Suggested Celebration Planning: Best observed Sunday, July 2, 2023 after moon enters Capricorn at 1:20 pm.

Yule/Yuletide – the most important of all Norse holidays during the darkest of nights. It has a duration of 12 nights, starting at sundown on the night of the winter solstice. The Celts and other tribes in western Europe adopted the traditions of Yule, but no one is really sure why; holidays were usually culture specific in ancient times. Yule is widely considered the basis for modern-day Christmas. Full Harvest Moon (3:57 AM, MST) – If September’s Full Moon is closest to Mabon, then it is called the Harvest Moon. If October’s full moon is closer, it becomes the Harvest Mon and September’s is the Corn Moon. Other names are the Wine Moon, Elk Call Moon, and Barley Moon. Wiccans believe this is when the god dies and when the Goddess both reaches her highest power as the Crone and is pregnant with the god that will be born at Yule. And hence, the cycle begins again. It is, because the divide between the world’s is at is thinnest, also one of the most powerful nights to do magic. Wiccan Holidays: 2020 Dates Holiday

These are the four Wiccan holidays that are determined by the solar cycle. While these might seem more fundamental than the Greater Sabbats, they were less essential to living than the Greater Sabbats. Suggested Celebration Planning: Best observed Sunday, November 26, 2023, after moon enters Gemini at 7:40 pm. Ostara – A pagan Sabbat believed to originate in various form by the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures. It was fertility festival to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Lyle, Emily (2008). "Time and the Indo-European Gods in the Slavic Context" (PDF). Studia Mythologica Slavica. 11: 115–126. doi: 10.3986/sms.v11i0.1691. The word sabbat might sound like the Jewish “Sabbath,” but it actually just translates to “gathering.”

Ritual Function: Balance elemental earth energy, and shadow work for the virtues and vices of Capricorn.Historically, it is common to celebrate with athletic contests and other competitions in honor of the god Lugh (hence the name). Apr. 15: Sigrblot/Sumarsdag – Norse celebration of the first day of summer in Scandinavian countries Dec 21 – YULE / Winter Solstice: The real reason that this time of year was celebrated .. before christianity existed. We are halfway through the dark part of the year. The darkness is at its peak…moving forward the light begins to grow stronger and days become longer. You can see why the newly formed cult of christianity, which is what it was at the time, choose this time of year for the birth of christ…the light grows strong and brighter…the Sun is reborn. Yule traditions include burning a Yule log, kissing under mistletoe, and placing an evergreen tree in your home to represent the sustaining of life during the winter. However, Druidism was celebrated by most of Gardner’s coven, including the High Priestess Doreen Valiente and the solstices were a part of their spiritual practice. So naturally, they wanted to continue this spiritual belief and include it in their Wiccan faith. Because the day is associated with purification, it is customary to clean and open up the house after the dark hibernation of winter. This is where the notion of Spring cleaning comes from.

Early on, Saturnalia began with farmers who undertook gift-giving customs and offerings to the gods during the Wintersowing season. These activities were thought to gain favor with the gods, enablingfarmers to reap a bountiful harvest. This month is an excellent time to expand your horizons. If you have been wanting to try something new, now is the time to jump in full force.Mabon – A pagan Sabbat to celebrate the second of the three harvests. Key survival foods were harvested and put into storage for the winter during this time of the year. This included apples, onions, potatoes, pears, corn, carrots, turnips, hard squash, cabbage, and many more. This is the origin of modern day Thanksgiving. In Wiccan tradition, the Goddess (in her Mother aspect) gives birth to the God on the longest night of the year (the winter solstice) and then, like the Earth during winter, rests. Suggested Celebration Timing: Best observed Saturday, June 17, 2023 in 13 hours prior to exact dark on Sunday, June 18 at 12:37 am.

These are important, but in ancient times, the Greater Sabbats had to do with planting, harvesting, and herd rotations. Without food, there would be no life. Johnson, Anthony (2008). Solving Stonehenge: The New Key to an Ancient Enigma. Thames & Hudson. pp.252–253. ISBN 978-0-500-05155-9.Bradbury, Scott (1995). "Julian's Pagan Revival and the Decline of Blood Sacrifice". Phoenix. 49 (4 (Winter)): 331–356. doi: 10.2307/1088885. JSTOR 1088885. Linear Lunar Cycle within Seasons – Summer Autumn detail- Hand-drawn by Heron Michelle Corn Full Moon, Summer Fixed Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower – An annual meteor shower which is usually active between April 19 and May 28, peaking on the night between the 5th and 6th of May in 2023. Visibility this year will be fair. Best viewing will be between 4:00 AM and 7:00 AM May 6th. a b Harvey, Graham (1994). "The Roots of Pagan Ecology". Journal of Contemporary Religion. 9 (3): 38–41. doi: 10.1080/13537909408580720. The most common ways to celebrate are with flowers, dancing, and bright colors. This is where the May Bush and Maypole traditions came from.