Sabbats
There are eight festivals through the year called Sabbats. The four Greater Sabbats are: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnnasa, and Samhain. The four Lesser Sabbats are the equinoxes and solstices: Ostara, Litha, Mabon, and Yule. The eight Sabbats represent seasonal birth, death, and rebirth. In them witches honor the Goddess and her cohort, the God.
During the equinoxes the flow of power is stronger; whereas, the solstices are a time for regrouping energy. The celebration of solstices and equinoxes is done on a particular day when the sun changes into particular signs. The Greater Sabbats are celebrated on specific days too. There are two ways to determine the holy days: 1) on a definite day, or 2) on the closest full moon. Since the ancient pagans counted nights instead of days, all their festivals were celebrated on the eve or the night before. The day began at sundown.
As I mentioned before, the Sabbats are time to honor the deities and the change of seasons. It is not necessary to perform magick during them. However, many witches find it fructuous to do so, specially if the time is right for a certain spell or to do divination. Then again, this may vary among traditions.
Esbats
Esbats are nights used by the witch to perform magick. After all we all need a time to raise energy, cast spells, perform healing, etc. You must take into consideration the phases of the moon before performing your works. Esbats are also known as Lunar Rituals. Perhaps the two most well-known Esbats are New Moon and Full Moon celebrations. During Full Moon celebration, the witch performs the Drawing Down the Moon. It is done to empower oneself.
Sabbat: Samhain
It is also known as Ancestor's Night, Feast of the Dead, Shadowfest, Halloween, and All Hallow's Eve. It is celebrated on October 31st. or the first Moon in Scorpio. This is considered the Witches' New Year. The yearwheel has had one full turn. During this night rituals to honor our ancestors are celebrated. It is said that the veil between the worlds is thinner or weaker. Therefore, it is an excellent time for divination. It is a time to shed away all ideas and influences. It is a time of reflection, of looking back over the last year. Black candles are lit to ward off negativity. Orange candles are lit to bring changes. The colors of the season are black and orange.
Traditional herbs: acorns, asters, benzoin, ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaves, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, Solomon's seal, and thistles.
Traditional incense: benzoin, myrrh, and sage.
Sacred gemstones: carnelian, lapiz lazuli, sapphire, and yellow agate.
Candle colors: dark red, orange, yellow, indigo, and brown.
Sabbat: Yule
This sabbat is also known as Winter Solstice, Winter Rite, Midwinter, and Alban Arthan. Yule is celebrated around December 21st. or the first day of winter. The night prevails over the Earth making it the longest night of the year. In some traditions, it is the time the Holly King overcomes the Oak King. For most pagans this is the time when the Goddess gives to her son, the Sun God. The Winter Solstice has been viewed as a time of divine births. Yule is celebrated by lighting fires or candles, and the use of the Yule log.
It is typical to decorate the Yule tree, make wreaths of holly, and exchange gifts. A portion of the Yule log is saved and kept to protect the house and then to be lighting next year's log. Burn bayberry candles to ensure wealth and happiness throughout the year. These are lit at the beginning of the ceremony. Decorate your altar with mistletoes, holly, colored lights, a candle in the shape of Kriss Kringle (Santa Claus), homemade wreath, and presents wrapped in colorful holiday paper. The traditional food of this season is roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcakes, caraway rolls, eggnog, and mulled wine.
Traditional herbs: bay, bayberry, blessed thistle, cedar, chamolile, evergreen, frankincense, holly, juniper, mistletoe, moss, oak, pinecones, rosemary, and sage.
Traditional incense: bayberry, cedar, pine, and rosemary.
Sacred gemstones: cat's eye and ruby.
Candle colors: red, green, white, gold, and silver.
Sabbat: Imbolc
It is also known as Imbolc, Candlemas, Oimelc, Lady Day, and Brigid's Day. Imbolc is celebrated on February 1st. However, Candlemas is celebrated on February 2nd. Followers of the Celt tradition celebrate Imbolg on the first Full Moon in Aquarius.
This is a Sabbat of purification through the renewing powers of the Sun. This is a good time for self-initiations or initiations into covens. Imbolg involves the vanishing of winter, and it marks the time to welcome Spring. It celebrates the awakening of the land from the long winter. Imbolc is one of the first three Spring festivals. For those who follow the Celtic tradition, it is the festival of the Maiden aspect of the goddess in preparation for growth and renewal. Many wiccan dedicate their rituals to the goddess Brigid, protector of the hearth.
Some ideas to decorate your altar: a crown of thirteen red candles, a sprig of evergreen, a witch's broom, and a small statue of the Goddess in her Maiden aspect.
Traditional herbs: Angelica, basil, bay, benzoin, celandine, heather, myrrh, and all yellow flowers.
Traditional incense: basil, myrrh, and wisteria
Sacred gemstones: amethyst, garnet, onyx, and turquoise.
Candle colors: white, red, pink, brown, and lavender.
