There are eight Craft holidays that are recognized during each calendar year. They are called Sabbats. The Sabbats represent seasonal birth, death and rebirth.
Yule: Yuletide, Winter Solstice
This is the shortest day of the year and, the longest night. This is usually during 20th or 21st of December and lasts through December 31st.
Candlemas: Imbolc
This day falls on February 1st. It is a celebration of banishing the winter season. Imbolc welcomes the change from the old to new. It is a time to welcome spring. This festival is for fertility and to celebrate the things that are yet to be born.
Ostara: Spring (Vernal) Equinox
This Sabbat occurs in mid-March. It is a celebration of balance. This is also a festival of fertility and is the second in the trinity of spring celebrations. Ostara invites the fertility energy of the earth to awaken.
Beltane
This holiday is on May 5th. Beltane represents the fertility and love energy awakening in humans. It is the last of the three spring festivals. This is a time when people, plants, and animals prepare for the warm months ahead. This is a time for love & union. This particular holiday represents the Divine Union of the Lord and Lady (the God and Goddess).
Summer Solstice
This holiday falls in July. It is on the longest day of the year. It is a celebration of passion and success and represents the Sun King in all his glory. It is a time to commune with the field and forest energies (sprites and faeries).
Lammas:Lughnassadh
This is the first of the three harvest celebrations. It is celebrated on August 2nd, although Lughnassadh; a Celtic festival is held on August 7th. Both represent the same idea. This holiday represents the beginning of the harvest cycle. This is a time to prepare your house for the fall season.
Autumn Equinox:Mabon
This is the second harvest festival and is associated with the taking of the corn and other foods that are to be harvested at this time. This is held usually in September, when the leaves start to turn.
Samhain:Halloween
This holiday is considered the Witches' New Year, representing one full turn of the seasonal year. This is the last of the harvest Sabbats. Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, Samhain is recognized as November 7th. They both stand for the same purpose. This holiday celebrates and honors the dead and as well as a time to appreciate and be grateful for the year's harvest. It is a time to get ready for the upcoming winter.
