Sabbats are the holy days most commonly agreed upon among Pagans. They are solar holidays which correspond to ancient days of worship based on the cycles of the year. Found predominantly in Celtic and Germanic cultures, the importance attached to each individual day varied depending on the people.

The Wheel of the Year contains eight Sabbats, following the length of day and night, as well as agrarian lore. Referred to as the quarters of the year are the Fire Festivals, which represent the yearly cycle of the sun. The Solstices of Yule {Midwinter} and Midsummer are the days on which the sun is at its Nadir and Zenith. The Equinoxes, Ostara {Spring} and Mabon {Autumn} are times of equal day and night. The cross~quarters, occuring between the quarters, are the holidays which correspond to agricultural needs, and tend to be more mystical and significant. They are Imbolc {Ee~molc}, Beltane, Lughnasagh {Looh~nassah}, and Samhain {Sah~wehn}. Following the example of the Celts, the Pagan New Year is usually celebrated on Samhain. This is also why the listing of Sabbats usually starts with Yule, the first holiday of the new year.

Mythologically speaking, the Sabbats tell the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of the sun {often related to the God}. The years starts at the darkest, as does ones life, with Samhain and Yule. Midwinter is the shortest day of the year, and represents the birth of the year and the God from the darkness of the Cauldron or the Womb of life. The three fertility holidays follow, Imbolc, Ostara, and Beltane. The day grows in length and the sun in power, until day and night are equal. As the day grows longer still, the Year~God approaches his fullness of life and ferility. Planting occurs, and the growing light of the sun allows crops to grow and fruit to ripen. The sun reaches his climax in Midsummer, a celebration of glory and life. After midsummer come the three harvest festivals of fall, where the union of sun and earth, God and Goddess comes to fruition. The God symbolically wanes, and is said to pass to the other~world, on Samhain, in preparation for his rebirth on Yule, when the Wheel of the Year begins again.

I am in debt to A Pagan Place. for these descriptions and correspondences of the Sabbats. The yearly holidays will differ in other traditions and among individuals, and if you use a particular Pantheon, they wmay be additional or entirely different days on which it is appropriate for you to celebrate. You may want to research and experiment for yourself, and find the days and manner in which it is best for you to celebrate each year. Often, the Sabbats are used as times of rest, celebration, and communion with deity. Also, ritual re~enactment of the yearly cycle of life can be included. There are rituals already written and designed available in books, or you could write your own.

While Sabbats are the time for celebration and recognition of sun energy, there are times especially appropriate for the workings of magic and Goddess energy. Esbats are lunar celebrations done on Full and New Moons, and each phase carries with it a certain kind of energy. The New Moon is the beginning, when the moon starts a new cycle, and is appropriate for new beginnings in your own life. The Moon waxes, and is a time for growth and change. The Full Moon is the culmination of growth, and will often represent the coming of effots to fruition. After the Full Moon, the waning is a time of lessening and ending, and for protection and banishment. Traditionally, Moon energy is alligned with the Goddess, women, and intuition. The cycle of the moon follows perfectly the menstrual cycle of the woman, and the word menstruation has its root with Moon.

• Tarot Card: The Star
• Altar Decorations: snowflake cut-outs, white and yellow flowers, a crown of thirteen candles, a sprig of evergreen, Witches broom or Besom, statue of Triple Goddess in her Maiden phase.
• Herbs: angelica, basil, bay, benzoine, heather, myrrh
• Incense: basil, myrrh, wisteria
• Gods & Goddess': Brigid (Celtic Goddess of Fire, wisdom and poetry, calving), Aradia (daughter of Diana)
• Colors: white, red, pink
• Gemstones: amethyst, garnet, onyx, turqouise
• Food: Seeds, poppy, sesame, sunflower, poppyseed breads and cakes, herbal teas
• Lore: Fertility and growth are celebrated at this time. Initiations into groups or covens are convened at this time. One tradition calls for the lighting of all lamps or candles in the home just for a few moments to honor the suns return. Persephone returns from the pool re-born.