Holidays & Rituals


From the Celtic and Egyptian Traditions


Celtic


Esbats


  • Full Moon Esbat The most commonly practiced of the Esbats, it celebrates the Goddess in all Her forms - Artemis, Astarte, Diana, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, etc. This is the time to "draw down the moon" (when the Goddess becomes incarnate within you) and to honor the Triple-Goddess as the Mother, as well. If a Diana's Bow Esbat was performed prior, then the magick done on the New Moon should come to fruition on this night. It is best to write out your own ceremony for Esbats (or any other ritual), for the connection to the God, Goddess, and your deity is stronger and more personal.

  • Diana's Bow Esbat This is a relatively new ritual (in terms of Wiccan practices) that is performed on the New Moon (or, sometimes three days after the New Moon). It, like a Full Moon Esbat, celebrates the Goddess - however, not all Wiccans choose to practice the Diana's Bow Esbat. If you do choose to perform one, it is done for new beginnings "as the dark moon holds the potential of the full moon". ("Covencraft" by Amber K). Divination is best performed on this night; you can visit our Phases of the Moon page for more information on Esbats.

    Sabbats


    It should be noted that some of the Sabbats have various names or spellings; listed are the versions that we use. Also, the Sabbats are listed in chronological order according to the Celtic traditions - others may view the order differently if practicing from a different culture.


  • Samhain Celebrated October 31, pronounced "SAH-win". This is the Celtic New Year's Eve and is the opposite of Beltane on the Wheel of the Year. It is a time for reflection, divination, and honoring the dead. The veil between the worlds is thinnest on this night.

  • Yule Celebrated on the Winter Solstice, pronounced "YOOL". Christian symbols, such as a Christmas tree, a star, holly, even the song "Deck the Halls" are all Pagan in origin and stem from this holiday. The longest night of the year, it is the rebirth of the Sun God and therefore a time of reflection and new beginnings.

  • Imbolc Celebrated February 2, pronounced "IM-bolc", meaning literally "in the belly". This is because Imbolc is a time for birth and transformations. However, it is also sacred to the Celtic goddess Brigid - goddess of healing & inspiration.

  • Ostara Celebrated on the Spring Equinox, pronounced "o-STAR-ah". Like Yule, this is another Pagan holiday that has been "changed" through the years to suit Christianity. (Jesus, historically, did not rise at this time, yet Easter is celebrated here nonetheless). Ostara marks the return of spring and the fertility of animals (hence, the use of eggs in many rituals).

  • Beltane Celebrated April 30, pronounced "BEL-tayne". Celebrating the waxing of life, balefires symbolize the passion of this day. Maypoles were used in ancient times as a symbol of impregnating Mother Earth, and it is a night of great revelry. Since it does represent life, the Great Rite or Marriage would be re-enacted through intercourse - no longer, but this is another misconception.

  • Litha Celebrated on the Summer Solstice, pronounced "LEE-tha". The longest day and the shortest night, Litha is a festival of joy and sadness - joy for the sun's brilliance and sadness because we know it will fade through the waning summer. The Lady, or Goddess, rules the "warm" half of the year and is most strong on this day.

  • Lughnassad Celebrated August 1, pronounced "LOO-nus-uh". Named after the Celtic sun God Lugh, it is a very old Celtic fire ceremony that heralds the coming of winter. This is a more sober time to sacrifice fears and to complete projects. It is also a good time to honor the harvest that the Sun God (or Lugh) has blessed.

  • Mabon Celebrated on the Fall Equinox, pronounced "MAY-bon". This is the second harvest and a time of balance between summer & winter, lightness & darkness. It is sacred to the Greek goddess, Demeter, and is usually represented through the Lady (the Goddess) of Life and the Lord (the God) of Death. Again, Death is not negative, merely another aspect of one's life, for following Death will come Resurrection.

    Rituals


    There are many rituals for Wiccans, but below are perhaps the two most important to any Wiccan - whether he/she is a Solitary or part of a coven.


  • Initiation There are many ways for Initiation to occur - if you belong to a coven, then that group will have its own specific way. However, Self-Initiation can be performed for the Solitary Wiccan as well. This is something personal, where one takes on a magickal Wiccan name that will be used in all magick, and is also a time of personal "rebirth" - a "born again Wiccan", so to speak. There is no one way to approach this; the best way is to meditate and discover on your own what works for you.

  • Handfasting The name for a "marriage" for Wiccans. As with any other joining of couples, a handfasting is something personal. The only things usually in all handfastings are: a story of a god and/or goddess that pertains to marriage or the couple, drinking wine to the Ancient Ones, a circle (as with normal magick), and the ribbon. The ribbon is the most important part of a handfasting; a High Priest or Priestess performing the ceremony will wrap a ribbon around one hand of each spouse-to-be, then pull the ribbon upwards until it forms a knot, saying, "The knot is tied". This symbolic gesture of joining the couple is where the phrase "tying the knot" comes from.

    Egyptian


    There are several holidays and festivals which were celebrated in Ancient Egypt, but I have included only a small percentage of these. The following are the more important festivals which were celebrated. I have also included the dates, in not only the Gregorian calendar, but also the Egyptian calendar. Read more about Egyptian holidays in Normandi Ellis' book,Feasts of Light.



  • The Opening of the New Year, celebrated on July 19th (Thuthi 1st). This was a day of great celebration. The principle gods celebrated were Isis, Hathor, Nut, and Ra.


  • Hathor's Birthday, celebrated on September 17th (Hethara 1st). This was an important holiday because Hathor was one of the most popular goddesses at the time. Since then, her mythology has somewhat blurred with Isis, and it is difficult to tell the two apart. Thus, Isis has gained in popularity, while Hathor has diminished.


  • Feast Day of Ma'at, celebrated on October 8th (Hethara 21st). This festival celebrated the goddess of justice and truth, Ma'at.


  • The Birth of Ra and Horus, both gods were born on the same day, years apart, December 25th (Mechir 10th). A widely-celebrated holiday, this day was important for two of the most important gods in Egyptian mythology.


  • The Great Festival for Bast, celebrated on April 15th (Payni 1st). The cat-goddess Bast was a goddess of music, joy, sexuality, and because of this, her festival was one of the most celebrated and fun-filled. There was music, dancing, food and wine.


  • The Birthday of Osiris, celebrated on July 14th (Mesore 1st). This was considered an incredibly lucky day, and great festivals were held for Osiris. If a child was to be born on this day, it was considered to be a very good sign for the child.


  • The Birthday of Seth, celebrated on July 16th (Mesore 3rd). On this day, shops in Egypt actually closed, because it was considered to be a horribly unlucky day. If a child was born on this day, it was to have a cursed life. Most Egyptians did not celebrate this day, unless they were of the priesthood of Seth.


  • The Birthday of Isis (also called the "Night of the Cradle"), celebrated on July 17th (Mesore 4th). This feast day celebrates the birth of a heroine who later gives birth to the hero of Egypt, Horus. There were great feasts held on this day, and it was considered to be one of the most fortunate days of the year.


  • The Birthday of Nephthys, celebrated on July 18th (Mesore 5th). Nephthys is a goddess who was never really understood, and because of this, she ruled the unseen in the world; dreams, the unconscious mind, etc. Part of her was evil, and part of her was loving. The people of Egypt were torn in which way to see her; thus, some celebrated this day, and others did not.


    • Little is known on these Festivals, and how the Egytpains actually celebrated them. If you wish to celebrate one of these days, write something to honor the god or goddess which the festival celebrates.