Because the day is associated with purification, it is customary to clean and open up the house after the dark hibernation of winter. This is where the notion of Spring cleaning comes from. If you only get one thing out of this article, I hope you understand each Pagan holiday is a time to slow down and be present. Every holiday symbolizes the changing of seasons, representing an important time of transition. But life in ancient times was based on the seasons, and the Four Greater Sabbats mark the seasons. It makes sense that Samhain would be considered most important because it aligns with the shortening of the day and the descent of the sun. Sit and feel what’s happening inside yourself. What transitions or changes are you feeling? What more do you want from life? What are you most grateful for? Annular Solar Eclipse – An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The eclipse path will begin off the coast of southern Canada and move across the southwestern United States and Central America, Columbia, and Brazil. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout much of North and South America.

To convert these times to your local time, here's a handy-dandy converter: Convert to your time zone here. Raven Grimassi (2000). Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft. St Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Worldwide. p.219. ISBN 9781567182576.The Pagan Wheel of the Year was popularized in the mid 1960s by Gerald Gardner and other precursors of Wicca. It was inspired by earlier works such as those by Robert Graves and Margaret Murray who claimed that witches gathered during the sabbats, including May Day, Halloween, February Eve and August Eve. The Wheel of the Year Bradbury, Scott (1995). "Julian's Pagan Revival and the Decline of Blood Sacrifice". Phoenix. 49 (4 (Winter)): 331–356. doi: 10.2307/1088885. JSTOR 1088885. Rather than being determined by absolute calendar dates, the dates are determined astronomically. The equinoxes mark the days of the year when daylight and darkness are equal in length, and the solstices mark the longest and shortest day of the year. Lesser and Greater Sabbats What Are The Greater Sabbats? This is the Autumnal Equinox and occurs around September 21. In many traditions, it represents the harvest. It is a time of thanksgiving.

Practices vary, but sacrifice offerings, feasting, and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of evergreenery (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine) into the home and tree decorating are also common during this time. [16] [18] [19] Vivianne Crowley (1989). Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Age. London: Aquarian Press. pp.162–200. ISBN 9780850307375. Ancient Pagans would be filled with hope and fear during Lammas — hopeful for a bountiful harvest, but fearful that it wouldn’t be enough to last the winter. Starhawk (1979). The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (1989 reviseded.). New York, New York: Harper and Row. pp. 7–186, 246. ISBN 0-06-250814-8. This Wiccan Beltane sabbat often coincides with May Day and is a celebration that marks the consummation of the Goddess and the God. It represents fertility and powerful sexual energy. Beltane is the beginning of the ancient planting cycle, too. It’s a time for placing seeds in the soil with hopes for a bountiful harvest.

Selbie, John A. (1914). "Gifts (Greek and Roman)". In Hastings, James (ed.). Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, Volume 6. New York; Edinburgh: Charles Scribner's Sons; T. & T. Clark. p.212. In Roman traditions additional festivities take place during the six days leading up to Midwinter. [17] On this day, honor those who are no longer in this realm. As you sit down to a Samhain feast, set an extra place for your ancestors. Talk about your loved ones who have passed on, and offer them food and drink. Use this spread as a means of taking pause and reflecting on what you’re cultivating at this point in the year and what you can celebrate. Neopaganism is a nature-based spirituality in which Nature is revered. The Wheel of the Year is celebrated by Pagans, Wiccans and all those who choose to follow a calendar of natural cycles, with seasonal celebrations set in around the solar festivals. Who invented the Wheel of the Year?