Yuletide greetings to you all!  This year for Yule I was determined to make a wreath for the front door and I did!  It is still on the front doorstep as I can’t bear to dismantle it and scatter the greenery away.

For Yule festival 2011 I organised a wonderful witchy gathering of eight women.  We each made festive food to share and ended up with a lot of yummy preparations!  Before we tucked in however, we gathered in a circle and recognised the time of year and absorbed the special, cosy, spicy and social, bubbly energy Yuletide brings.  We held hands, absorbed each other’s presence and cast a circle around the house, inviting the quarters and God and Goddess.

I spoke a little about Yule meaning and history before asking everyone to get out their tealights I’d asked them to bring.  These were for our Yule log.  Traditionally, each person lights a candle to represent and welcome the coming of the light and to make a wish for the days ahead.  In addition to the wish, I suggested the candle also be a light for those loved ones no longer with us and to share their memories.  This turned out to be a moving session as we each took it in turn to make our wish and honour our departed loved ones.  The Yule log was a beautiful sight at the end, glimmering in the dimmed light of the ceremony room, full of held intentions and shared memories.

Yule wouldn’t be complete without gifts, so we did a secret santa and each received something special.  My lovely material framed mirror is still hanging over my fireplace.

I made Yule incense too – frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon and dried orange peel which I burned to welcome the guests.

So this was my Yule ritual 2011.  Please share how you celebrated yours by commenting below.

I’m often asked about Wiccan holidays recognised as part of this spiritual path and people usually mean the seasonal festivals that witches know as Sabbats.  These are often marked with Bank Holidays and national holidays because the traditional Sabbat days coincide with the dates of most Christian (and other religious) festivals.   When Christianity was introduced to a Pagan British Isles, many of the Sabbats were overlayed with a similar festival to make the introduction of another spiritual faith integrate easier into culture.  For example, Samhain/ All Souls Eve, Yule/Christmas, Imbolc/Candlemas, Oestara/Easter and Madron/Harvest Festival.

Witches’ Sabbats

So here’s a description of all our Sabbats that those practising the art of Wicca and Witchcraft traditionally follow.

There are eight Sabbats altogether which comprise the Witches’ Wheel of the Year.  The festivals vary in importance and are divided into two groups of four major Sabbats  and four lesser Sabbats.

The Four Major Sabbats

Samhain: 31 October

Imbolc: 2 February

Beltane: 1 May

Lammas: 1 August

These comprise the ancient fire festivals and are often celebrated by witches with a small ritual fire outside or more simply with candles.  These four represent the major parts of the Witches’ year with Samhain being the most important as the start of the New Year.  At Imbolc, new life is stirring under the last frosts of Winter, Beltane the heat of the sun can be felt and the first blossoms bloom, Lammas sees the harvests gathered and Samhain sees the year come full circle again.

The Four Lesser Sabbats

Yule: 21 December

Oestara: 21 March

Litha: 21 June

Madron: 21 September

The lesser Sabbats are the two solstices of Yule and Litha, Winter’s shortest day and Summer’s longest day and the two equinoxes of Oestara and Madron where day and night are equal in length.

Click the individual names of these Wiccan holidays or festivals to find out more about how I, and other witches, celebrate these special times of our year.