The word Sabbat means "major holiday". There are eight such holidays throughout the year, and placed into two categories. The four Major Sabbats, Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain, celebrate the Goddess. These are called the cross-quarters, for reasons you'll see if you check out The Wheel of the Year Diagram at the bottom of this page. They have fixed dates of celebration throughout the year. The four Minor Sabbats, Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon, celebrate the God. These are the quarters of the year, and are either the solstices or equinoxes. The date varies from year to year, but not by more than a few days.

The Celtic calendar put Samhain as the beginning of the new year. The crops were in, and the wealth of the tribes was at its greatest, and it was time to settle in for the winter. Others place Yule at the beginning. I'll start my discussion with Yule, for the simple fact that it is at the top of the Wheel of the Year.

Yule is the Winter Solstice, and it falls anywhere between December 20th and 22nd. It celebrates the rebirth of the Sun, or the God, and though it is the longest night and shortest day of the year, it marks the return of the light to the land. The days will now grow longer, and though we have winter still ahead, the darkness has already begun to pass. Traditionally, a yule log - something hard and long-burning, such as oak - was lit on this night from charred remains of the previous year's log. If it burned through the night, good luck was assured in the coming year. We decorate with greenery for protection during the long months. This greenery was traditionally left in place until the next Sabbat, Imbolc.

If you're really strapped for cash, you could simply purchase a long-burning candle, light it, and sit a vigil through the night to welcome the sunrise after the longest night of the year. I know of a group that had an all night drumming vigil - they actually had continuous drumming, chanting, and dancing throughout the entire night, though only four people made it without having to take a nap. This is a time of much toasting and feasting, for in times not so long ago, people were not sure they would even make it through the winter - whether due to starvation, illness, or simply freezing to death because they could not buy fuel to heat their homes - so they celebrated and got themselves drunk to forget their worries. Today we don't have those problems so much, but whether we want to admit it or not, the long, cold days, cut even shorter by cloud-cover, can really get us down, some more than others. Take some time on Yule to light some candles and welcome the infant sun back to the world. Remember, the worst is over, and spring is on its way.

Imbolc is the next Sabbat, and it falls on either February 1st or 2nd, depending on whether or not you want to compete with chubby little rodents for ownership of the holiday. At this time the greenery from Yule is burned in a sacred bonfire. Imbolc literally means "in the belly" because sheep give birth at this time, and the ewes begin lactating. This extra milk was a life-saver to people living off dried rations. The days are now visibly longer, and though they are still freezing cold, and some of the worst winter storms have yet to come, the earth's first fetal stirrings can be felt by those who are aware. Often there is a brief thaw around this time of year, and sometimes flooding if the snow melts too quickly and it rains on top of that. This holiday belongs to the Maiden Goddess Brighid, or a similar Maiden Goddess from a different pantheon, and it is a time of purity and cleansing, a symbolic rebirth of the body and spirit. It is a festival of lights, and is often called Candlemas, because all candles to be used in magickal workings should be consecrated around this time. I realize that's not always feasible, but it's a nice thought, anyway.

A really neat idea I ran across in The Craft by Dorothy Morrison, is to take six apples, consecrate them in Circle, and then cut them in half crosswise to expose the natural pentacle that the core forms. Place them on a baking pan, coat them heavily with cinnamon, and bake for two hours at 150 degrees. Yes, this will dry them out, but the house will smell so good. Then take a hangar, cut it in two near the hook, and string the apples on it to make a Family Harmony wreath. Secure the loose end of the hangar so the apples don't fall off, and then place the wreath someplace in your home for continued good family relations, or to help heal a family rift. When the apples start looking like they're ready to fall off the hangar, take them outdoors and bury them as a gift to Mother Earth, or leave them on the ground for the animals that will soon be emerging from hibernation.

Ostara is the next Sabbat. It is the Vernal Equinox, falling anywhere between March 20th and 22nd. Light and dark are balanced, and spring is on the doorstep. The word Ostara comes from a free-spirited Goddess called Eostre. Legend has it that she was entertaining children and turned a bird into a rabbit. The bewitched animal was so startled that it laid colored eggs. Hence the custom of coloring eggs around this time. Eggs are also a sign of fertility, for all animal life comes from eggs, be they bird, reptile, fish, or mammal. The egg is a promise of things to come. Decorating eggs is a really good way to celebrate cheaply. Of course, if Easter happens to fall in April, you might raise some eyebrows if you're coloring eggs in March. Dress in greens or spring-like colors, gather a bouquet of daffodils or crocuses, and remember that these bulbs were planted well before the snow fell the previous year, and that they survived the winter in the ground. You've made it through the worst, and spring and glorious summer are still ahead.

