The Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar

The Wheel of the Year is a seasonal calendar used by many modern Pagans, Wiccans, and witches as a way to work with the seasons of the year. It includes eight holidays, called Sabbats, that follow the cycles of nature and its changing seasons.

These eight festivals include four solar holidays (two solstices and two equinoxes whose dates shift slightly every year) and four cross-quarter days that fall about halfway between those. Together, they create a continual yearly cycle that gives witches and Pagans something to celebrate every six to seven weeks. You’ll find the calendar of the Wheel of the Year dates for 2026 and 2027 below.

Some holidays on the Wheel of the Year are inspired by older Celtic, Germanic, and seasonal traditions, but the modern 8 Sabbat Wheel is not an ancient pagan calendar. It was shaped through Wiccan and neopagan practice, especially by figures such as Wicca’s Gerald Gardner and OBOD’s Ross Nichols. It combines inspiration from older seasonal festivals such as the Celtic cross-quarter holidays of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh with modern Pagan practices.

If you choose to celebrate the festivals on the Wiccan calendar, how you choose to do so is up to you. If you’re part of a coven, you and your fellow witches may follow certain rituals and customs connected to the holiday. If you are a solitary practitioner, take the time to learn about each Sabbat and learn about the colors, foods, and decorations associated with each.

Also, if you’re looking for holidays to celebrate across other pagan traditions, explore our Pagan Holidays calendar.

The 8 Sabbats at a Glance

Some witches begin the Wheel at Samhain, while others begin with Yule or follow the calendar year. For this guide, we’ll start with Yule and move through the seasons.

The Wheel of the Year Festivals

The Wheel of the Year is a solar calendar divided into eight seasonal festivals called Sabbats. These holidays mark the solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between them.

All of the holidays have ancient roots, but the way they are celebrated by modern witches, pagans, and Wiccans was largely influenced by Gardner, Nichols, and the poet Robert Graves and his interpretations of Celtic mythology.

• Samhain (October 31 – November 1): This is the final harvest of the year and the start of the darker half of the year. Samhain’s themes include ancestors, harvest, transformation, and endings. It is one of the two moments in the year when the veil between our world and the Otherworld is believed to be the thinnest.
• Yule (December 20-23): The Winter Solstice festival, held on the longest night of the year. It celebrates the return of the light and hope.
• Imbolc (February 1): Imbolc celebrates the first stirrings of spring, the returning light, the awakening earth. The original holiday honored the Celtic goddess Brigid.
• Ostara (March 19-21): The Spring Equinox festival. Themes of the vernal equinox celebration include balance, renewal, fertility, growth, and Spring.
• Beltane (April 30 – May 1): This festival welcomes the lighter half of the year and the warm, joyful energy of Summer. Beltane’s themes include fertility, love, protection, abundance. This is the other time of the year when the veil is believed to be the thinnest.
• Litha (June 20-22): The Summer Solstice festival held on the longest day of the year. Litha’s themes include masculine energy, abundance, solar power, and vitality.
• Lughnasadh (August 1-2): This festival is the first harvest of the year. The original holiday honored the Celtic god Lugh and his foster mother Tailtiu. Lughnasadh’s themes include gratitude, harvest, grain, craftsmanship, and skill.
• Mabon (September 21-24): The Autumn Equinox celebrates the second harvest. Mabon’s themes include gratitude, balance, release, and preparation for the darker half of the year.

The Greater Sabbats (Cross-Quarter Days)

The Greater Sabbats or Cross-Quarter Days are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. Their origins come from the ancient Gaelic fire festivals and they fall approximately halfway between the Lesser Sabbats. Modern celebrations might incorporate traditions inspired by ancient Celtic practices as well as those that emerged during the Medieval era or later.

Most witches and pagans observe them on the same dates each year, though some work with the astronomical dates. In ancient times, holiday celebrations began at sundown the night before, which is why you’ll sometimes see two dates for these festivals.

The names of the holidays come from the ancient Celtic. Also, Lughnasadh is the older Gaelic harvest festival named for the god Lugh, while Lammas is the later Christian “loaf-mass” holiday that focused on blessing the first bread made from the grain harvest.

