity and is now celebrated to one degree or another in all of Europe and America.
The four Lesser Sabbats are Ostara, the vernal equinox; Litha, the summer solstice; Mabon, the autumn equinox; and Yule, the winter solstice. These sabbats mark the sun’s position in the sky and are solar festivals, as the Lesser Sabbats are also known as the solar holidays. Beltane, also known as May Day, is one of the four Greater Sabbats. It is observed on May 1st each year, approximately halfway between the spring solstice, Ostara, and the summer solstice, Litha. The ancient Celtic calendar historically established Beltane as the first summer day, although the summer solstice is officially the first summer day in many countries. Pagans celebrate Yule as a time of hope with family and friends. Christmas customs, as well as Yule tradition, are rooted in ancient pagan Midwinter celebrations. Thus, today’s Pagans also enjoy caroling, Yule logs, the exchange of gifts, and many other traditions, old and new. Full Flower Moon (11:34 AM, MST) – May’s full moon is called the Flower Moon because of the abundance of wildflowers everywhere. It is also called the Full Hare Moon, the Corn Planting Moon, the Bright Moon, the Blessing Moon and the Milk Moon. This sabbat is a time to give thanks and embrace the upcoming changes of the seasons. Bonfires, dancing, and feasting are traditional ways to celebrate Lammas. Offering the first fruits of the seasons to the gods and goddesses shows gratitude and ensures blessings for the following year. Tarot Spread for LughnasadhAs the Wheel of the Year comes to an end, Mabon opens the opportunity to set intentions that remove unhealthy habits, relationships, or beliefs from your life. Focus on finding balance as you prepare for another season’s change. Tarot Spread for Mabon This is the Autumnal Equinox and occurs around September 21. In many traditions, it represents the harvest. It is a time of thanksgiving. Saturnalia – The most popular of all ancient Roman holiday’s. The Agriculture God Saturn is honored from the 17th through the 23rd. Many of the traditions of this holiday are considered the source of modern-day traditions of Christmas, including wreaths, candles, feasting and exchanging of gifts. They were left with six holidays which felt irregular, so they added the equinoxes to create a harmonious balance. This is why you’ll see the equinoxes with additional names (Ostara and Mabon), but I’ll go more in-depth for each holiday listed below.
Without knowing what the future will bring, honoring the Wheel of the Year is a way to connect us more deeply to the Earth and her cycles. Seasons and Energies of the Wheel of the YearGardnerian Book of Shadows: The Sabbat Rituals: August Eve". www.sacred-texts.com . Retrieved 20 September 2017. Practices vary, but sacrifice offerings, feasting, and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of evergreenery (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine) into the home and tree decorating are also common during this time. [16] [18] [19] The Wiccan holiday calendar traditionally begins with Samhain. In modern times, we call this Halloween or the Day of the Dead. Ostara often has rituals associated with fertility. This is why eggs have made their way to modern-day Easter.
Full Hunter’s Moon (2:24 PM, MST) – After the harvests were finished, the people would head to the forests to hunt for meat to store for the winter. The October full moon is also called the Dying Grass Moon, the Sanguine Moon, the Travel Moon, and the Blood Moon, even when there is no eclipse. The holiday was first observed on a single day, but due to its popularity, it grew andexpanded. Due to popular demand, a seven-day festival was established, and Saturnalia was observed from December 17th to December 23rd. Hume, Lynne (1997). Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 9780522847826. This is meant to be a brief overview. In later articles, we’ll look at some very specific incantations, rituals, and rites you can perform on each of these Wiccan holidays. 2023 Wiccan Holiday Dates Holiday This is the Vernal Equinox and occurs around March 20. It marks the start of Spring in our modern understanding of the term.
Spring’s Gate: Spring Equinox: Ostara Sabbat
In many traditions of modern pagan cosmology, all things are considered to be cyclical, with time as a perpetual cycle of growth and retreat tied to the Sun's annual death and rebirth. This cycle is also viewed as a micro- and macrocosm of other life cycles in an immeasurable series of cycles composing the Universe. The days that fall on the landmarks of the yearly cycle traditionally mark the beginnings and middles of the four seasons. They are regarded with significance and host to major communal festivals. These eight festivals are the most common times for community celebrations. [2] [12] [13] However, Druidism was celebrated by most of Gardner’s coven, including the High Priestess Doreen Valiente and the solstices were a part of their spiritual practice. So naturally, they wanted to continue this spiritual belief and include it in their Wiccan faith. There are many ways to incorporate Imbolc into your life, even though it is one of the quieter Sabbats. There is no right or wrong way to observe the holiday. As a family or individual, you can celebrate or commemorate it independently. Yggdrasil Day – A newer neopagan holiday celebrated as an alternative to Arbor Day. Yggdrasil is the Tree of Life in Norse Mythology. Each season also brings with it two ‘sabbats’, holy festivities based heavily on folk traditions of pagans from the British isles, which have been passed down as general pagan festivals in contemporary witchcraft.
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