SAMHAIN - Held at the time of the final harvest, in Celtic times, crops
In the fields after Samhain were thought to belong to the Sidhe
and were not to be eaten. Samhain was the time when the animals
were evaluated to determine which should be kept for breeding
stock and which were to be slaughtered to feed the tribe through
the winter. It is a time to determine what you need to get
through the winter both mentally and physically. With the change
over from farming to hunting as the focus of life, this becomes
the season sacred to the God as the Horned Lord of the forests.
Samhain marks a time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest.
Contact is possible with those who have gone before. We celebrate
the season by honoring those who have gone before. It is also an
excellent time for divination
(Oct 31)
YULE - Winter Solstice - In the old days, this was the darkest part of
Winter. The days were shortest. Food was in short supply, the
weak, the very young, and the elders were dying. Did you have
enough to make it through winter. The festival was held to try
to entice the sun to return. Feasting was held with the last
of the summer's bounty. Fires were lit to mimic the sunlight,
as was the burning the Yule Log. Rebirth of the God as the
child of the Lady.
( Dec 20-23)
IMBOLC (Brigid) -- Celebration of the sun's return. Days are getting
longer and warming. The animals are birthing. The Celtic
Festival of Imbolc, or first milk, celebrated the ewe's production
of milk for the new crop of lambs. The promise of the consort is
fulfilled. It is a time to rid oneself of the dead weight carried
through the winter to prepare oneself for the new year. Seeds of
plants and projects for the new year are ready for planting.
(Feb 2)
OESTARA- (Spring Equinox)) -- entering the Lady's season. Crops have been sown,
the young animals have been born. A time of Balance and preparation.
(Mar 20-23)
BELTANE - Beginning of the Lady's Season. The Lord becomes the young
bridegroom. This is the time of the Horned God and the Lady
of the Greenwood. A time to celebrate life and renewal.
Now begins a time of growth of plants, animals and projects
in life all of which need tending.
(May 1)
SUMMER SOLSTICE/MIDSUMMER- (litha)--First Harvest. The days are at their longest and
will begin to become shorter from now on. The Lady is
the bringer of plenty as she enters the stage of the
Mother. Time to begin to bring projects to fruitation
against the winter to come. This is the first of the
harvest festivals as the fruits and early crops are
gathered.
(Jun 20-23)
LAMMAS (Lughnasad)-- Harvest Festival. A celebration of the
harvest. The God as Lord of the harvest is sacrificed
to ensure the fertility of the earth and the bounty
of the crops in the next year. Traditional foods include
breads, grains, beer and cider.
(Aug 1)
MABON (Fall Equinox) The second balance point of the year. The
harvest of the nuts and late crops. It is a time for
weighing the successes and failures of the year and
preparing for the winter to come.
(Sept 20-23)
The major Sabbats represent the stages in the life of the God.
There sometimes seems to be some confusion in the process as to what
the holiday represents. This is because modern Wicca juggles mythos
from both the Mediterranean and from the Celtic lands. The Celts had
no story of the dying vegetation God found throughout the Mediterranean
Basin.
To them, the God appeared either as the young Oak King of the Summer,
consort of the Mother, or as the Holly King of Winter, Lord of the forests
and of Death. In our Tradition, we use a blend of the Celtic and
Mediterranean myths to tell our story.
If you find my pages interesting, please E-Mail me at