The Lesser Sabbats (Solar Holidays)

The four Lesser Sabbats, also called Quarter Holidays or solar holidays, are the two solstices and two equinoxes. They are Yule (winter solstice), Ostara (spring equinox), Litha (summer solstice), and Mabon (fall equinox). Their dates change slightly every year and are determined by astronomy.

These names of the Lesser Sabbats come from different sources and were incorporated into the modern Wheel of the Year.

Yule comes from older Germanic midwinter traditions. Ostara is connected to Bede’s Old English month name Eosturmonath and the goddess Eostre. Litha comes from Bede’s Old English names for the June/July period around midsummer. Mabon is the most modern of the four names, which comes from the Welsh mythological figure Mabon ap Modron.

How to Work With the Wheel of the Year

If you choose to celebrate these festivals, how you do it is entirely up to you. You do not need an elaborate setup or expensive tools to honor the changing of the seasons. Here are a few modern ways to bring the Wheel into your daily life:

• For Coven or Group Practitioners: You and your community might gather for formal rituals, shared feasts, and traditional circle work connected to the specific energy of the Sabbat. If you choose to follow the Wiccan approach to these holidays, you can find Wiccan rituals for each sabbat in Gerald Gardner’s Book of Shadows.
• For Solitary Practitioners: Use each transition to learn about the symbols, foods, and history of the holiday. Decorate a small corner of your home with the associated colors or plan a simple meal using seasonal ingredients. Or, simply go or look outside and observe how nature is changing.

Want to keep the Sabbats organized? Grab our printable Sabbat guide or use our witchy planner to track the Wheel of the Year dates, rituals, recipes, and altar ideas.

Pagan Holidays: 2026 Dates

Wiccan Holidays: 2027 Dates

The 8 Wiccan Sabbats

Below are the eight Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, starting with Yule and moving through the seasonal cycle. Each one includes its date, main themes, modern Pagan meaning, and how it is often understood in Wiccan tradition.

1. Yule (Winter Solstice)

Date: Winter Solstice (date falls between December 20 and 23)
Type: Lesser Sabbat
Themes: Return of the light, hope, rebirth, protection

On the Wheel of the Year, Yule (pronounced Yool) is celebrated at the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and the point when the days begin to grow longer again.

The name Yule comes from older Germanic and Norse winter traditions, including Jól, which was an important midwinter celebration. Today, Pagans and witches often celebrate Yule as the return of the sun. In some modern Pagan and Wiccan traditions, Yule is also associated with the battle of the Holly King and Oak King. Yule is when the Oak King regains power as the light begins to return.

In Wiccan tradition, Yule is often understood through the mythic cycle of the Goddess and God. The Goddess, in her Mother aspect, gives birth to the God at the Winter Solstice. Symbolically, the God’s rebirth represents the return of solar power, while the Goddess rests after birth, mirroring the stillness of the earth during winter. From here, the God grows stronger as the light increases through the coming seasons.

In modern practice, Yule is a time to rest, reflect, light candles, decorate and protect the home with evergreens, burn a Yule log, and gather with loved ones. Evergreen boughs, holly, candles, festive lights, spiced drinks, and hearty winter foods all fit the season because they speak to the themes of resilience and protection.

Explore Yule:

• What Is Yule? Meaning, History, and Traditions
• Yule Rituals for the Winter Solstice
• Yule Altar Ideas and Correspondences
• Yule Decorations and Craft Ideas
• Yule Recipes and Foods for the Sabbat
• How to Celebrate the 12 Days of Yule
• Yule Symbols and Their Meanings

2. Imbolc

Date: February 1-2
Type: Greater Sabbat
Themes: Returning light, cleansing, renewal, hope, inspiration, hearth, early spring

Imbolc (pronounced IM-bolk or IM-bulk) is celebrated on February 1-2, halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. It is a Gaelic festival named for the pregnant ewes that honors the first stirrings of spring (known as the “quickening of the year”), when the light is growing stronger and there is a promise of more abundant days ahead.

Historically, Imbolc is closely connected with Brigid, the goddess associated with poetry, smithcraft, the hearth, and awakening the Earth from its slumber.

