Overview of the Sabbats 

Yule

Yule is the time of the shortest day and longest night. Midwinter - the time of greatest darkness. At Yule the Child of Promise is born, light born at the time of darkness. At Yule we celebrate the potential of the return of the Sun’s power as from now on Light / Sunshine will return to the world in greater amounts.

In some mythologies Yule is a time of battle between the Light and the Dark, the Oak King and the Holly King, it is also the time of the great Hunt, replenishing the supply of meat to see out the Winter. It is therefore a time of feasting also, where the stores that will not last are eaten and the success of the Hunt is celebrated. 

At this time of darkness, when food can be scarce it is also a time when the old would set themselves in the cold to die to lighten the load on those who remained.

Midwinter, coldest and darkest time of the year. A time to share handmade gifts made throughout the long idle time of winter, a time to decorate an evergreen tree with symbols of returning Sun, to encourage growth in the spring. Bring a flaming torch from the forest, symbol of the birth of the Sun that all may be warmed by its flame.
Symbols of Yule include:

Holly - for its evergreen leaves and rich red berries. It is still green in winter when even the Oak has lost its leaves and when the berries fall they are as the blood upon the snow.

Red and Green - for the holly, for the potential of returning green to the land, for the blood of hunt and from the birth of the Sun and the red of the holly berries.

White - for the winter. Shining symbols of sun and flame hung on an evergreen tree to honour the rebirth of the sun.

Yule altar: objects of red and green, winter greenery including holly, images of the stag of the Hunt which also represents the Child who will become the Horned One, symbols of the Sun.

Imbolc

Imbolc is the time that marks the first stirring of spring in the Land. The days are becoming noticeably longer and the first flowers of spring appear. It is a celebration marked by the lactation of the ewes and the birth of the lambs. It is also a festival of the Maiden and of Light, this idea comes together in the crown of candles sometimes worn by the Maiden. It is a time of female initiation into womanhood.

It can also be regarded as a festival of the hearth… a time when new fires are lit and a time of new beginnings, new journeys and journeying deeper on present paths.

As the festival of the Maiden it honours the potential of fertility in all things and traditionally the blessings of the Spring Maiden are bestowed upon all present as well as the fields that are being prepared for later planting. 

Symbols of Imbolc include: 

Brighid’s bed and Brighid corn doll - traditionally taken from house to house with the corn doll finally laid in a basket / bed by the hearth. A phallic wand is also placed in the bed and if an imprint of the wand is seen in the ashes the next morning then fertility and blessings will be upon those who dwell in the house.

Crown of Candles - symbol of the Maiden and the returning light.

The first flowers of spring - as an offering to the Gods and an honouring of the coming spring.

Colours are White and Green for the maiden and spring growth. 
Imbolc Altar:
Candles representing the maiden or the maiden, mother and crone. Crown of candles. First flowers of spring.

Ostara

Ostara marks the celebration of the Spring Equinox, the time when day and night equal, however it also signifies that from this date forward the days are definitely becoming longer as we head to the longest day at Midsummer. Where Imbolc is the time of female initiation, Ostara is the time of initiation for the Male coming into manhood. The progression of the Young Stag to the Horned One also occurs at this time.

Ostara is marked by the growth of spring, it is also a time for planting the seeds to be reaped the following year… usually the seeds that were collected from the harvest at Mabon, Ostara’s opposite festival on the wheel.

Symbols of Ostara:
Eggs and Seeds: Eggs and seeds represent the growing cycle within the earth and within ourselves… the potential inception of events to be harvested at a later date.

Spring Flowers: Spring is well and truly upon us by the equinox and we celebrate by offering bright and scented flowers to the Gods and by smelling them ourselves to remind us that the winter is truly over and all things, whilst at rest at this time of equality, will continue to grow.

Ostara altar: 
Representations of the Horned One. Spring flowers, Eggs and seeds, Pot of earth for planting.

Beltane

Beltane is the time to celebrate the turning of spring into summer. It is a time of fertility and celebration of the Union of Goddess and God.  As a fertility festival it is usually wilder than any of the other festivals, a time for love and renewing of friendships. A time for gathering flowers and making love in the Greenwood.

