Sabbats and Esbats, Wiccan Holidays

The Sabbats are the eight Pagan holidays related to the passage of the sun, which is sometimes personified as a God.  A lot of Wiccans have a story of how the God is born at Yule, grows to manhood, impregnates the Goddess at Beltane, and dies at Samhain only to be reborn again at Yule.  Because they are based on the Sun, they mostly occur at the same time in the calendar year.

I am slowly including posts for each Sabbat. Each post goes into what is celebrated at each Sabbat, ways to culturally celebrate, and some suggestions for rituals at each.

Yule (Winter Solstice)

Imbolg (February 1st or August 1st for the southern hemisphere)

Ostara (Spring Equinox)

Beltane (May 1st or November 1st for the southern hemisphere)

Midsummer (Summer Solstice)

Lughnasadh (August 1st or February 1st for the southern hemisphere)

Mabon (Autumn Equinox)

Samhain (October 31st or April 31st for the southern hemisphere)

The Esbats are the 12-13 Pagan holidays related to the passage of the moon. They usually coincide with the new moon or the full moon. The moon is often personified as a Goddess. Because women’s bodies (mostly) change on a 28-day cycle, the moon is often associated with females. When I have finished with the posts for the Sabbats, I will then focus on the Esbats.

Elements

Here is my take on the elements.  You will find that some people agree with me, others may not.  That’s okay.  Everyone does their version of Paganism how they like.  Some people include the 5th element of Spirit.  I may add that one in the future as I think about what it means to me.  I plan to expand this page in the future.  If there’s something you would like to see here, please leave a comment!

AIR air2

Direction: East
Colors: yellow, white, pale blue
Time of day: dawn
Time of year: spring
Ritual tools: wand, incense
Symbolism: intellect, new beginnings, birth

FIREfire

Direction: South
Colors: red, orange
Time of day: noon
Time of year: summer
Ritual tools: athame, candle
Symbolism: passion, sex, ambition, strength

water

WATER

Direction: West
Colors: blue, green
Time of day: dusk
Time of year: autumn
Ritual tools: chalice, anything with water in it
Symbolism: emotions, flexibility, change

EARTHearth

Direction: North
Colors: green, brown
Time of day: midnight
Time of year: winter
Ritual tools: stones, crystals, salt
Symbolism: grounding, rooted, home, family

Gods and Goddesses

Paganism is polytheistic, but what Gods each tradition worships is up to that tradition.  Some have a generic God and Goddess figure where the sun is a symbolic representation of the God and the moon is a symbolic representation of the Goddess.  Some traditions center around a specific pantheon, such as Greek, Norse, or Celtic Gods (and Goddesses).  Others still see all Goddesses and Gods as just facets of one Goddess and God, who, in turn, are just masculine and feminine facets of one greater being.   There are “Christian Pagans” who worship the Christian God as the God figure and Mary as the Goddess figure.  In more eclectic forms of Paganism, you choose the Gods you work with (or they choose you)!

If you’re not part of a group, how do you figure out what Gods to work with?  It’s a highly personal question.  You can read about the different pantheons and see if one strikes your fancy.  You can go through the list and see if one or more of them resonates with you.  You can meditate on the subject.  You can try divination as well.  Sometimes they will even make themselves known to you.  I was doing a Circle on Norse runes, when one of my fellow Circle members actually started channeling Tyr with a message for me!  While I am Norse by heritage, I never really worked much with that pantheon previously. 

Here are a number of Gods and Goddesses from different pantheons from all over the world.  In time, I hope to research them all eventually for my own education.  When I create a post for a God or Goddess, I will change each God or Goddess into a link so you can find out more about each.  This project got bigger than I thought it would really quickly, so it will probably be a work in progress for a long time!

