Sabbats

Free Hosting : Election 2008 : Drug Rehab : Troubled Teens : Hosting Sabbats, are Wiccan holidays. If anyone would like more detail on any or all of the holidays please contact me at OhioWitch@aol.com |Samhain | Yule | Imbolc | Ostara | Beltane | Midsummer | Lughnasadh | Mabon | Samhain Samhain (pronounced sa-WEEN or sam-HANE)occurs on on October 31. This is a time to remember loved ones that have passed on. Traditional to leave food out for passing souls and to bury apples in the earth. A candle in the window guides souls to the land of eternal summer. Alter decorations include late autumn fruits. Bonfires are a great way to celebrate, or add to your celebration. This is a great time to rid oneself of bad habits. My personal favorite holiday! I love bonfires (mmmmmmmm, s'mores!) Top Yule Yule occurs on the Winter Equinox. As well as the Christian celebration of Christmas includes a Christmas tree, Yule also has a Yule tree. This can be a potted tree which can be planted later, or it can be a cut one. Decorations for the tree normally include: strings of dried rosebuds and cinnimon sticks, or popcorn and cranberries, bags of spices hung from the branches, quartz crystals can be suspended to resemble icicles, apples, oranges, and lemons (or dried slices) can look excepionaly beautiful and were customary in anceint times. Believe it or not, mistletoe is a Pagan tradition! The alter is usually decorated with pine, rosemary, bay, juniper, & cedar. Top Imbolc Imbolc occurs on February 2. It is also known as Candlemas because after sunset, candles should be lit in all the windows of the house, even if only for a moment. A symbol of the season, such as a snowflake representation, or a white flower, for example, should be placed on the alter. This is also a great day for spring cleaning (take it either literally or metaphorically). Top Ostara Ostara occurs on the first day of spring. One traditional practice is to walk, or ride, through gardens, a park, woodlands, forests, etc. It's basically a walk to celebrate nature. Other activities include planting seeds, working on gardens, and practicing all forms of herbal works including cooking, magick, medicine, etc. The alter is normally decorated with flowers. Top Beltane Beltane occurs on May 1. Also called May Day. If possible, celebrate this day outdoors, preferably in a forest or any living tree. This day is to celebrate the marrige between the Goddess and God. It is traditional to make a small token bag(s) to place on a branch(es) of the tree. These can be filled with fragrant flowers (the heads or petals), carvings, flowers garlands, or whatever you can come up with. Weaving is usually done at this time of year. The idea of this day is to join 2 things to create a third. Top Midsummer Midsummer is a great time to perform magick of all kinds. Healing, love, and protection are the best. Herbs can be dried over a ritual fire if you celebrate outdoors. Leap over the fire (be very careful and have a low flame at the time) for purification and renewed energy. Make up a small cloth pouch filled with herbs such as lavender, chamomile, St.John's wort, vervain, mugwort, rose, lily, oak, ivy, yarrow, fer, elder, wild thyme, daisy, and/or carnation. Concentrate all your troubles, stresses, etc. into this bag as you put it together. Tie it shut with a red string. Then light it over a red candle. While it is burning drop it into the cauldron (or heat resistant surface) and watch your worries burn away. Top Lughnasadh Do NOT ask me how to pronounce this, I have no idea. =) Anyway, this is celebrated on August 1. Alter decorations include Corn dolls, sheaves of wheat, barley, oats, etc., and fruit. It is a good idea to plant the seeds of any fruit that was eaten. Visiting fields, orchards, lakes and wells, are also traditional. Top Mabon Occurs on the first day of fall.Alter decorations include acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks, fruits and nuts, and/or a rustic basket filled with dried leaves of various colors and kinds. A great idea is to walk among nature gathering seed pods and dried plants for decoration or for furture herbal magick. Top Main Colors Tools Herbs