Sylvan Circle

The Sabbats are the most easily observable of all holidays because they're based primarily on the changing of the seasons. Some of them are based on the Sun entering a sign of the zodiac, whereas the others fall approximately at the half-way point between these other holidays. So a Sabbat is celebrated about every 6 weeks.

The ancients probably really only recognized two main seasons:

• Summer: a time of growing and harvesting. When most activities were outdoors.
• Winter: a time of NOT growing, but instead eating what has been preserved and culling the livestock to eat meat. Most activities were indoors.

Spring and Fall eventually also came to be observed as the time of transition - or the battleground -- between these two diametrically opposed forces.

Earth Sabbats

The Earth (or "Cross-Quarter") Sabbats are the oldest holidays -- and are generally regarded as most important -- because they were most strongly linked to the yearly cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, and letting the Earth lie fallow.

The Earth Sabbats are also referred to as the Major Sabbats. These holidays are Beltane, Lammas, Hallows, and Imbolc.

Beltane / May Eve

Beltane is traditionally celebrated on the last day before May, April 30.

Beltane is a celebration of outdoor life and the coming of Summer. It's a time for blessing the crops and the animals. Therefore it's a time to encourage fertility. As such, most Wiccan Beltane gatherings are a celebration of SEX!

Beltane is now typically celebrated with a May Pole which symbolizes fertility - the union of male with female, as well as sky with Earth.

This is a time of year when the veil is thin between our world and the Faery/Sprite world. It's the time that life comes out to play!

Lammas / August Eve

Lammas is traditionally celebrated on the last day before August, July 31.

Lammas is a celebration of the first harvest - a time when most fruits and vegetables, as well as lots of berries, are ready to be picked.

The focus of this holiday is largely on harvesting wheat, which is very important for surviving the winter to come.

Corn and wheat feature prominently in most Lammas celebrations. There's also a tradition of making "corn dollies" (little poppets made of wheat or corn husks) that represent thanks for the harvest and a return of energy to the Earth to replenish it for the Spring to come.

Lammas is a big farming festival and a time for communities to come together to share their plenty.

Samhain (Hallows) / November Eve

Samhain (pronounced "SOW-an") - also often called Hallows -- is traditionally celebrated on the last day before November, October 31. "Hallow's Eve" is the origin of our modern Halloween.

Samhain is a celebration of the last harvest. Though in Britain, they don't grow pumpkins or gourds - they carved turnips instead.

For the ancients in British Isles, there was a tradition that anything not yet harvested by Samhain was left for the "Pooka" (little folk). So it was considered very bad luck to harvest after Samhain.

It's a time of year when the ancients culled the old and sick animals from their herds - those least likely to survive the winter or continue to breed - for slaughter. So it's also a time of preparing and smoking meat to preserve it for the long winter ahead.

Samhain is also seen a celebration of the ancestral dead -- those who have gone before us to the Summerland. The ancient Celts wanted their ancestors to reincarnate back into their family or clan, because they believed that their ancestors gained power after they died. So Samhain celebrations often feature a "Feast for the Dead", where you put out food for your honored dead to let them know they are still welcome.

Samhain is the time of year when the veil between our world and the world of the dead is thinnest. So it's a time when the dead come out to play.

The Aztecs saw this time of year as a very serious time of death - questioning whether the sun would ever come back.

Imbolc (Candlemas) / February Eve

Imbolc is traditionally celebrated on the last day before February, January 31.

Historically Imbolc marks the time of year to milk the ewes.

It's also a time to express hope for coming Spring and make preparations for its return. This is generally done with a celebration indoors that burns away winter decorations. It's essentially a time of "spring cleaning".

This means it's also a great time to burn down old candles to prepare for the new year. (In the Celtic calendar, the year began in the Spring.)

Imbolc is also associated with the Celtic Goddess Brighid and is often celebrated by making "Brighid's beds". This is a bed - typically made by creating a small mattress, pillow, and blanket in a basket - that you leave by your front door to make the Goddess feel welcome and comfortable in your home.

And since Imbolc is one of the best times to make wishes for the coming year, you can also decorate your Brighid's bed with symbols and colors that will help bring you the kind of energies you seek for the coming year.

Sun Sabbats

The Sun Sabbats are all based on the astrological placement of the Sun related to the Earth. These all involve the Sun moving into an astrological sign of the zodiac that has a Cardinal aspect.

