The spring equinox ( Ostara) is a holiday of renewal and abundance. For Wiccans, this is when the Goddess represents her Maiden aspect and when the god has become a young man. It’s a great time for planting seeds and celebrating the fertile spring. Mabon, celebrated on the autumn equinox, falls between September 20th and 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere. Named after the Welsh god Mabon ap Modron, this holiday marks the second harvest of the year, when day and night are in perfect balance before the descent into winter's darkness. If you’re a witch, Samhain (pronounced sow-wen or saw-wain) marks the beginning of the new year, which is why it’s one of the most important holidays witches and Wiccans. It is also the third and final harvest.

Many historians postulate that ancient pagans marked the passing of time by celebrating certain solar events. On top of that, some of their celebrations were a way to mark events that had agricultural significance. Even so, we can’t say that the seasonal festivals we’re about to discuss ever existed in their current forms. So how did we get to the Wheel of the Year we observe today?

Looking for something different

The earth is ripe and fertile, ready for us to plant new seeds of intentions for the coming year, to nourish and tend to them between now and the harvest. With the spread of Christianity throughout Europe, many of the old pagan traditions and beliefs were absorbed into the Christian faith. The Catholic Church introduced a new set of holidays, or holy days, that were based on the astronomical cycles of the sun and moon. These holy days were Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints' Day. However, many of the old pagan customs and beliefs persisted, and the pagan festivals were adapted to fit the new Christian holidays. For example, Samhain became All Saints' Day, which was later renamed All Souls' Day. The night before All Souls' Day became known as All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween. Some erroneously claim the name is related to the god Baal, but there is no basis for that assertion. Ostara, celebrated on the vernal equinox, typically falls between March 20th and 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere. As one of the eight major festivals in the pagan Wheel of the Year, Ostara holds great significance for pagans and neo-pagans alike. Ember days, quarterly periods (usually three days) of prayer and fasting in the liturgical calendar of Western Christian churches.

bhel-(1) “to shine, flash, burn” + Old Irishten“fire,” from PIE*tepnos, related to Latintepidus“warm,” from PIE root*tep-“to be hot.” Well, believe it or not, the Wiccan Sabbats are a result of decades, if not centuries, of modern interpretations of ancient rites. In fact, some pretty famous scholars unknowingly participated in the creation of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, c. 1837. This work is in the public domain. There are details about what each Pagan festival is celebrating, its origins and what people might do to celebrate today. The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells by Skye Alexander Samhain, pronounced "sow-in," is celebrated on October 31st. This festival marks the end of the harvest season in the pagan Wheel of the Year. Samhain holds profound significance for pagans and is considered one of the most spiritually significant times of the year.

The 8 witch, wiccan & pagan holidays of the wheel of the year

So I’ve begun to place less importance on them and have chosen to work with the wheel of the year instead.

But over the past few years, I have noticed how out of alignment I feel with holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Easter. They feel like props, made to distract and disconnect me from the real celebration and gifts of those times, which can all be found within ourselves, and in nature. Natural processes are seen as a continuous cycle. The passage of time is also seen as cyclic and it is represented by a wheel or a circle. Birth, decline and death, as experienced in human life, is repeated as the seasons progress. The change of the seasons is traditionally celebrated in the form of holidays called Sabbats. On the one hand, Gardner pushed for the inclusion of the four solar events that the Germanic peoples celebrated. Meanwhile, the druids were more inclined to celebrate the cross-quarter events between those dates, as they corresponded with the Celtic fire festivals. In the end, the two groups agreed to celebrate all eight of these events, though the Celtic fire festivals are considered the Greater Sabbats. The Wheel of the Year is a symbol represents the 8 festivals important to many pagans, Wiccans, and witches. These holidays — knows as Sabbats — follow a nature-based calendar and include four solar festivals and four seasonal festivals set in between them. Beltane is celebrated on May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere. The name "Beltane" is believed to have Celtic origins. Beltane festivals are deeply rooted in ancient traditions that honor the union of the god and goddess, symbolizing the creative forces of life.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. Smith, Bonnie G. (2004). Women's History in Global Perspective. University of Illinois Press. p.66. ISBN 978-0-252-02931-8 . Retrieved 14 December 2015. The pre-Christian observance obviously influenced the Christian celebration of All Hallows' Eve, just as the Taoist festival affected the newer Buddhist Ullambana festival. Although the Christian version of All Saints' and All Souls' Days came to emphasize prayers for the dead, visits to graves, and the role of the living assuring the safe passage to heaven of their departed loved ones, older notions never disappeared.