|
This is just an introduction to the eight festivals of the year, sometimes called sabbats. I have only given an overview of each one and tried to explain its significance. However, each festival has multiple meanings and there are many ways to celebrate them. The best way to find out what each one means to you is to remark their passing and meditate on what you feel like at that point in the year. For example, as I am writing this it is nearing the Winter Solstice and it is dark at 3' o' clock, yet the shops are full of decorations and lights and the supermarket has started selling cakes, nuts, turkey, duck and mince pies. I feel excited, I am anticipating the festival, the parties, the feasts and the celebration. So although this is a dark time of year I am looking forward to light.
Samhain - 31st October
Yule - 21st/22nd December
Imbolg - 2nd February
Spring Equinox (Eostar) - 21st March
Beltane - 30th April
Summer Solstice - 22nd June
Lughnasadh - 31st July
Autumn Equinox (Madron) - 21st September
For the celts, the new year began at Samhain, now often called Halloween. This is a dark time of year when the God has journeyed into the underworld and the Goddess is the Crone, the dark mother, Cerridwen. This is a good time of year for divination, as we reflect on the past and meditate on our future. The boundary between our world and the spirit world is also very thin, and it is a good time of year to remember ancestors and departed friends. However, this is not a festival that celebrates death, rather it is a celebration of life. In the darkening world we are encouraged to confront our shadows and our hidden mysteries.
The Shortest day of the year falls at Yule, so this is a time when the darkness has reached its pinnacle. Yet, in the depth of winter the light will begin to return, and this is the time of year when the Goddess gives birth to the Sun/Son. The Sun/Son will begin to grow as the year waxes, embodying the life and fertility of the Oak King, who is then conquered at Midsummer by the Holly King, the lord of the waning year. We, therefore, think of the great wheel or cycle which is continually turning bringing light and fertility, then harvest and then darkness. It is darkness that engenders light. So at Yule we celebrate the returning light, and plan feasts and parties. We also bring evergreen into our home as a reminder of the eternal Goddess, and the life that is dormant under the snow and frosts. Red, the colour of the Holly King and of blood, Green, the colour of plants and life, Gold, the colour of the new sun; all these colours represent this festival. Also we have holly, for the Holly King, mistletoe, for the oak king, and a burning yule log. It is said that the white mistletoe berries are like semen, and a powerful symbol of the Oak King's fertility. There are many more symbols at this time of year of light and returning life.
At Imbolg we can see this light beginning to gain, and the first timid shoots of life as snowdrops appear. At this time candles are especially important as a symbol of light, as is the triple Goddess Bride who, as maiden, mother and crone, represents the progress of the coming year. Some people call this festival by its christian name, candlemas, as this is a good time to light candles and ask for the blessing of the new year.
At the Spring Equinox we celebrate Eostar, the festival of fertility that is characterised by the teutonic Goddess Oestre. We are reminded of ovulation, of conception and birth as we buy our chocolate Eostar eggs. This is also a good time of year for a spring clean, mental as well as literal. We can throw away all the 'rubbish' that is cluttering our minds, and begin anew, refreshed. Good colours at this time of year are green and yellow for they remind us of the Green Man, who wanders through the woodland, imbuing everything with life.
At Beltane life is teeming, and summer is beginning. The young Goddess and God are passionate, blooming and unite in a sacred marriage of the land. This is the time for bright bel fires on hilltops, and for maypole dancing. The sturdy maypole is a powerful phallic symbol, and we dance around it, weaving the ribbons in the spiral of life.
At Midsummer, falls the longest day of the year. This is an important turning point as light has reached its peak, and the Oak King is vanquished by the Holly King as we begin a journey towards darkness. The labrynth and maze are important symbols. Try drawing your own spiral labrynth, or marking one out with stones, and walking to its centre. This is your centre.
At Lughnasadh, which means 'the mourning of Lugh', the Corn King is sacrificed. Lugh, the irish god of light and fire, is sacrificed at the harvest. But we remember that although he is slain, he will be reborn at Yule and grow when the corn returns. This is the eternal wheel of nature. The God begins his descent into the underworld.
Finally, we come to the Autumn Equinox and the festival called Madron. This is the time of year when we begin preparing for winter, we reflect on what has passed and give thanks for it. A good story at this time tells the tale of Persephone and Demeter, the greek daughter/mother duo. Persephone is enticed into the underworld by Hades/Pluto and Demeter is distraught, withdrawing her protection from the land and plunging it into a harsh winter. So Zeus negotiates a compromise in which Persephone is returned to her mother, but must spend four months of the year in the underworld. During this period Demeter mourns and it is winter. There are many ways of interpreting this myth, but it has a strong element of sexuality in it. We can see the pomegranate that Persephone eats, this fruit of the underworld, as a symbol of fertility. Therefore, Persephone undergoes a transformation and discovers her sexuality, reigning as queen of the underworld. At this time of year the Goddess is the Lady of Abundance, who represents the fruits of the harvest that the land has yielded. The God is a shadowy, dark presence in the world.
Useful books, if you want to explore this topic, are 'The Wheel of The Year' by Theresa Moorey and 'Hedgewitch' by Rae Beth. These are the books I have used to write the article. Also look at Kate West's 'The Real Witches Kitchen' for some good ideas on seasonal recipes and activities.
Back