The Wheel of the year and The Sabbats are two things that go together like a pair of shoes. You can't have one without the other - they are deeply connected and rooted in the pagan belief system. But what are they exactly? Where did they come from?
To understand the Sabbats we need to understand what we call the Wheel of the year.
The first thing we need to understand is that since ancient times people have observed nature. In nature, all things are considered to be in a constant cycle of death and rebirth, which is directly linked to the annual death and rebirth of the Sun. This cycle is also known as the four seasons, as they are caused by the movement of the sun (solstices and equinoxes). Basically, what we call the Wheel of the year is the journey of the earth around the sun and the natural rhythm of life.
Ancient people were mainly concerned with their agriculture and the fertility of the earth. Each new season held a different significance to their lives and the people oftentimes held events and festivities to harvest what they have, welcome the new season, and perform rituals to ensure a good future harvesting season.
Because each season is so closely linked to the Sun (equinoxes and solstices), the festivities that were held at the beginning of every season were called Solar Festivals.
Some peoples celebrated so-called midpoints between these solar festivals, which were called fire festivals.
The names for each festival vary among diverse pagan traditions and syncretic treatments often refer to the four solar events as "quarter days" and the four midpoint events as "cross-quarter days".
Thus, The Wheel of the Year is made up of the Solar Festivals (four seasons) and the Fire festivals (the four midpoints). Together these eight events are what we call The Sabbats.
Historical and archaeological evidence suggests ancient pagan and polytheist peoples varied in their cultural observations; Anglo-Saxons celebrated the solstices and equinoxes, while Celts celebrated the seasonal divisions with various fire festivals e.g The Druids lighted up four great fires on their four great festivals - in February, May, August, and November.
In Wicca, The Wheel of the year is portrayed as a calendar of the Witch and the Sabbats are the holidays.
The Wiccan year begins on the sabbat (holy day) of Yule when the Goddess gives birth to the God (The Sun). The God grows strong through spring and summer, and then in fall, the God and Goddess unite. At this time, the Goddess becomes pregnant with the new God. The old God dies on Samhain (Halloween) to be reborn at Yule. This cycle is acted out symbolically during certain rituals and is known as the Great Rite.
The eight Sabbats are:
Yule: Celebrated at the Winter Solstice, Yule is the celebration of the Goddess giving birth to the God.
Imbolc: Celebrated on February 2, it is the time when the first plantings of spring crops occur.
Ostara: Celebrated at the Spring Equinox in March, this sabbat represents a new beginning partly because it marks the beginning of longer days and shorter nights. It also marks the union of the God and Goddess and therefore symbolizes fertility.
Beltane: Celebrated on May 1, it represents the end of the planting season and the beginning of harvesting.
Litha: Celebrated at the Summer Solstice, this sabbat represents the peak of the God's strength. It may involve lighting large bonfires to ward off evil spirits.
Lughnasadh: Celebrated on August 1, this is a time when the Goddess turns over control to the God. It is a time of feasts and craft festivals.
Mabon: Celebrated at the Autumn Equinox, Mabon represents the balance between light and dark, as it is the day that nights start becoming longer than days. It is officially the Pagan day of Thanksgiving.
Samhain: Celebrated on Halloween, Samhain means the end of summer and the beginning of winter. On this night, the veil between the world of the dead and the living is said to be thinning and the dead are said to be able to communicate with the living in order to be with and celebrate with their families.
In conclusion, The Sabbats are part of the Wheel Of The Year and represent the active and dormant states of nature, man, and agriculture. They were a way for our ancestors to perform rituals to ensure their pleasant existence, as they depended greatly upon good harvests, mild winters, enough rainfall, etc.
Blessed be Witches!
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