Imbolc is a time for cleansing, fire magic, tending the hearth, and preparing for new growth. Many modern Pagans and witches celebrate by lighting candles, making Brigid’s crosses, cleaning their homes or altars, blessing seeds, journaling about what they want to grow, or doing Imbolc rituals for inspiration and renewal. It is also a traditional holiday for rededications or for witch initiations.

In Wiccan tradition, Imbolc is often understood as the time when the young God’s growing light warms the earth, and the first signs of life begin to return.

Explore Imbolc:

• Imbolc: The Festival of Brigid
• 11 Imbolc Rituals to Celebrate the Pagan Holiday
• How to Set Up Your Imbolc Altar
• Imbolc Symbols and How to Use Them
• Imbolc Recipes and Foods for the Holiday

3. Ostara (Spring Equinox)

Date: Spring Equinox (date falls between March 19 and 21)
Type: Lesser Sabbat
Themes: Balance, renewal, fertility, growth, new beginnings, planting seeds

Ostara (pronounced OH-stahr-uh) is celebrated at Spring Equinox, when day and night are nearly equal and the light continues to grow. It marks the seasonal shift into spring: the ground is warmer, flowers are beginning to open, and animals are more active.

The name Ostara is used by many modern Pagans and Wiccans for the spring equinox, but its history is a little complicated. It is connected to Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess mentioned by the 8th-century monk Bede, who said the month Eosturmonath was named for her. Later, Jacob Grimm (yes, that one) reconstructed a related Germanic goddess name, Ostara. Beyond Bede’s brief reference, though, we know almost nothing about her.

In modern witchcraft and Pagan practice, Ostara is a time for balance, renewal, fertility, growth, and fresh starts. Eggs, rabbits, flowers, seeds, and spring colors all fit the season because they symbolize potential, new life, and what is ready to emerge. Common ways to celebrate include planting seeds, decorating eggs, refreshing your altar, doing a spring cleansing, taking a nature walk, or setting intentions for what you want to grow in the months ahead.

In Wiccan tradition, this is when the Goddess is in her Maiden aspect, representing youth, fertility, renewal, and possibility. The God is young and gaining strength as the Sun grows stronger.

Explore Ostara

• What Is Ostara? Meaning, History, and Traditions
• Ostara Rituals for the Spring Equinox
• How to Set Up Your Ostara Altar
• Ostara Recipes and Foods for the Sabbat
• Ostara Decorations and Craft Ideas

4. Beltane

Date: April 30 – May 1
Type: Greater Sabbat
Themes: Fire, fertility, protection, abundance, love, pleasure, creativity

On the Wheel of the Year, Beltane (pronounced BEL-tayn) is celebrated on May 1, halfway between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. It is inspired by Bealtaine, the Gaelic festival that marked the beginning of summer, and the time when cattle were moved to open pastures and communities lit bonfires for protection, purification, and good fortune.

In modern practice, Beltane is a festival of fire, fertility, love, abundance, creativity, and life in full bloom. Many witches celebrate with bonfires or candles, making flower crowns, dancing around the Maypole, feasting, fertility magic, protection spells, and Beltane rituals for passion, confidence, and creativity. It is, like Samhain, another time of the year when its believed the veil between worlds is the thinnest.

When I was growing up, I always thought Beltane was the coolest, because I thought of it only as the holiday in which you lit a bonfire and went and made love in the woods. It can be a fun, rowdy holiday, but Maypoles, the May Queen, and Green Man imagery are more modern ways to celebrate May Day and Beltane rather than ancient ones.

In Wiccan tradition, Beltane is the time of the union between the Goddess and God. The Goddess is fertile and radiant, while the God has grown into his full virile power. Their coming together represents love, desire, creation, and the generative force of nature.

Explore Beltane:

• Beltane: The Festival of Fire and Fertility
• Beltane Rituals for Solitary Practitioners, Couples, and Covens
• How to Set Up Your Beltane Altar
• Beltane Decor Ideas for Summer
• Beltane Recipes Everyone Will Love

5. Litha (Summer Solstice / Midsummer)

Date: Summer Solstice (date falls between June 20 and 22)
Type: Lesser Sabbat
Themes: Sunlight, abundance, vitality, gratitude, protection, power, celebration

The Summer Solstice or Midsummer, sometimes called Litha by modern Pagans and Wiccans, is the longest day and shortest night of the year. It is the point when the sun reaches full strength in the sky, and gives us the most daylight before the year slowly begins turning back toward longer nights.

