Wheel of the Year

INTRODUCTION by Tehom

Pagans and Witches celebrate eight holidays or festivals during the year. Because pagans see time as cyclic rather than linear, we refer to the progression of days as a Wheel. This yearly cycle of holidays, also known as the Sabbats, follows the path of the Sun as it waxes and wanes in brightness and power through the seasons.

MAJOR AND MINOR SABBATS

The Wheel of the Year is like a clockface divided into 8 equal slices. An equal-armed cross creates the first four slices that are marked at midnight (YULE), 3 o'clock (OSTARA), 6 o'clock (LITHA), and 9 o'clock (MABON). These are the solstices and equinoxes—when either day or night is at its greatest or when day and night are equal in length. The early Celts did not observe these "subtle" changes in the year, but other cultures, such as the Germanic tribes, may have. The solstices and equinoxes eventually became part of the standard Witches' Wheel of the Year, and they are known as the Minor Sabbats.

The second set of slices is created by making an "X" through the clockface. Between midnight and 3 o'clock is IMBOLC; between 3 and 6 o'clock is BELTANE; between 6 and 9 o'clock is LUGHNASSAD; and, finally, between 9 and midnight is SAMHAIN. It is probable that our Celtic ancestors celebrated Beltane and Samhain as their earliest festivals, honoring the beginning and end of summer. The Celts, being a cattle-raising bunch, would have naturally feasted and prayed at the times of year when the cattle were sent out to the fields and when they returned. That they celebrated both festivals is well documented. These four festivals are known as the Cross-Quarter Days, or Major Sabbats.

In the links on this site, each Sabbat is described, giving some of its lore and customs.

FURTHER READING

Besides the series of short articles included here, we recommend:
1. Campenelli, Pauline and Dan. Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life. Llewellyn, 1993.
2. Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun. Oxford University Press, 1996.
3. Nahmad, Claire. Earth Magic: A Wisewoman's Guide to Herbal, Astrological, & Other Folk Wisdom. Destiny Books, 1994.
4. Pennick, Nigel. The Pagan Book of Days. Destiny Books, 1992.

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 This site last updated on April 9, 2011.