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THE WICCAN WHEEL OF THE YEAR
©Eileen Holland,
from The Wicca Handbook
www.open-sesame.com
Wiccans see the year as an ever turning wheel and celebrate its cycles: the waning and
waxing of the Moon, the changing seasons, progression through the houses of the Zodiac,
the agricultural year, and the solar year with its cycle of the sun/earth relationship.
Eight Wiccan holidays mark the stages of the Wheel of the Year.
We have four Greater Sabbats:
February 2: Imbolc
May 1: Beltane
August 1: Lughnasadh
October 31: Samhain
and four Esbats or Lesser Sabbats:
Spring Equinox: Eostre
Summer Solstice: Litha
Autumn Equinox: Mabon
Winter Solstice: Yule
This is a brief introduction to Wiccan festivals and some of the many ways to celebrate
them. Our feast days are based on those of the ancient Celts, so they make most sense in
the northern temperate zones. Southern hemisphere witches often celebrate them in reverse,
reflecting their opposite seasons. We usually celebrate the holy days on their eves as
well.
Please note that Solstice and Equinox dates are approximate because they vary slightly in
some years.
December 21
WINTER SOLSTICE, also called Longest Night. This inaugurates the celebration of Yule,
which ends at New Year.
The Goddess gives birth to the god, the Child of Promise who is reborn with the returning
sun.
Yule is a joyous celebration of family and friends, of peace and love and positive energy.
Witches incorporate ancient pagan traditions into our festivities, traditions like yule
logs, giving gifts, wassail cups, mistletoe charms, bringing evergreens into the home and
decorating a tree.
February 2
IMBOLC, also called Imbolg, Oimelc, Candlemas, Earrach and Groundhogís Day
This is the quickening of the year. Winter buds appear on bare trees and green life stirs
under the frozen earth. The infant Sun (the god) grows in size and strength.
Imbolc is fire festival of lights, sacred to the Irish goddess Brigid. Witches light
candles to illuminate the winter darkness, and start our spring cleaning.
March 21
SPRING EQUINOX, also called Ostara or Eostre
The year is in perfect balance between light and darkness. The god is now a green youth
and the Goddess is in her Maiden aspect. Their courtship dance begins.
Ostara is a solar festival of fire, light and fertility sacred to the Saxon goddess of
Spring, Ostara/Eostre. Witches follow the old pagan custom of dying or painting
hard-boiled eggs, then balance the eggs on their ends to symbolize equilibrium. We work
magic to balance any imbalances in our lives.
May 1
BELTANE, also called May Eve, Samradh, Cetsamain and Walpurgis Night
The light has grown longer and everything is flowering. The virile young Lord and the
fertile Maiden celebrate the evident consummation of their relationship.
Beltane is sacred to Maia, Greco-Roman goddess of Spring. It is a fire and fertility
festival that celebrates the transformation from Maiden to Mother through the mystery of
sexuality. Beltane Eve is prime time for the Great Rite. Witches gather dew on May
morning, put flowers on our altars, leave offerings for fairies, and tend sacred places
like groves and wells.
June 22
LITHA, also called Summer Solstice, Midsummer and St. John's Day
The Earth is in full bloom. The Mother is pregnant and the god (the Sun) is King of Summer
at the peak of his powers.
Litha is the longest day, marking the division of the year. Witches celebrate abundance,
fertility, virility, the beauty and bounty of Nature. This is a good time for handfastings
and male rituals, for workings of empowerment, consummation or culmination.
August 1
LUGHNASADH, also called Lammas, Lunasa and Hlafmass, the Festival of Loaves
The days start growing shorter and the fields are heavy with crops ready to be harvested.
The corn king is sacrificed and mourning begins for the death of the god (the Sun).
Lughnasadh is the first of the Wiccan harvest festivals, a festival of fire and light
named for the Celtic god Lugh/Llew, Lord of Light. Witches bake bread, put grain on our
altars, count our blessings and give thanks to the Goddess.
September 21
MABON, also called Autumn Equinox
Crops are harvested, light and darkness are again in balance. The god sleeps in the womb
of the Goddess, waiting to be reborn.
Mabon is sacred to the Celtic god Mabon, a Son of Light, son of the mother goddess Modron.
This second harvest festival is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and give thanks
for abundance. Witches put the fruits of the season on our altars, bake bread and pies,
work magic to balance imbalances.
October 31
SAMHAIN (pronounced sow-en), also called Halloween, Allantide, Geimredh and All Hallows
Eve.
The harvest season closes, the days grow darker and winter is initiated. The Goddess
enters her time of sleeping and dreaming. The god (the Sun) awaits rebirth.
Samhain is witchesí new year, both solemn and joyous, the night when the veil between the
worlds is thinnest. It can be celebrated in high revelry with costume parties and
witchesí balls, or solemnly as a night for honoring ancestors and contacting departed
loved ones.
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