African (continent)
European
Asian
Native American (North American)
Native American (South American)

 

North (Native) American Pantheons

Abenaki
* Coming soon

Algonquian
* Coming soon

Aztec
* Centeotl
* Cenzonmimixcoa
* Chalchiuhtlicue
* Chantico
* Chicomecoatl
* Chimalma
* Citlalatonac
* Coatlicue
* Coylxauhqui
* Ehecatl
* Huitzilpochtli
* Huixtocihuatl
* Itzpapalotl
* Meztli
* Mictecacihuatl
* Mictlantecuhtli
* Opochtli
* Piltzintecuhtli
* Quetzalcoatl
* Tepeyollotl
* Tezcatlipoca
* Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli
* Tlaloc
* Tlaltecuhtli
* Tlazolteoltl
* Toci
*Tonacacihuatl
* Tonacatecuhtli
* Tonatiuh
* Xilonenz
* Xipe-Totec
* Xiuhtecuhtli
*Xochitlicue
* Xolotl

Blackfoot
* Coming soon

Haida
* Coming soon

Ho-Chunk
* Coming soon

Hopi
* Coming soon

Huron
* Coming soon

Inuit
* Coming soon

Iroquois
* Coming soon

Kwakiutl
* Coming soon

Lakota
* Coming soon

Mi’kmaq
* Coming soon

Navajo
* Coming soon

Pawnee
* Coming soon

Salish
* Coming soon

Seneca
* Coming soon

Snohomish
* Coming soon

Taíno
* Coming soon

European Pantheons

Here is a list of European Pantheons and their Gods. Each will eventually be linked to a page with information for each, but I expect that to take a long time.

Gaulish
* In progress


Germanic
*
Frijjō
* Fraujō
* Fullō
* Ermunaz
* Ingwaz
* Nerþuz
* Sōwilō
* Teiwaz
* Þunraz
* Wōdanaz
* Wulþuz
* Wurdiz

Greek
* In progress

Norse
* Aegir
* Aesir
* Balder
* Bolverk
* Bragi
* Buri
* Day
* Earth
* Einherjar
* Einherjar
*Eir
* Fjorgyn
* Forseti
* Freyja
* Freyr
* Frigga
* Fulla
* Gefion
* Gullveig
* Heimdall
* Hel
* Hermod
* Hod
* Idun
* Kvasir
* Lofn
* Loki
* Magni
* Mimir
* Modgud
* Modi
* Moon
* Nanna
* Narvi
* Night
* Njord
* Norns
* Od
* Odin
* Ran
* Rind
* Saga
* Sif
* Sigyn
* Sjofn
* Skadi
* Sun
* Syn
* Thor
* Thrud
* Tyr
* Ull
* Vali
* Valkyries
* Vanir
* Var
* Ve
* Vidar
* Vili
* Vor

Old Irish
* In progress

Roman
* In progress

Welsh
* In progress


Sabbats: Ostara

Ostara is usually celebrated on the spring equinox.  It’s usually pronounced “oh-star-ah”.  This is my explanation of this holiday. It may or may not work for you and your path. There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates.

  • Balance
  • The coming of spring
  • Baby animals being born
  • The continued return of the sun
  • Honor the Green Man
  • Honor the return of Persephone
  • Fertility

Here are some ways that I and others celebrate it culturally.

  • Dying eggs
  • Balancing an egg (I have managed to do it on the equinox)
  • Plant plants
  • Go outside for a walk
  • Make and eat foods with eggs, baby greens, veal, rabbit, or any foods that are in season for you right now.
  • Decorate your altar and home with local flowers (if there are any yet)
  • Read stories about the Green Man or Persephone

Here are some ideas for Ostara rituals

  • Balance within yourself
  • Plant a plant and inbibe it with intentions for the coming year
  • Finding and celebrating your inner child
  • Honoring the Green Man and/or Persephone
  • Honor the returning of the sun
  • A fertility ritual (whether for the fertility of your garden or if you are trying to have a baby)
  • Decorate an egg with symbols full of intentions for the coming year
  • Go outside and connect and ground with the grass or a tree (weather depending)