Our Sabbats and Special Days
Information from Riding a Silver Broomstick by Ravenwolf
Depending on your previous religious background, the first year of Craft celebrations and holidays may be a bit confusing. There is nothing wrong with this.
Some of the double holidays create a little more work, but it is well worth it!
Eventually, you may wish to drop some or all general popular holidays, like New Years, which in our faith, begins October 31st with our Samhain festival. It really doesn't matter.
During the first year of celebrating Craft holidays, you may reach a period of internal disquiet. It can be upsetting to realize not everyone in your family environment will accept the celebrations of the Craft holidays, or you may feel lonely on readily accepted holidays that you no longer believe in. You may even experience anger when you realize how the rest of the world insists on shoving their holidays down your throat, and may be intolerant of your beliefs and feelings on the subject.
It is possible after the second Turn of the Wheel in your Craft life you will feel very uncomfortable with the holidays that are not your own. This seems most typical with the major holidays. Be wise, however, and don't voice your opinion until you discover within yourself the reason for your anger and discomfort
To learn your special days:
1. A Large Wall Calendar
2. A Yearly Almanac
Put a star or sticker on the day that is one week before the holiday or moon so you will remember to purchase any supplies you may need.
After a while you will automatically feel the coming of these days and look forward to them, just as you may have feel the coming of these days and look forward to them, just as you may have looked forward to the traditional holidays you celebrated in the past. You are building your own traditions now.
Eight standard Craft holidays are recognized during each calendar year. They are called Sabbats, and their relationship is usually with the sun deity. Rituals have been written in honor if both deities for many celebrations. The eight Sabbats represent seasonal birth, death, and rebirth.
We begin with Winter Solstice, also known as Yule, because it is the first seasonal holiday that falls after the Witch's New Year (Samhain).
YULE, YULETIDE, WINTER SOLSTICE
The shortest day of the year, and of course, the longest night. This is usually the 20th or 21st of December. Yuletide (the teutonic version) lasts from December 20th through December 31st. It begins on "Mother Night" and ends twelve days later on "Yule Night" hence the "Twelve Days of Christmas" tradition .
It is the time when the Holly King (representing the death aspect is overcome by the Oak King (who embodies the rebirth of the God, and is sometimes referred to as Divine Child).
This Sabbat is celebrated by fire and the use of the Yule Log. The colors of the season, red and green, are of original Pagan descent. the act of cutting and decorating a Yule Tree and exchanging gifts are also Pagan derivatives. Wreaths of holly and fancy cookies and breads are a part of our tradition, as well. Food is prepared specially for the after-dinner Yule celebrations when the tree is lighted and the Yule Log is burned. A portion of the Yule Log is saved to be used in lighting next year's log. This is kept throughout the year to protect the home. Bayberry candles are also burned to ensure wealth and happiness throughout following year. The reindeer is a reminder of the Horned God. Many traditional Christmas decorations have some type of Pagan ancestry or significance that can be added to your Yule holiday.
Candlemas/Imbolic
This is a celebration of banishing the winter season. Remembering that Pagan/Wiccan is an Earth based religion, our Sabbats are built around season changes.
Doing: Hang three ears of dried corn outside of door for wealth and prosperity until Fall Equinox.
This festival, like Ostara and Beltane, are the welcomes for the change from old to new. Ostara invites the fertility energy of the earth to be awakened and Beltane represents the fertility and love energy awakening in humans. Lavender and white candles can be burned in honor of the holiday. This Sabbat marks the time to welcome the spring. It is for fertility and to celebrate the things yet to be born, just barely wakening under winter's cold shroud.
Ostara /Spring Equinox
This Sabbat occurs in mid-march when night and day are equal length. It is a celebration of balance. Not really Winter, but not yet Spring. This festival is considered one of fertility and is the second in trinity of Spring celebrations. Seeds are blessed for future plantings. Eggs are colored and placed on the mantel as magickal talismans. The Easter Bunny is a Pagan derivative, as are baskets of flowers. The colors light green, lemon yellow, and pale pink are traditional for this holiday.
Twisted bread and sweet cakes are prepared to be served at dusk-or better yet, prepare a family breakfast that coincides with the sunrise of this day.
Beltane
Beltane is celebrated the 30th day of April. Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, and is when people, plants, and animals prepare for the warm months ahead. This is the time for love, union, and of course, the Maypole.
Ribbons of bright blue, lavender, warm pink, lemon yellow, and white are nice representatives of the season, but the traditional colors for Mayday are red and white. Pick a particular tree in your yard and adorn it with ribbons and bows. This particular holiday represents the Divine Union between the Lord and Lady. House decorations on that day include a large bowl of floating flowers and white floating candles. Baskets of fresh flowers picked moments before dawn can be hung on the front door and the mantle be laden with greens and flowers.
Summer Solstice
Midsummernights Celebration, though doesn't always coincide on the astrological calendar. This is the longest day of the year. This holiday represents the King in all his Glory. A celebration of passion and success. Sunflowers, (planted right) and any flowers of red and maize yellow or gold are excellent for the mantle. A wreath can be made for your door with red and yellow feathers intertwined or braided with ivy. Candles should be of Gold and Red. It is also the time to commune with field and forest sprites and faeries.