The name Litha (pronounced LEE-thuh) comes from Old English month names recorded by the monk Bede for the period around midsummer.

Historically speaking, the Summer Solstice is the older and more universal seasonal event celebrated around the world at locations like Stonehenge, while Litha is the Pagan and Wiccan name used for this Sabbat.

In modern times, the Summer Solstice is a time to celebrate abundance, joy, solar energy, protection, confidence, gratitude, and the fullness of life. Common Summer Solstice rituals and ways to celebrate the holiday include lighting candles or bonfires, gathering herbs, making flower crowns, spending time outside, doing sun magic, charging tools in sunlight, or hosting a feast or Summer solstice party.

In Wiccan tradition, Litha is when the God is at the height of his power. The Goddess is fertile and abundant, and the natural world is full of growth. But the solstice also contains a turning point: after the longest day, the light slowly begins to decline. For those who work with the Holly and Oak King, this is when the Holly King wins the battle and his strength begins to grow.

Explore Summer Solstice / Litha:

• What Is Litha? Meaning, History, and Traditions
• Summer Solstice Rituals for Litha
• How to Set Up Your Summer Solstice Altar for Litha
• Summer Solstice Recipes and Foods for Litha

6. Lughnasadh

Date: August 1-2
Type: Greater Sabbat
Themes: First harvest, grain, bread, gratitude, skill, sacrifice, community, abundance

Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nah-sah) is celebrated on August 1, halfway between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. It is the beginning of the harvest season. It is the first grain harvest and the gathering of first fruits. Historically, Lughnasadh was associated with harvest fairs, games, feasting, community gatherings, and the Celtic god Lugh, a deity connected with craftsmanship, kingship, and being a master of many skills.

Lughnasadh is sometimes called Lammas, but they are not the same. Lughnasadh is the older Gaelic harvest festival named for Lugh, while Lammas comes from the Old English hlāfmæsse, meaning “loaf-mass,” a Christian festival where bread made from the first wheat harvest was blessed.

In modern Pagan practice, the two are often blended into a first-harvest Sabbat centered on bread, grain, and gratitude both for the harvest and for Lugh’s foster mother Tailtiu who made agriculture possible in Ireland.

Lughnasadh is a time to give thanks for what is beginning to ripen in your life. Many witches celebrate by baking bread, making corn dollies, hosting harvest meals, doing gratitude rituals, and honoring Lugh by practicing a skill or reflecting on what their effort has produced so far.

In Wiccan tradition, Lughnasadh is the beginning of the God’s decline. His power begins to wane when the grain is harvested. Symbolically, the grain harvest represents sacrifice and transformation: the God gives his energy to the crops, the grain is cut, baked into bread, and shared as nourishment.

Explore Lughnasadh:

• What Is Lughnasadh? History, Traditions, and Celebration Ideas
• Lughnasadh Rituals for the Sabbat
• How to Set Up Your Lughnasadh Altar
• Lughnasadh Recipes and Foods
• How to Work with Lugh

7. Mabon (Autumn Equinox)

Date: Fall Equinox (date falls between September 21 and 24)
Type: Lesser Sabbat
Themes: Balance, gratitude, second harvest, abundance, release, reflection, preparation

The Autumn Equinox, sometimes called Mabon by modern Pagans and Wiccans, is the second time of the year when day and night are nearly equal before the year tips toward longer nights. It is the second harvest festival, associated with apples, grapes, root vegetables, nuts, wine, gratitude, and preparing for the darker half of the year.

The name Mabon (pronounced MAY-bon) was added to the Wheel of the Year by Aidan Kelly. It comes from Mabon ap Modron, a figure from Welsh mythology whose name means “son of Modron” or “son of the mother.”

Many witches celebrate the Fall Equinox by decorating with apples, acorns, leaves, pumpkins, grapes, and autumn flowers, making seasonal meals, doing gratitude rituals, collecting seeds, giving offerings, or releasing what they do not want to carry into winter.

