Wheel of the Year Festivals

The Wheel of the Year is celebrated as the natural cycle of the seasons, commemorated by eight festivals, spaced at approximately six weeks apart through the year.

The Festivals

A ritual calendar of eight festivals includes four "fire festivals" and the soltices and equinoxes.

In Wicca, the eight festivals are called "sabbats" (seasonal celebrations) and are distinct from "esbats" (moon circles), which are Wiccan festivals honoring the moon phases (waxing, full or waning).

This Wiccan Wheel of the Year has also greatly influenced Neo-Pagan seasonal celebratinons. Some Neo-Pagan Druids follow a similar eightfold wheel, but do not use the term "sabbats." Many retain older Irish names for the fire festivals. However, they use names for the solstices and equinoxes derived from the writings of Iolo Morganwg, some of which have creeped into North American Wicca.

Some of the Celtic names on this list derive from the writings and teachings of author Alexei Kondratiev.

The festivals, with the usual dates of their celebrations, are:

While most of these names derive from historical festivals, the names Litha and Mabon, which have become popular in North America were "invented" by Aidan Kelly in the 1970s. Litha is an Anglo-Saxon word relating to light. Mabon is the name of the Welsh God, Mabon ap Modron, who was stolen from his mother, Modron ("divine mother"), three days after his birth. Mabon ("divine son") then dwelt in Annwn (the Otherworld or Realm of Faerie) until rescued. Kelly thought this myth mirrored the myth of the Greek Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the land of the dead.

Pagan Pride Day is a purely modern concept. It's an event that got started in the 1990's. In the Washington, DC area, it is often held sometime in September. To celebrate Pagan Pride Day, Pagans set up information booths from which they pass out information to the public and answer questions. An autumn public ritual may be part of a Pagan Pride event.

This calendar originates in the northern hemisphere, and the symbolism of its festivals follows these seasons. In the southern hemisphere, it is common to shift the dates of the festivals by six months to preserve the seasonal symbolism. Hence, a Brazillian celebrates Samhain on May 1, while a Canadian celebrates Beltane on May 1.

Some Wiccans consider festival days to begin at sundown. This concept is borrowed from the Celts who considered the day to begin at sundown. By this reckoning, Beltane festivities would last from sundown on April 30 (May Eve) to sundown on May 1. Samhain festivives would last from sundown on October 31st to sundown on November 1. Historically, Samhain was a much longer event. When the Catholic Church absorbed this Celtic observance as a holy day it became a three day event. October 31 became All Hallows Eve. November 1 became Hallows Day or All Saints' Day (which officially only honored recognized Catholic Saints). November 2 became All Souls' Day (when other Christian dead were remembered and honored.)

However, many Wiccans and other Neo-Pagan groups gather on a weekend date closest to the "traditional" date on a modern calendar.

Wheel of the Year Mythic Naratives

Wheel of the Year Illustration

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