Lammas
This is the first of the three harvest celebrations in the Craft. Lammas is celebrated August 2nd.This festival represents the beginning of the harvest cycle and rests on the early grain harvest as well as those fruits and vegetables that are ready to be taken. Bread is traditionally baked for this holiday and decorate with the first fruits of the garden. Herbs for magickal use are harvested this day. Decorate with pots of yellow and red cockscomb is truly arresting as the tassle of the plant resembles a flame. Fall cleanup time.
Autumn Equinox
Winter Finding spans from the equinox itself until Winter Night (Oct 15) which is the Norse New Year. This is the second harvest festival, is associated with the taking of corn and other foods to be harvested at that time. Cornbread cakes and cider are an excellent addition to the festivities. Gather the last of the herbs and other plants you wish to dry for winter use should be harvested now.
Colors used for candles should be brown, orange, gold or red. Decorate in fall designs. This is also the time for river and stream stones.
Halloween/Samhain
The Witches New Year. Represents one full turn of the seasonal year. This is the last of the three harvest Sabbats. Halloween is recognized on Oct 31, Samhain is on Nov. 7 (All Hallows Eve).
Celebrations to honor the dead is done at this ritual. Along with speaking with those who have passed over; divination is heightened on this night. It is said it is when the veil between the worlds is weakest. Black candles are used to ward off negativity. An idea is to set place settings at the table for those who are dearly departed.
Fire Festivals/Quarters of the Year
Yule/Winter Solstice
Spring Equinox/Easter
Summer Solstice
Fall Equinox
Cross Quarters
Candlemas/Imbolic
Beltane/Mayday
Lammas
Samhain/Halloween
Sabbats is the celebration of old ritual occasions with dancing and enjoyment, drinking to the health and generally holding high revel.
In oldest of times, they lit big bonfires outdoors in some lonely place, and several covens might gather together on the Sabbat night. Sometimes they met in houses belonging to some member of the cult.
The word Sabbat has caused many speculation as to it's origin. Some think it is simply the Witches "Sabbath Night" as opposed to the Christian day of rest, however the later is properly Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, the Seventh day that was kept Holy. It takes it's name from Shabbathia, Saturn, the planet which rules the seventh day. Sunday is the first day of the week so to call it Sabbath, though often done, is not really correct.
Sabbat has associations which are really older than Christianity and there is no reason whatever to connect the festival of the witches with the jewish sabbath.
Sabadius or Sabazuis was a title of the god, Dionysus, the god of ecstasy, who was worshiped with wild dances and revelry. . The celebrants of his mysteries raised the cry: Sabai or Evoi Sabai! This seems the most likely derivation of the word Sabbat. We find centuries later, accounts of the Witches dancing in which this is used as a cry: HAR HAR HOU HOU DANSE ICI, DANSE LA, JOUE ICI, JOUE LA, SABBAT, SABBAT! Which means : Har Har, Hou Hou, Dance here, Dance there, Play Here, Play There, Sabbat Sabbat!! This old chant is given be the French demonoligist, Bodin; and Margaret Murray in her book "The God of the Witches" has pointed out how in Bodin's version he substituted the word "diable" for the word Hou.
Other older names for the word Sabbat are Bosque Akhelarre; The French-Lanne De Boue; Spanish-Prado del Cabron; all of which means "Field of the Goat". Another Spanish name for Sabbat is LaTreguenda.
A curious detail in many old accounts of the Witches Sabbath is the statement that there was never any salt at their feasts. This would make the meals savourless and uninviting, if this were true. They say that " Salt was a symbol for salvation, and therefore Witches hated it. " Actually what was missing was the salt-cellar or salt vat as it used to be called. The reason for this was placing that object upon the table marked social distinctions. All members of a Witch Cult were brothers and sisters. It was only in this sense that salt was banished from the Witch's Feast.
The feasts usually consist of Wine or good beer, cakes, meat or the like. Meals were set out on white table cloth and the leader presided over the feast. After the meal, the witches danced to the music of pipe or a cittern (an old fashioned string instrument played with a pectrum). they were also instructed in magick, showing them how to make and use wax images. The leader gave them a greenish coloured ointment which was used to anoint the forehead and wrists. The ointment was the "Flying Ointment" made from narcotic herbs we now call "Belledonna".
Traditions of Sabbat rites linger in Somerset and around to this day. IE: AH VOY AH VOY, MERRY MEET, MERRY PART!!! Ritual bonfires being held with a lake or stream nearby to have all four sacred elements.
Upon solemn occasion, a leader of a coven will use a consecrated magical sword to draw the circle. However, in the old days, covens did not always have swords as they were an indication of rank and were possessed only by noblemen. So the Athame tended to take place of the sword.
Dancing, of course, the old hand in hand round dance, eventually warming up into swifter and wilder measures as the spirit of the Sabbat or spirits took over. There will either be music or chanting per talents.
Time has turned full circle. Old ballroom dancing has evolved to free movement precisely like dances on Witches Sabbat. "Hare Krishnas" chants and sounds raise magical power is something witches have been doing for centuries.
Any specific magical works will be discussed and performed.
Sabbats held indoors are modified accordingly. Small alter in the center of the circle with fire and water upon it in some form and Witches of older traditions sometimes include a skull and crossbones or representation of them. This is a symbol of death and resurrection and therefore of immortality. It was called "Old Simon". Masonic fraternities also make use of the skull and cross bones, in their ceremonies; which are descended, if not actually derived, from the ancient cult. Outsiders might consider this emblem somewhat awesome and grim but most of those Sabbats are cheerful and spontaneous.
"ABC of Witchcraft" by Valiente
