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On its surface, The Wheel of the Year is a concept rooted in various modern pagan and neopagan traditions, particularly Wicca and other earth-centered spiritual practices. It represents an annual cycle of 8 major festivals or sabbats, which mark significant points in the changing seasons and the agricultural and astronomical cycles. These sabbats are celebrated to honor nature, the cycles of life, and the interplay of light and dark.
It encompasses the solstices, equinoxes, and Cross-Quarter days. The Wheel of the Year, as it’s known today, is a modern construction. It is inspired by the beliefs and practices of pre-Christian cultures and their reverence for the natural world.
Let’s explore a brief history and introduction to the Wheel of the Year.
The Witch’s Wheel of the Year made its inception in the 1950s when Gerald Gardner and his colleague Ross Nichols wanted to make a Wiccan calendar of festivities. Gerald Gardner was the founder of Wicca — a nature-based, pagan belief system that many witches follow. (You don’t have to be Wiccan to celebrate these days.)
The natural world has always been filled with magic, and as humans, we feel a need to connect to nature. Not only to experience magic but to nourish our souls. We aren’t just observers; we feel the changing seasons and the lengthening or shortening of days. Gardner created The Wheel of the Year to help solidify the celebration of these special days.
Greater Sabbats: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain
The original Celtic holidays are called Cross-Quarter Days, marking the 4 “Greater Sabbats” or “fire festivals.” These are Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. These holy days have been celebrated by pagans for at least 2000 years, with Samhain being the oldest and celebrated for about 4000–5000 years.
Lesser Sabbats: Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon
The 4 “Lesser Sabbats,” Litha, Mabon, Ostara, and Yule, coincide with the solstices and equinoxes. These were added to the wheel when Gardner advocated for adding them. Thus blending the two sets of festivals into one complete cycle.
The complete wheel of the year
In 1974, Aiden Kelly, an American academic and influential figure in the religion of Wicca, wanted the Lesser Sabbats to have proper names like the others (instead of Summer Solstice, etc.), so he gave them the names we know today.
Gardner learned most of his information from Bede, an early medieval historian who wrote about the Saxon lunisolar calendar. For example, “The last and first months in the calendar were named Foreyule and Afteryule, respectively, and obviously framed the holiday of Yule.”
They’re not all Celtic
The Greater Sabbats are Celtic festivals, and the Lesser Sabbats are mostly Germanic, with the exception of Mabon. But the most interesting part is that while these were holidays celebrated in the past (and present), they weren’t celebrated in a wheel as we know them today. In fact, modern revivalists usually only observe the four “fire festivals” of the Gaelic Calendar, not all 8 on the wheel.
Celebrating the changing of seasons and holy days feels natural. The Wheel is seasonally based around agriculture and harvest or around the dark and light. You don’t have to be a witch to notice them or feel the need to celebrate. On the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, it feels right to stay outside and chat on the porch through the night. On the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, it feels right to snuggle up with hot cocoa or tea and read a book or watch a movie.
The Wheel’s sabbats are celebrated by many modern pagan and neopagan traditions, with Wicca being one of the most well-known. Still, witches don’t have to be Wiccan to celebrate the Sabbats. Celebrations often involve rituals, feasts, dancing, and other activities connecting practitioners with nature and the divine cycles. It’s a way to attune ourselves to the changing seasons, honor deities, give thanks, and connect with the Earth.
Do you celebrate the Sabbats?
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