Helpful Information

Date: October 31st

What is the Wheel of the Year, or Wiccan holidays, for those in the Southern Hemisphere? It gets a little tricky, since Wicca was created in the Northern Hemisphere. Since it's a nature religion, an Earth religion, this makes a big difference. After all, a Midsummer ritual in the North happens in June. In the South, though, this is midwinter! Since Wicca is derived from ancient European agrarian societies, the Sabbats (similar to Sabbath) are closely tied to the seasons and the calendar. Wiccans claim that the Sabbats have been followed for many thousands of years by ancient cultures such as Nordic, Celtic, Greek, etc. Following is a list of the eight primary Wiccan Sabbats. Wiccan holidays, or Sabbats, are timed to the seasons and the Earth’s natural rhythms. Sabbats celebrate the Earth’s journey around the sun, called the Wheel of the Year, and Wiccans refer to commemorating the Sabbats as Turning the Wheel. Most Wiccans celebrate these eight Sabbats annually: Yule, Winter Solstice: December 20, 21, 22, or 23. Wiccan holiday, Sabbat, and Pagan holiday are all interchangeable since they all represent similar days where celebrations and rituals occur. Origins of the Wiccan Holidays / Sabbats. The source of the Wiccan holidays can be primarily traced back from Germanic and Celtic pagan rituals, numerous moons back.

Other Names: November Eve, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples, Hallow's Eve, All Hallow's Eve

Pronunciations: SOW-in, SAH-vin, SAM-hayne

Possibly the biggest festival of the Witches’ year, Samhain is a time to remember those who have passed on, celebrate the Summers end and prepare for Winter months ahead. The Sun God and earth fall into slumber, as the nights lengthen and winter begins.

Samhain means 'End of Summer', and is the third and final Harvest. The dark, winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat.

Various other names for this Greater Sabbat are Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), and Samhuinn. Also known as All Hallow's Eve, (that day actually falls on November 7th), and Martinmas (that is celebrated November 11th), Samhain is now generally considered the Witch's New Year.

It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st.It is one of the two 'spirit-nights' each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands.

It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort. Tradition also teaches that the aid of spirits and guides from the other world was easily enlisted at this time, so in the increasing moonlight of longer nights, many used this time to hone their psychic and divinatory skills, especially with regard to love and marriage.

Originally known as the 'Feast of the Dead' this sabbat was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the 'wandering dead'.Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who werelost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos.

The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits.

The Christian religion has adopted this day as All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day, celebrating the eve as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween. The superstition and misconception linked to this celebration by the early church, led people to take some unusual precautions to protect themselves. They adopted the tradition of dressing in frightening costumes or disguises, and displaying scary looking Jack-O-Lanterns to help protect them from spirits they considered to be evil. In the British Isles, theyoung people would disguise themselves with hideous masks and walk through the village, lighting their way with lanterns made from carved turnips.

This was also the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved inthe morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.

Symbolism: Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death

Symbols: Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms

Colors: Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold

Herbs: Allspice, Calendula, Catnip, Chrysanthemum, Deadly Nightshade, Hazel, Heliotrope, Mandrake, Mint, Mugwort, Nutmeg, Oak Leaves, Sage, Straw, Thistle, Wormwood

Traditional Foods: Ale, Apples, Beef, Breads, Cakes for the Dead, Cider, Cranberry Muffins, Gourds, Grains, Mulled Wines, Nuts, Pork, Poultry, Pumpkin-Pie, Turnips

Wiccan Holiday Calendar

Incense: Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg, Sage

Wicca Calendar

Stones: Aquamarine, Jet, Obsidian