Beltane is the next Sabbat, celebrated anywhere from April 30th to May 2nd. Huge bonfires are lit to welcome the earth's fertility. This holiday honors the symbolic marriage of the God and Goddess, and represents the peak of their fertile powers. Seeds are sewn, fruit trees are in blossom, and leaves are beginning to fill out on the trees. This is a good time to begin a project for the summer. This holiday is also the origin of the Maypole. It was once an openly sensual ritual, where young, eligible men and women would dance around the Maypole and then partner off with whomever they ended up next to. Nowadays, the Maypole is reserved for young children.

Light a fire if you can, but a simple candle will do just as well. Pick a bouquet of wild flowers, or better yet, dig some up and plant them near your home in a damp, shady spot. They'll come up year after year with minimal maintenance, provided you plant two clumps from different places in the forest close enough together so that they get pollinated.

The next holiday is Litha - the Summer Solstice - usually between June 20th and 22nd. It is the longest day and shortest night of the year. It marks the halfway point, and from now on, the days will slowly get shorter and shorter, even though summer still lies ahead. It is a period of change, where the Holly King takes over ruling the dark half of the year from the Oak King, who ruled from Yule onwards, over the light half of the year. You could make a solar wreath out of simple things found in a craft shop - ribbons, beads, cord, anything bright and sunny. Hang it where you hung the apple wreath, and hopefully the apple wreath isn't still there. :)

Next is Lammas, celebrated around August 1st or 2nd. This is the first harvest festival, the harvest consisting usually of grains, and grapes. Summer is by no means over, but it's a time to wrap things up in preparation for fall and winter. This is near the time that herbs are harvested as well, so if there are any plants growing, cut them and dry them for your use. You might also look into getting a little greenhouse kit to grow your own herbs for use over the winter.

Next comes Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox, usually around September 20th to 22nd. Again day and night are equal, and it is at this time that the karmic scales are balanced. It's a good time to make amends with people you have wronged, though there never really is a bad time, or to pay more attention to a friend we might have been neglecting. You could cast a Circle and ask for forgiveness from those people you have wronged, and ask to be able to forgive yourself. No matter how many times people say that a conflict has been resolved, if we're still carrying around a burden of guilt, we can never truly move on. Scatter leaves in the Circle and thank the earth and the Deities for a bountiful harvest. Enjoy the fall foliage, take a walk, watch the sun rise, and bask in the remaining warmth of summer.

The final, or first, holiday, is Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), on October 31st or November 1st. This is a celebration of the dead. It is said that the spirits of all those who have died in the previous year make their journey at last to the Summerland on this night. Food is set out for them to eat on their journey, and candles are lit to guide their way. If a person eats the food set aside for the dead, then they will not be able to partake of the feast after they are dead. Divination is common around this time of year because the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.

This holiday is easy to celebrate without raising any eyebrows. Carve pumpkins, make a wreath of dried leaves, dress up in your witchiest costume, hand out candy, but reserve some bread, apples, and cider for the dead, and just generally have a good time. This is the last harvest festival, and signals the death of the Sun who will be reborn at Yule.

These are just some basic ideas. I firmly believe that people should write their own rituals, because they have more meaning that way. I have my own special ways of casting the Circle, calling the Quarters, invoking the Deities, and offering libation and thanks. Most times, though, I let it come from my heart, rather than memorize some wrote phrases that lose meaning after being repeated over and over. My rituals are never very flashy, but they're deeply moving, at least to me. I also delight in taking part in open Circles hosted by a coven nearby - if a two hour drive can be called nearby. They're always different, always beautiful, and always involve everyone present, rather than being limited to those who actually belong to the coven.

Just read, read, read, and browse the web for ideas. After a full turn of the Wheel, each holiday will come to have a special meaning for you, and you don't have to perform the same ritual for a holiday as you did last year. The Wheel of the Year is actually a spiral, if we truly are growing and evolving as spiritual beings. We may have come a full turn, back to the same place in the Wheel, but hopefully we have grown, moving upward in an ever-expanding spiral.

May your years bring you much happiness and many blessings.