Sabbats
Now, Just what are the Sabbats. To quote the "Good Book" so to speak..."Remember the days to keep them holy". These are our Holy Days/Festivals/Great Rites or whichever your belief calls them. They are the turnings of the Great Wheel, and represent the harvest as well as our own mortality. I think the greatest aspect of Witchcraft is the acceptance of Death as being part of life as much as living it is. Does that make sense? This is my quote to explain it...
"We as a society are afraid to die, because we are afraid to live"
Here are the Sabbats, and what They mean...
Yule-December 20-23
Imbolc-February 1
Ostara-March 20-23
Beltane-April 30 or May1
Litha-June 20-23
Lughmasadh-August 1
Mabon-September 20-23
Samhain-October 31
I am adding pages for the Sabbats. Click on the Sabbat to go to its webpage. Right now, I am working on Samhain, so feel free to see how it is progressing!
Yule
Herbs: holly, mistletoe, rosemary, and oak pine cones
Incense: bayberry, pine, cedar, rosemary, and juniper
Color: red, green, white, silver, and gold
Decorations: Yule log, mistletoe, wreaths, strings of dried flowers and cinnamon sticks, apples, oranges, Yule tree.
Foods: nuts, apples, oranges, caraway rolls, and mulled wine roast turkey
Reason: This is the longest night of the year. It is also Winter Solstice, and we are getting ready to welcome the coming spring. The Goddess gives birth to the God, and we celebrate the returning of the Sun.
Imbolc
Herbs: snowdrop, bay, heather, first flowers of the year
Incense: Rosemary, cinnamon, wisteria, frankincense, and myrrh
Colors: White, orange, and red
Decorations: lamps, besom, yellow flowers
Food: all dairy products, curries, onions, chives, garlic, spiced wines, seeds, herbal tea
Reason: The days are becoming longer, and Spring is around the corner. The Goddess has given birth to the new God. It is time to rejoyce!
Ostara
Herbs: honeysuckle, iris, peony, violet, and all spring flowers
Incense: jasmine, rose, strawberry
Colors: green, yellow
Decorations: colored eggs, green and yellow jellybeans, rabbit decorations, spring flowers
Food: seeds, leafy green vegetables, spiced or flowered cupcakes, fruits, hard-boiled eggs
Reason: The first day of Spring as well as the Spring Equinox. The Goddess walks the Earth, spreading Her fertility, and the God is maturing into adulthood. Day and night are in balance.
Beltane
Herbs: honeysuckle, saint john's wort, hawthorn, and all flowers
Incense: frankincense, lilac, rose
Colors: green, soft pink, blue, and yellow
Decorations: maypole, strings of beads or flowers, ribbons, spring flowers
Foods: dairy, oatmeal cakes, cherries, and strawberries wine punches, green salads
Reason: The fullness of Spring. The God has reached manhood, and He desires the Lady. They meet, and She is impregnated with the God.
Litha
Herbs: lavender, chamomile, roses, daisy, and lily
Incense: frankincense, lemon, rose, wisteria, and lavender
Colors: blue, green, and yellow
Decorations: dried herbs, potpourri, seashells, summer flowers, fruit
Food: summer fruit, ale, mead, and fresh vegetables
Reason: Summer Solstice. This is the longest day of the year. The Sun King is in all His glory. The Oak King is the growing youth and the Holly King is the mature man.
Lughmasadh
Herbs: all grains, grapes, heather, blackberries, and sunflowers
Incense: sandalwood, rose, aloes
Colors: yellow, orange, green, and brown
Decorations: corn dollies, any wheat weaving crafts, shafts of grain
Food: breads, cider, blackberry pies, and jellies, rice, meadowsweet tea, berries
Reason: The first harvest. The God is dying, but lives on in the womb of the Goddess. His essence is placed into the crops, and the Goddess begins to mourn His coming death.
Mabon
Herbs: hazel, corn, acorns, oak, wheat stalks cypress cones, pine cones
Incense: myrrh, sage, pines
Colors: dark red, yellow, and brown
Decorations: pomegranates, pine cones, baskets of fallen leaves
Food: squash, apples, roots (carrots, potatoes, onions), cider
Reason: The autumn equinox. The harvest is in and done, and the God begins to die. It is time to thank Him who gave His life for the harvest.
Samhain
Herbs: pumpkins, apples, nuts, thistle, chrysanthemum, broom, oak leaves, and sage
Incense: apples, nutmeg, sage, mint
Colors: black and orange
Decorations: jack-o-lantern, photos of deceased loved ones, apples, fall leaves, autumn flowers, squashes
Food: apples, corn, nuts, cider, mulled wine, pumpkin dishes, cranberry muffins, herbal tea
Reason: The New Year. The veil is at its thinest between worlds. We remember those who went before, and celebrate their lives. The God has gone into the underworld, where He will be reborn in Yule as the Sun God. And so the Great Wheel turns again...
To flip through the pages of my BOS faster...
Brightest of Blessings