Each of these events occurs when the Sun is at zero degrees within the sign it has entered. So Spring Equinox, for example, means that the Sun is at zero degrees in Aries. Again, this has changed over time, though most Wiccans still celebrate these holidays at the traditional historical times. Some Neo-Pagans - such as the Druids -- observe holidays when the Sun actually IS at zero degrees in the zodiac sign.

While evidence at Stonehenge as well as many other sites around the world clearly indicates that the ancients were aware of and capable of calculating these astrological events, the Sun Sabbats are more cerebral in nature as opposed to the more visceral changes in seasons (which everyone experiences) associated with the Earth Sabbats.

This is why they are referred to as the Minor Sabbats. These holidays are Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, and Winter Solstice.

Spring Equinox / Ostara

Spring Equinox is the time of year when winter officially gives way to Spring. The length of day and night are equal during this transition. After the Spring Equinox, the daylight each day grows longer and the nighttime grows shorter.

This is the time of year when the God in the form of the Oak King does battle with the Holly King and defeats him.

Spring Equinox occurs around March 21.

Spring Equinox means that the Sun is at zero degrees in Aries.

Many of the pagan elements today celebrated as part of Easter originated from the celebration of Ostara at Spring Equinox (for example egg hunting as part of ritual, as well as fertility myths related to rabbits - hence the Easter bunny).

Celebration of Spring Equinox often features a tug of war between Summer and Winter. (Be sure to bet on Summer winning ;-). Spring Equinox celebrations also sometimes include waking the trees from the long cold winter and blessing them for the fruit and shelter they will provide as the weather grows warmer.

Summer Solstice / Litha

Summer Solstice is the time of year when Summer is at its peak. The daytime is the longest of the year, while the nighttime is the shortest. After the Summer Solstice, the daylight each day grows shorter and the nighttime grows longer.

You might remember from the lesson about Deity that this is the time of year when the Oak King is at the height of his power.

Summer Solstice occurs around June 22.

Summer Solstice means that the Sun is at zero degrees in Cancer.

Since Cancer is a Water sign, it's often good to celebrate Summer Solstice by a body of water. This also provides a great way to cool off on such a hot day!

Fall Equinox / Mabon

Fall Equinox is the time of year when Summer officially gives way to Fall. The length of day and night are equal during this transition. After the Fall Equinox, the daylight each day grows shorter and the nighttime grows longer.

This is the time of year when the God in the form of the Holly King does battle with the Oak King and defeats him.

Fall Equinox occurs around September 22.

Fall Equinox means that the Sun is at zero degrees in Libra.

In the knowledge of the coming death that the darkness represents (quite literally for the ancients, for whom surviving the long hard winter was by no means a given), it's traditional to attempt to appease the Dark Lord by way of an offering. It's a way of saying to him: "Please take some of my harvest that I share with you freely instead of taking ME into the darkness".

Fall Equinox is the Wiccan Thanksgiving. It's a time for sober reflection and to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest.

In Maryland (where Sylvan Circle practices), this is the time of year that apples are harvested - so apples often feature prominently in our rituals. For example, you may want to go pick some apples and eat them or toast the Gods with some apple cider. Or you can make a nice apple pie. Just remember that it's always a good idea to share some of what you enjoy as an offering for the God and Goddess who make it all possible.

Winter Solstice / Yule

Winter Solstice is the time of year when Winter is at its peak. The daytime is the shortest of the year, while the nighttime is the longest. After the Winter Solstice, the daylight each day grows longer and the nighttime grows shorter.

You might remember from the lesson about Deity that this is the time of year when the Holly King is at the height of his power.

Winter Solstice occurs around December 22.

Winter Solstice means that the Sun is at zero degrees in Capricorn.

The ancients were able to determine when Winter Solstice occurred by studying where the Sun came up each day. When it began to reverse direction in Winter, which meant the Solstice had arrived.

Winter Solstice is a time of celebration because the dark starts getting shorter the following night. So it's a celebration of the Sun God, sunlight, warmth, and increasing life. These celebrations often include a sunrise ritual.

Yule celebrations also often feature evergreen decorations around the house (the basis of evergreen trees and wreaths used at Christmas) as a means of thanking the evergreen for staying green and alive throughout the winter.