Sabbats or festivals

There are loads of books written on Sabbats or festivals, in a beautiful way check them out!

Here some information about them, if you don’t really know what they are all about. In the Olden days the people of the villages celebrated them when the time was ready, nowadays with our busy lifes we have a some what fixed calendar around these. If you are in tune with nature the dates can vary with a couple of days.

The Christian calendar overlapped the old tribal celebrations, they have their own version based on the Celtic ones.

The flow and rhythm of the Earth cycle and honour the seasons with each other to eat and drink, sing, dance. All of the festivals have a different focus, but are interwoven with each and every one. Living with the energy changes of the Mother Earth, Moon, Sun and ourselves.

A solstice is a time to stop. The Summer the longest day shortest night. In the Winter the shortest day and the longest night.

A equinox are equal in length of day and night, balance of light and dark. Feel like action and new ideas.

Cross quarter are the 4 Fire festivals, Celtic and most celebrated on hilltops with bonfires.

Samhain * Yule * Imbolg-c * Ostara * Beltane * Litha * Lughnasadh * Mabon

Samhain or better known as Halloween. 31 October-1 November

A Celtic festival important and impressive. The veil between this world and the next is very thin, the Sidhe portals are open tonight.

Welcome to the celebration of the honouring of the ancestors, a family reunion. Show of the new born ones and let each other know who past on to the Summerlands. Communication within our dreams and vision quests. The Celts did not fear death nor darkness, out of the dark comes new life. It became all Hallows eve, and all Souls day in November.

Bonfires on the hilltops and off course the apple-game. Avalon is the land of apples, a silver branch with an apple can lead you through the mists and into this sacred land.

The God and the Goddess as the Crone in her death-aspect, Morrigan , Cerridwen. Can you understand the medieval idea of the “wicked old witch”, in the fairy tale of Snowhite?

The wisdom of the Goddess is seen if you open an apple transversely…

Yule , the Winter solstice. 21-23 December

The Wheel of Life turns and turns, and comes to a halt. Just for a moment to re-think and look ahead. This is a wonderful period to dry your herbs, and prepare them for the coming season . Spinning and weaving on a cold winters night with home made soup or hot chocolate!

The rebirth of the Sun God, acted out as the twin brothers the Holly King and the Oak King want the title to rule the land. They represent the dark and the light half of the year. This is the turn of the Oak King. Decorate with the evergreen holly and ivy to remind us of the promise of spring. Misletoe for fertility, yes that’s why we kiss underneath!

It comes back in Christmas as” Old Nick” a name for their devil, which was another popular name for Woden who rode the sky on a reindeer. The stag King or white horse. Santa Claus, St Nikolas all connected here. In Britain the songs of the wren and the robin hiding in hollybush, how many of you have a Christmas tree with a bird in it? You probarly see the tree is evergreen too, decorated with ribbons and balls! Exactly.

Imbolg-c, or Oimelc. 31 January-1 February

A Celtic festival. Imbolg means “in the belly”, the festival of the beginning, conception. The young Maiden Goddess Bride she is the keeper and protector of the fire. The Kundalini fire coiled up, still in the dark, deep in the belly. When the new born animals were born and drank with their mums who gave Oimelc, a virgin girl was chosen to wear the crown of lighted candles on her head, and walked in front of the village procession. Door to door, was knocked upon and all who were “awake” followed her. A beautiful side! Brighid or Bride was also the patroness of blacksmiths , poetry and art so the festival around the fire had a lot to do with craft and storytelling. Here in Glastonbury this is a popular festival and we are all involved in making Brides crosses and display them in our houses.

In later days in the Isle of Ireland women kept the fire of her going and this festival became Candlemas.

Ostara, the spring equinox. 21-23 March

Here the days are equal in length and there is reached a balance. Some people feel this time a bit like a chaos, and out of that comes new ideas! There is a place for everything in life.

The light is getting stronger now, and the first flowers appear. We all long for the warmer days, and begin to clear out the clutter, and clean and fresh our houses up with soap and re-paint! A busy and a chaotic time! After the clearing new energy can come in. We do live with the cycle don t we? The Goddess is Eostre, which comes back in our language of the hormone oestrogen that stimulates ovulation.

The kundalini-World egg-snake is split open and woken up by the heat of the Sun God. We still celebrate this in the form of finding the eggs to open them , and find a little present inside or more chocolate! The hares and the bunnies obviously have to do with the reproduction. The fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty makes more sense now, yes?

Beltane or Walpurigsnacht. 30 April-1 May

Celtic, an important fire and festival of passion and love. Lots of us have heard of this one and even celebrated it, especially if you happen to live in the country side!

May-day in Britain a bank holiday, and in Holland “Konningen-nacht”, or Queens night

which couldn t be placed in a better time, keep it there please!

In the Olden days, and still so, stay up all night in the woods to dance, sing and make merry! The May-pole, phallus in erection, is set up in the middle of the village or town tied with the ribbons each end hold by a girl or a boy. Dancing and weaving a pattern, if all the ribbons are interwoven the God and the Goddess energies are one! In Cornwall in Padstow the ceremonies still take place, and London has a Beltane parade. If you are not around there, go to Holland, everywhere is music on the streets, and the children play games. Or steal the Maypole from your neighbouring village as been done in the old times.

Be prepared to go with Herne on the Wylde Hunt amongst the trees! Come and jump over the fire and have fun!

Litha, the Summer solstice. 21-23 June

The wheel turns yet once again and stops at Midsummersday! With the Sun at its highest point, warm breezes and abundance of flowers and bees. A delightful long day of feasting and a lovely night in the arms of your beloved drinking mead out of the horn and sing songs!

During midday wheels decorated with wraths of flowers are rolled of the hill, with children shouting after them to catch a bit of the energy of the sun. When the wheel breaks under the mountain or hill golden pennies or even cheese and sweeties are revealed. The Sun is at the height of power and the Goddess dances the dance of Life. The bellies full, of sweeties and honey, Herne will give His blessings over the land. The Oak king gives his reign to his twin brother the Holly King, acted out by the young lads who “fight” with sticks for the title and hand of the GoddessQueen.

Lughnasadh or Lammas. 31 July-1 August

Celtic. Lugh is the important God of fire and light, if you have some spare time then sit by the hearth and read his many adventures. The energy of the Sun is where he gets his strength from and he relives in the names of towns and cities. Figure out which ones! To name a few: Lyon in France, Leiden in Holland, Carlisle in Britain.

This is the gathering of the harvest grains and corn. Listen to the song of “John Barleycorn”.

When all is in, the women made a corn doll, and bread and beer! The four corners of the fields are left free. For Mother Earth and Her animals, outlaws who had to get through the harsh winter.

Mabon or Autumnequinox. 21-23 September

The day and the night are equal in length, and with this the balance of light and dark. The hard joyful work of the harvest is brought in. Its berries, nuts and mushrooms season so come to the forest in a hand made basket. Everyone joins in, dancing the spiral of time holding hands together. The last out of doors pick-nick is held on woollen rugs of sheeps.

The God and the Goddess prepare to journey into the Underworld. Maybe you can take upon your own queste and walk the spiral path of the Tor, or other sacred mountains in your area.

Meet the Lord of these realms and pay your utmost respect!

Thus end our journey of the Wheel of the year. To be starting again and again…

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