Sabbat: Ostara
It is commonly known as Spring or Vernal Equinox, but it is also known as Festival of the Trees, Alban Eilir, and Rite of Eostre. Ostara is celebrated around March 21st or the first day of spring. This is the time in which light and darkness, day and night, are in balance. It is not Winter nor Spring. Yet the light is growing stronger. Ostara is second of the three Spring festivals.
Eggs are colored and placed in altars as talismans. This is a good time for a naming ceremony if you are planning to have a witch name. Some witches buy a broom, consecrate it, and name it. The broom will be used to sweep a magickal circle clean. During this time decorate using light green, lemon yellow, and pale pink.
Traditional herbs: acorn, celandine, cinquefoil, crocus, daffodil, dogwood, Easter lily, honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, rose, strawberry, tansy, and violets.
Traditional incense: benzoin, myrrh, and sage.
Sacred gemstones: carnelian, lapiz lazuli, sapphire, and yellow agate.
Candle colors: dark red, orange, yellow, indigo, and brown.
Sabbat: Beltane
It is known as Mayday or Lady Day. Mayday is celebrated on May 1st., while Beltane on May 5th. or the first Full Moon in Taurus. It is the last of the Spring festivals. This is the time to prepare for the warm months ahead; but also a time of love and union (marriages are common), and the Maypole. Ribbons of bright blue, lavender, warm pink, lemon yellow, and white are used in the Maypole. However, the traditional colors of Beltane are white and red (representing the blood of the woman as her virginity is taken). That is why many traditions honor the Mother aspect of the Goddess on this day. Baskets of flowers are picked at sunrise to decorate the houses and the Maypole. Beltane is a festival with offering to Elementals. It is a time of great magick and divination. It is the perfect time to establish a garden shrine or to honor house guardians. The power of the elves and fairies reach their height on this day.
Decorate your altar with a small Maypole, or a phallus-shaped candle to symbolize fertility, a daisy chain, and springtime flowers. Serve red fruits (like strawberry, cherry, etc.), green herbal salads, red or pink wine, and barley cakes.
Traditional herbs: almond, angelica, ash tree, bluebells, cinquefoil, daisy, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, lilac, marigold, meadowsweet, primrose, rose, satyrion root, woodruff, and yellow cowslips.
Traditional incense: frankincense, lilac, and rose.
Sacred gemstones: emerald, orange carnelian, sapphire, and rose quartz.
Candle colors: all colors
Sabbat: Litha
Summer Solstice or Litha is the longest day of the year. It is celebrated around June 21st. The powers of nature reach their highest point making it a perfect time for magick of all kinds. On this night elves and fairies come out in great numbers. This is the perfect time to commune with garden and forest sprites and fairies. Herbs gathered on this day are very powerful. In some traditions, this is the time of the Sun God. In other traditions, it is the time the Oak King overcomes the Holly King. Decorate your altar and burn candles of bright yellow and red.
Sabbat: Lughnassad/Lammas
It is known as Lughnassa in honor to the god Lugh's wedding to Mother Earth. Also known as Lammas, it is celebrated on August 1st. and Lughnassa on August 7th. However the those who follow the Celtic Tradition celebrate it on the first Full Moon in Leo. Other names are August Eve and the First Festival of Harvest. This is the first of the three harvest celebrations. This festival celebrates the beginning of the harvest. Bread is traditionally baked. Herbs for all magickal purposes should be harvested.
In some traditions the altars are decorated with fruits from the first harvest. You can also put corn dollies to symbolize the Mother Goddes of the Harvest. Yellow and red are the colors for this festival so the mantles can have these colors. Serve homemade breads, barley cakes, nuts, wild berries, apples, rice, roasted lamb, berry pies, elderberry wine, ale, and meadowsweet tea.
Traditional herbs: acacia flowers, aloes, cornstalks, cyclamen, fenugreek, frankincense, heather, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, sunflower, and wheat.
Traditional incense: aloes, rose, and sandalwood.
Sacred gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, and sardonyx.
Candle colors: golden, yellow, orange, green, and light brown
Sabbat: Mabon
This sabbat is also known as Autumn Equinox, the Second Festival of Harvest, and Alban Elfed. It is celebrated around September 21st. or the first day of fall. It is a time to rest. Once again the light and darkness are in balance, yet the darkness increases.
This is the second harvesting festival. Cornbread and cider are traditional in the ceremonies. Also river and stream stones can be empowered now. Decorate your altar with acorns, pinecones, autumn leaves, a pomegranate, and/or a small statue of the Triple Goddess in Her aspect of the Mother. The colors to use are brown, orange, gold, and red, so use them in your decorations. Some traditional food for this season includes corn, wheat products, breaads, nuts, vegetables, apples, roots (like carrot, onions, etc.), cider, and pomegranates.
Traditional herbs: acorns, asters, benzoin, ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaves, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, Solomon's seal, and thistles.
Traditional incense: benzoin, myrrh, and sage.
Sacred gemstones: carnelian, lapiz lazuli, sapphire, and yellow agate.
Candle colors: dark red, orange, yellow, indigo, and brown
information taken from: D.J. Conway's Celtic Magic Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner Silver RavenWolf's To Ride a Silver Broomstick
