Sabbats
.....Holidays!
(Page 2)
Summer Solstice-June 21st
(this is another Solstice, so the day may change)
Other names-Lithia
Why we celebrate? Longest day of the year. From now on the sunlight will be less and less.
The sun god has reached his greatest strength. After today his power will become less and less.
What can I do??
Draw some pictures of flowers or pick some wild flowers to put on your altar. (Always thank the flowers you are picking) We usually sing and dance around a campfire on this day to celebrate the power of the Sun God.
Stand outside under the bright sunlight to feel the power of the God. (don't stand there too long)
You can even paint a sun on a rock, just like the picture above to put on your altar! That picture was from a Summer Solstice Celebration we had years ago!
DON'T use any type of FIRE without your parents!!
Lammas-August 1st
Other names-Lughnassadh
Why we celebrate?
The nights are getting longer as you can tell.
This is a harvest festival day. Time to reap the rewards from the crops that our Earth Mother and Sun God have given us.
What can I do??
Make a corn dolly or a corn wheel
Make some 'grain' food with your parents. ( bread or muffins) and share it together to honor the God.
Give something of yours away in honor of the God giving his power away.
Mabon-Sept 21st
This is an equinox so the day and night are the same length. From this point onward the night will get longer then the day.
Other names-Autumn Equinox
Why we Celebrate?
The God is older now and now has more wisdom then strength. He is dying, but he is not sad as he knows that life and death are part of the seasons. Just like the flowers you plant, they grow, bloom then die or your harvest them. The cycle (Wheel of the year) repeats again and again.
Most of the crops have been reaped so now we celebrate our abundance before frost takes over.
What can I do??
We celebrate this holiday by having a big turkey feast with our friends and family.
Time to be thankful of all the things you have.
Do you know what this is
In your Book of Shadows write about all of the fun things you did this past year. Those times are gone, but not forgotten.
Look for all the things in your house and outside that look balanced. example.. scale, seasaw.. etc
Samhain -October 31st
Other Names- Hallows eve, Halloween
Why we Celebrate??
We say farewell to the God. We may be sad, but he is not, as the God knows this is the natural cycle of all life on earth.
We honor those who we love who have passed away.
This is a really good time to sense the 'otherworld' as the veil between these worlds are thinner.
What can I do?
Make a collage of pictures for those you love who have passed away.
Dress up in costume to 'scare' away the Goblins and ghosts that misbehave.
Cut out pumpkins and light them. Place them by your doorstep as a "path light' for those who have passed'
We sometimes have what is called a 'dumb' supper. We set an another place-setting for those who have passed and then have our meal in complete silence. Afterwards we bring that meal outside to give back to our mother earth.
Since the 'veil' is thin, this is a good time to do some divination work for the coming year. Record in your BOS.
Samhain is the favorite holiday of many us Wiccans and many celebrate it cause is also represents our new year.
How so
Something for you to think about...
Now.. from this point on we will wait patiently until the God is born at Yule. See what I mean by cycle.. everything goes around and around repeating itself.
There is one more holidays that you may not find anywhere else except here. At Spiral Tree Grove we celebrate what is called Halcyon. It is the time between Samhain and Yule where we think about our Gods long journey until he is reborn again at Yule. In respect to him and the Goddess, we don't create spells or do any magic. We can however meditate, chant, pray and do some writing in our Book of Shadows.
This is a quiet time (Shhhhh) for us to honor our God and Goddess.
"And the wheel of the year goes round and round...round and round.. round and round"
Do you want to learn more about our Holiday's? Check out the Web link section, there should be a few wonderful sites that explain each holiday in detail.
Click to find out
Don't forget to check out the Sun and Moon page to learn about other Wiccan Celebrations
On each holiday you should do something special to follow the Wheel of the Year. What would you like to do? Well, what ever it is, write it down in your Book of Shadows so you can do it next year.
If you like, with your parents you can send Witch Shizzbop your Sabbat idea's so she can add them to our webpage to share with other kids.
© Copyright- Spiral Tree Grove 2001 (updated 2007)
