In the Wiccan form of neopaganism, a Sabbat is one of the eight major seasonal festivals which make up the Wheel of the Year. These include the solstices and equinoxes, and four additional festivals sometimes referred to as the "cross-quarter days". The word derives from Old English "sabat", from Old French "sabbat", from Latin "sabbatum", from Greek "sabbaton" (or sa`baton), from Hebrew "shabbat" - to cease or rest - the same roots as "Sabbath (christian)" or "Shabbat (judaism)". See also "sabbath". The word appears in the writings of Margaret Murray, who invented the Wiccan division of religious observances into sabbats and esbats. It was used during the European witch trials for supposed gatherings of witches engaging in Devil worship; such gatherings were earlier referred to as "synagogues of Satan". Jews, at the time, were widely believed to be Devil-worshippers, which explains the use of Jewish terms to describe the activities of witches. Murray was misled by the word's coincidental resemblance to the term esbat. See "esbat". A Neopagan pentagram (circumscribed): a symbol used by many Wiccans. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) describes a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, mainly pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ... A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ... In Neopaganism, the Wheel of the Year is the natural cycle of the seasons, commemorated by the eight Sabbats. ... Diagram of the Earths seasons Solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the earths equator. ... In astronomy, an equinox is defined as the moment when the sun reaches one of two intersections between the ecliptic and the celestial equator. ... This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāṯ, rest in Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... In Christian folk lore the Sabbath (or witch Sabbath to some people) is the name given to gatherings supposed to have been celebrated by Satanists, witches and warlocks to honor the Devil, offend God, Jesus, the sacraments, the cross, and perform unholy rites. ... This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... A Neopagan pentagram (circumscribed): a symbol used by many Wiccans. ... Wiccans and many other Pagans celebrate the esbats, which are the full moons. ... There is a disputed proposal that this article should be merged with witch-hunt. ... This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... A synagogue or synagog (from Greek συναγωγή, transliterated sunagoge, place of assembly literally meeting, assembly) is a Jewish house of prayer and study. ... Gustave Dores depiction of Satan from John Miltons Paradise Lost Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Greek and Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic שִׂטְנָא Śaṭanâ: both words mean Adversary; accuser) is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. ... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Wiccans and many other Pagans celebrate the esbats, which are the full moons. ...

Many neopagans in the Northern Hemisphere recognize the following Sabbats:

• Samhain, pronounced /ˈsawənʲ/, (New Year - the start of the Pagan year), on or near October 31 or November 1 or when the sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio (adopted as Halloween by non-pagans)
• Yule, the winter solstice, occurs when the sun reaches its southernmost point, between December 20 and December 23
• Imbolc (also know as Oimelc, Brigid, or Candlemas), February 1 or 2 or when the sun reaches 15 degrees Aquarius
• Ostara, the vernal equinox or Spring equinox, when the sun crosses the equator moving northward, occurs March 20-23
• Beltane, May 1 or when the sun reaches 15 degrees Taurus
• Litha or Midsummer, the summer solstice, when the sun reaches its northernmost point, June 20-23
• Lammas, (Lughnasadh, pronounced /luːnəsə/, August 1 or when the sun reaches 15 degrees Leo;
• Mabon, the autumnal equinox, when the sun crosses the equator moving southward, September 20-23

The dates on which solstices and equinoxes occur shift in a regular pattern against the Gregorian Calendar widely used in daily life. See Gregorian_Calendar#Calendar_seasonal_error for a depiction of that pattern. For calculation of dates you can use the external Online Calculator for Dates and Times of Equinoxes and Solstices. This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Scorpius ( , and Latin for scorpion) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... A jack-o-lantern Halloween is an observance celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. ... Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Germanic pagans still celebrated by Ásatrúar. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the northern hemisphere winter solstice Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the southern hemisphere winter solstice In astronomy, the winter solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is... Imbolc is one of the eight solar holidays, festivals or sabbats of the Neopagan wheel of the year, with some origins in Irish mythology and the pre-Christian Celtic calendar. ... In Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighit (exalted one) was the daughter of Dagda (and therefore one of the Tuatha Dé Danann) and wife of Bres of the Fomorians. ... Candlemas is the last festival in the Christian year that is dated by reference to Christmas; subsequent holidays are calculated with reference to Easter, so Candlemas marks the end of the Christmas and Epiphany season. ... Aquarius ( , Latin for the Water-bearer or Cup-bearer) is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, situated between Capricornus and Pisces. ... This article is about the solar holiday. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The vernal equinox (or spring equinox) marks the beginning of astronomical spring. ... In astronomy, the vernal equinox (spring equinox, March equinox, or northward equinox) is the equinox at the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere: the moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading northward. ... The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ... Beltane or Beltaine (from Irish Bealtaine or Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn; both from Old Irish Beltene, bright fire from *belo-te(p)niâ) is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1. ... Taurus ( , Latin for bull) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Litha, the entire light half of the year, is centered upon Midsummer, with which it is easily identified, so that the summer solstice holiday is often referred to as Litha, especially in the recreated calendar used in the revived Germanic religion of Asatru. ... Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Leo (Latin for lion, symbol , Unicode ♌) is a constellation of the zodiac. ... This article is about the American NeoPagan festival Mabon. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The autumnal equinox (or fall equinox) occurs during the month of September in the Northern Hemisphere, and during March in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ...