In the Wicca religion, Mabon is when the God’s power continues to wane and the Goddess begins moving from her Mother aspect toward her Crone one.

Explore Mabon / Autumn Equinox:

• What Is Mabon? Meaning, History, and Traditions
• Mabon Rituals for the Autumn Equinox
• How to Set Up Your Mabon Altar
• Mabon Herbs: Magical Plants for the Autumn Equinox
• Mabon Recipes and Foods for the Sabbat

8. Samhain

Date: October 31 – November 1
Type: Greater Sabbat
Themes: Final harvest, ancestors, spirits, divination, protection, endings, transformation, beginning of the dark half of the year

Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) is celebrated from October 31 to November 1. It is one of the four major Gaelic seasonal festivals and marks the end of the harvest season and the start of the darker half of the year. In ancient Ireland, it was a time to prepare for winter, gather resources, and feast.

Samhain is also one of the most liminal Sabbats, meaning it sits at a threshold. Many traditions believe that the boundary between this world and the Otherworld is thinner at Samhain.

In modern times, Samhain is a time to honor ancestors with an altar, hold a silent supper, do tarot or other forms of divination, cast protection spells, ask for guidance from those who have come before, release what is finished, and reflect on the cycle of life, death, and renewal. Some witches also treat Samhain as the witch’s new year. And many around the world celebrate it in a different form as Halloween.

In Wicca, Samhain is when the God dies. The Goddess is now in her Crone aspect but she is also pregnant with the God who will be reborn at Yule. Symbolically, this Sabbat represents death, descent, mystery, and transformation. And, because the divide between the worlds is at its thinnest, it is also one of the most powerful nights for magic.

Explore Samhain:

• What Is Samhain? Meaning, History, and Traditions
• Samhain Rituals
• How to Set Up a Samhain Altar
• How to Host a Dumb Supper
• Samhain Recipes and Foods for the Sabbat
• The Origin of Halloween Symbols and Traditions

Wheel of the Year FAQ

What are the 8 Sabbats?

The eight Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year are Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain. They include the four solar holidays (the solstices and equinoxes) and the four cross-quarter days that fall roughly halfway between them.

Is the Wheel of the Year Wiccan or Pagan?

In the Wicca religion, holidays on the Wheel of the Year are usually called Sabbats, though different Wiccan traditions may celebrate them in slightly different ways. The Wheel of the Year is also strongly associated with Wicca, but it is used by many modern Pagans, witches, Druids, and nature-based practitioners. Wiccan traditions helped popularize the modern 8 Sabbat structure, but you do not have to be Wiccan to celebrate it.

Is the Wheel of the Year ancient?

The modern eight-Sabbat Wheel of the Year is not ancient as a complete calendar. Some of the individual holidays have older roots in Celtic, Germanic, and seasonal traditions, but the Wheel as many witches use it today was shaped by 20th-century Wiccan and neopagan practice.

What is the difference between Greater and Lesser Sabbats?

The Greater Sabbats are the four cross-quarter days: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. They fall roughly halfway between the solstices and equinoxes and are associated with older Gaelic seasonal festivals. The Lesser Sabbats are the four solar holidays: Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon, which mark the winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice, and autumn equinox.

Do all Pagans celebrate the Wheel of the Year?

No. Many modern Pagans and witches celebrate the Wheel of the Year, but not all Pagans follow it. Some practitioners follow tradition-specific calendars, such as Hellenic, Roman, Norse, Kemetic, Slavic, or other polytheist festival calendars instead.

What if I live in the Southern Hemisphere?

Many Southern Hemisphere Pagans flip the Wheel of the Year so the holidays match their local seasons. For example, Yule may be celebrated around June, while Litha may be celebrated around December. Others keep the traditional Northern Hemisphere dates.

Wheel of the Year Tools

• If you want a wheel you can display in your home or on your altar, I love this pretty wall sign.
• If you want to learn more about the pagan holidays in depth, we have articles on each that you can find in our Holidays section.
• If you want a great book about the Wheel of the Year, check out The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year or Ronald Hutton’s Stations of the Sun.