Beltane symbolises the union of many ideas, the weaving together of lives and loves and the celebration of that. Most Beltane rituals will involve the dancing of the Maypole… the weaving and twining of ribbons and male and female energies together. The wedding of the May Queen and her consort the May King, Moon and Sun, Earth and Sky. The coming together of powers to renew and regenerate the land. The sowing of the seed of man into the womb of the woman… the seed planted in the earth. A time to dance, sing, make music and love all in their praise. A time to leap the Bale fire and consign old memories and acts to the flames… to go forth in a new union.

Symbols of Beltane:
Red and White: The red of the blood of the fertile woman, the white of the seed of the fertile man. The weaving together of these.

Ribbons: the weaving of lives together.

Fire:  To cleanse in preparation for the union. To bless and to represent the sun and summer.

Beltane altar:
Handfasting cord of red and white, Red and White flowers with greenery, Loving cup, Pink Candle

Litha

Litha is the time of the Midsummer Solstice, the time of the Longest Day and Shortest Night. A time when the power of the Sun is at it’s height. It is the last day of solar pre-eminence before the shadows enter the land and the days become shorter. At this time we celebrate under the heat of the Sun but as the shadows encroach upon us at the end of the longest day we are reminded of the potential of the sacrifice which is to come. 

Litha is also a time of maturing and maturity. The maturity of the Sun and Son’s power, the maturing of the Child within the Womb of the Goddess / Queen and the maturing of the grain in the fields.  It is our creativity and our fertility which has also come into maturity and we celebrate this as well. Fertility can also be celebrated at Litha as well as Beltane and many rituals include the plunging of a spear or lance into a cauldron or running water to enact the sacred union.

Symbols of Litha:
Sun symbols to acknowledge and honour the power of the Sun. Oak leaves for the Oak King
Summer fruits: use as offerings and drink cold fruit punches made of the summer’s bounty
Wicker Man - to burn as an offering or to take into itself our prayers or changes to be made within ourselves. These are released as the wicker man is burnt.

Cauldron and Spear
Athame and Chalice

Litha altar:
Colours of yellow, red and gold. Colours of the Sun, Bowl of Summer Fruit, Cauldron of Water, Spear or Knife, Wicker Man, Solar Wheel

Lammas

Lammas is the time of the first harvest. The grain has ripened and is cut down. The child conceived at Beltane is born. The Sun’s power is weaning though not yet equal to the dark.

We celebrate the harvest and acknowledge the sacrifice made through the cutting of the grain. This continues the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

In some traditions the last sheaf of wheat is saved and acknowledged as  the Sovereignty of the Land. All share in the sacrifice of the King by  throwing their sickles at the Last Sheaf. This means that no one person takes the responsibility for the sacrifice - all take this upon themselves equally.

Symbols of Lammas:
Bread and grain for the harvest. A sickle to cut the grain, offerings of the harvest and a sharing of the bounty. The saving of the seed grain from the harvest.

Lammas Altar:
Wheat, sickle, bread, corn dolly.

Mabon:

Mabon brings us to equal day and night once more, but this time it is the night / darkness that will be in the ascendant. It is the Autumn Equinox and darkness has truly entered the Land. 

The Child born at Lammas has come into his power with the ripening of the second harvest. Mabon is a time if challenge and descent as well as further sacrifice.

It is an acknowlegement of growing older and taking responsibility that comes with that. The days have been getting shorter as the powers of the Sun diminish. It is a time for journeys - for ourselves, our deities and for the harvest.

Mabon symbols:
Fruits of the harvest, corn and wheat, divination, Sun and Moon symbols, Autumn leaves.

Mabon altar:
Wheat, seasonal fruit and vegetables, Autumn leaves. 

Samhain:

Samhain is a time to acknowledge the Otherworld - the time when autumn is changing to winter. A time to remember those who have gone before, to remember our beloved dead. At this time the veil between the Worlds is thin and we can feast with our beloved dead and our ancestors.

As the festival opposite to Beltane it is also a time of union, of joining with those who are no longer on this plane, just as the Goddess descneds and joins with her Lord in the Otherworld. The child born at Yule is conceived at this time.

Samhain symbols:

Apple - the fruit of life which holds the seeds of death.
Pomegranate - the fruit of death which holds the seeds of life.
Pumpkins and Squash. Feasting with the Ancestors and Beloved dead. 
Colours are black and silver for night and moon.

Samhain altar:
Pumpkins, apples, pomegranate, Cup of the Dead.