Ask a Question
or
Create a Poll
  1. Home /
  2. Questions /
  3. Social Sciences
  4. / Religions
  5. / Religions A - Z
  6. / Wicca

by MP1116 on January 5th, 2004

MP1116

Question

Help answer this question below.

I was on a blind date recently with a girl who practices 'Wicca' (witchcraft) and she says she practices her rituals on 'Sabbats'. What is the 'Sabbats' and what are these rituals?

  • Like
  • Report
Share:
Other

Answers. 4 helpful answers below.

  • by wickedwillie on January 5th, 2004

    wickedwillie

    Wicca 'witches' honor nature and have 8 sabbat rituals a year. These are festivals, that mark the year as it turns through its seasons:

    Table of the Wheel of the Year:
    February 2nd. Imbolg, Candlemas. The return of the Light.
    March 21st. Spring Equinox. Light and Dark in balance.
    April 30th. Beltane, May Day The beginning of Summer.
    June 22nd. Summer Solstice. The Longest Day.
    July 31st. Lughnasadh. Season of Plenty.
    September 21st. Autumn Equinox. The Second Harvest.
    October 31st. Samhain, All Hollows Eve. The return of the Dark.
    December 22nd. Yule, Winter Solstice. Death and Rebirth.

    February 2nd, Candlemas
    IMBOLG, CANDLEMAS, OIMELC - FEB 2
    Dedicated to Brigid the GODDESS of Fire and Inspiration. GODDESS of Fertility, that which was born at SOLSTICE now begins to manifest. This is also the day of initiation, the RITE of passage for WITCHES. This is a time to plant the seeds of short term goals for the new cycle and new energy. The candle procession symbolizes the Feast of the Waxing light celebrating the Rebirth of the Sun.

    March 21st, Spring Equinox
    SPRING EQUINOX, EOSTAR, THE FESTIVAL OF TREES MARCH - 21-23
    The chains of winter are broken, Spring has arrived, This is the time when all of life burst forth in joyous celebration. As at IMBOLG this is the seed time but for long range goals. Day and Night are equal bringing balance. Persephone rises from the Depths of the Underworld and brings forth new life. Hair is adorned with flowers, Eggs are decorated as they are a symbol of rebirth, This is considered the true MOTHERS Day.

    April 30th., Beltane
    BELTANE, MAY EVE, RUDEMAS APRIL 31-MAY 1
    This is a time of Fertility, Creativity is nurtured. The Mayploe, a phallic fertility symbol symbolizing the God is joined with the Goddess as it is placed within the Earth. Ribbons hang from the top inviting all to join the dance of fertility weaving the magic of desire. This is a time of wild delight. Jumping the bonfire brings purification and luck.

    June 22nd., Summer Solstice
    SUMMER SOLSTICE, MIDSUMMER EVE, LITHA, JUNE 21-23
    This is the longest day of the year, the power of the Sun is at its peak and at the same time this is the beginning point of the waning of the Suns energy and power. We celebrate the strength and energy this day holds and ask that the magick created today carry us through the dark half of the year.

    July 31st., Lammas
    LAMMAS, LUGHNASAD, LUGH-MASS - JUL.31st/AUG.1
    Light diminishes the days grow shorter, we have worked hard to bring things to fruition, but the Harvest is not yet clear, we know that to harvest we must sacrifice. This is the time to look within and see the sacrifice that needs to be made to transform. This is the first Harvest, the honoring of the Grain and the Corn. In Pagan times this was the time of games of skill and competition and Lugh was Honored.

    September 21st., Autumn Equinox
    AUTUMN EQUINOX, MABON, SEPT 21-23
    The time of balance between light and dark, the time of the true thanksgiving, when the Harvest is realized and thanks is given for the abundance received. This is the second Harvest, the harvest of all vrops grown and reaped. We prepare for the descent into the darkness.

    October 31st., Samhain
    SAMHAIN, HALLOWMAS, ALL SOULS DAY, HALLOWS EVE,-OCT 31ST
    Most WITCHES consider this the WITCHES New Year, it is the time of the Crone, of endings and beginnings, death and life. We honor our Ancestors and in respect we create a feast offering and celebrate their memory. The veils between the worlds are the thinnest and we commune with our dead and look into the mysteries through Divination and Scrying. Samhain is considered the third and final Harvest, that of the Livestock.

    December 21st., Winter Solstice
    YULE, WINTER SOLSTICE, -DEC 21-23
    The longest night of the year, darkness prevails and yet gives way and changes to bring the birth of the New Sun, and with it the hope and promise of the New Year. It is the time to release that which does not serve and prepare to birth forth a new vision for the next future. Lighting of candles, the Yule Log or bon fires symbolically give life and power to the Sun.

    • Like
    • Report

    8 comments | Post one | Permalink

  • by AntigoneRising on December 9th, 2005

    AntigoneRising

    Our western culture views time as linear. We have the past, the present, and the future along a "time line." In history classes, we are asked to plot major events along a time line, and many of the illustrations in books, documentaries, and slides use a time line. This time line also illustrates the belief that time had a beginning and will have an end.
    Most Pagans, and certainly Wiccans, see time as circular, not linear. We do not have a time line, we have a wheel - a circle. The circle has no beginning and no ending - it is continuous. The Wiccan calendar is cyclical.

    Wiccan holidays along this wheel are called Sabbats, and we have eight total. We have four minor Sabbats, which correspond to the equinoxes and solstaces: Litha, Mabon, Yule, and Eostara. The four major Sabbats, or cross-quarter Sabbats, are: Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain, and Imbolc. The minor Sabbats line up with the change in Zodiac signs (Aries/Eostara, Cancer/Litha, Mabon/Libra, and Yule/Capricorn). The major Sabbats line up (give or take 24 hours) with the modern calendar months (Imbolc/February 2, Beltane/May 1, Lughnasadh/August 1, Samhain/October 31).

    Each Sabbat has many names, and not all Wiccans use a common one.

    Litha - Midsummer, Summer Solstice
    Lughnasadh - Lammas
    Mabon - Autumnal Equinox
    Samhain - Halloween, All Hallow's Eve
    Yule - Winter Solstice
    Imbolc - Candlemas

    Personally, I believe time moves in cycles, but along a continuum. We don’t actually end up in the same place year after year. We grow, and we change. Our circumstances change. For this reason, I view time as a coiled spring, somewhat like a Slinky.

    Most Wiccans perform rituals on these holidays, or as close to them as possible. These rituals put us in touch with the cycles of nature, and the nature of the Divine. The actual content of the rituals will vary by practioner and tradition.

    • Like
    • Report

    1 comment | Post one | Permalink

  • by LeighG on November 14th, 2006

    LeighG

    I think you'll find that celebrating the 8 Sabbats is just celebrating and has nothing to do with spellcraft ;)

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by etzlersucks on August 30th, 2005

    etzlersucks

    Sabbats are holidays that Wiccans celebrate. (I am just starting the craft, so I am still unclear.) Rituals are a form of spells that are a little more complicated then normal spells... I think... (Like I said, I'm just starting!) It's nothing bad, though.

    2 comments | Post one | Permalink

Want to attach an image to your answer? Click here.

Did this answer your question? If not, then ask a new question or create a poll.

More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading I was on a blind date recently with a girl who practices 'Wicca' (witchcraft) and she says she practices her rituals on 'Sabbats'. What is the 'Sabbats' and what are these rituals?

Follow us on Facebook!

Related Ads

Related Questions

Professionally Researched

ANSWERBAG BUZZ

I have graphite in my skin
What is the ritual of the festival of trees
Blind witchcraft
F
How to join wicca

Answerbag

a Demand Media company