In the Southern Hemisphere, most Pagans advance these dates six months to coincide with the seasons; for example, an Australian Pagan will celebrate Beltane on November 1, when a Canadian Pagan is celebrating Samhain.

Spellings differ slightly and most Pagans are somewhat flexible about dates, tending to celebrate at the nearest weekend for convenience. Amongst Pagans, this is commonly refered to as Pagan Standard Time.

Most witches also hold smaller rituals, alone or with a coven, Lodge, or Circle, monthly, often at each full moon. Wiccans call these Esbats. Sometimes rituals are held at the new moon as well. In many traditions, Moon meetings are working or study meetings instead of festivals. This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... Coven or covan was originally a late medieval Scots word (c1500) meaning a gathering of any kind according to the Oxford English Dictionary. ... A Neopagan pentagram (circumscribed): a symbol used by many Wiccans. ... Wiccans and many other Pagans celebrate the esbats, which are the full moons. ...

Druid and Heathen festivals have different names entirely. (Druids only name the "fire festivals" differently - i.e., the equinoxes and solstices. The rest are the same.) Druids do not order their meetings by the moon but also hold regular working and study meetings. In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... Heathen is a term used both to describe a person who does not follow an organized religion, and also a modern practitioner of Heathenry. ...

Pagans usually also observe secular holidays in their culture, and sometimes festivals from majority religions - for example, participating in Christmas gatherings if the rest of their family does so - although they do not usually commemorate these holidays by rituals in their or another religion. Christmas is a holiday observed in much of the world on 25 December (or on 7 January in most Eastern Orthodox Churches). ...

Cross-quarter points on the Gregorian and astrological calendars

Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh are sometimes defined as cross-quarter points and their dates seem to betray anachronistic respect for the Gregorian calendar. Unlike the astrological calendar the Gregorian is not aligned with particular astronomical events in the wheel of the year. Both the cross-quarter dates and the Gregorian calendar may represent however some ancient (now forgotten) practice in the alignment of a twelve-month calendar, practice in which the alignment is deliberately one-eighth of a circle (45 degrees) out of phase with that of the astrological calendar. The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... In Neopaganism, the Wheel of the Year is the natural cycle of the seasons, commemorated by the eight Sabbats. ...

The astrological calendar has twelve months of equal length and can be described as follows:-

• Months from solstice (winter in the northern hemisphere, summer in the southern) to equinox: Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces;
• Months from equinox (spring in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the southern) to solstice: Aries, Taurus and Gemini;
• Months from solstice (summer in the northern hemisphere, winter in the southern)to equinox: Cancer, Leo and Virgo;
• Months from equinox (autumn in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern) to solstice: Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius.

In the Gregorian calendar four boundaries between months are close to but several days earlier than the true midpoints between solstices and equinoxes. If the Gregorian calendar had equal-length months and were accurately aligned with the true cross-quarter points then the solstices and equinoxes would fall halfway through the months of December, March, June and September, and the true cross-quarter points would be on the boundaries between October and November, January and February, April and May and between July and August. Capricornus (♑), a name meaning Horned Goat in Latin, is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Aquarius ( , Latin for the Water-bearer or Cup-bearer) is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, situated between Capricornus and Pisces. ... Pisces ( , Latin for fish (plural)) is a zodiac constellation which lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east. ... Aries ( , Latin for Ram) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... TAURUS is credit transfer agrrement system for SUNY Colleges ... In mythology, the Gemini are Castor and Polydeuces. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Leo (Latin for lion, symbol , Unicode ♌) is a constellation of the zodiac. ... See VIRGO (physics) for a French-Italian project in physics. ... Libra (Latin for balance, symbol , Unicode ♎) is a constellation of the zodiac. ... Scorpius ( , and Latin for scorpion) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Sagittarius ( , and Latin for Archer) is a constellation of the zodiac, commonly depicted as a centaur drawing a bow. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Template:DecemberCalendar2006 December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... Look up January in Wiktionary, the free dictionary January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... This article is about the month of May. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ...

Until fairly recently, the four seasons were based on the cross-quarter days. The summer solstice (northern hemisphere) was called midsummer, now it is the beginning of summer in many countries. If the summer solstice were midsummer then summer began on Beltane and ended on Lughnasadh. In terms of length of day, a function of season, the pattern was sensible when this was the case. Summer was the season of long days. Winter was the season of long nights. Spring and Autumn were transitional seasons between the two. In the modern definition of summer, beginning at the summer solstice, summer begins at the longest day of the year and each day gets shorter. In some countries, these definitions have been aligned with the Gregorian Calendar so seasons officially start at the beginning of the month (e.g. December 1 in New Zealand). A season is one of the major divisions of the year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in weather. ... A cross-quarter day is a day falling halfway between one of the four main solar events (two solstices and two equinoxes) and the next one. ... Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... Midsummer celebration, Ã…mmeberg, Sweden Midsummer, or Litha as it was known by the ancient Germanic peoples and to this day by modern Pagans, refers the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and the religious celebrations that accompany it. ... A day (symbol: d) is a unit of time equal to 24 hours. ... In many parts of the world, winter is associated with snow. ... Melbourne skyline at night Night is the time when a location is facing away from the Sun, and thus dark. ... Look up spring in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx Autumn (also fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition from summer into winter. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• BBC summary of Pagan festivals
• About the Sabbats by Judy Harrow