In the Wiccan religious calendar, we celebrate 13 Full Moons, and eight Sabbats, or Days of Power. Four of these days are determined by the Solstices and Equinoxes, the astronomical beginnings of the seasons. The other four ritual occasions are based on old folk festivals. The rituals give structure and order to the Wiccan Year, and remind us that the cycle or Wheel of the Year, will continue long after our death, as it did long before our birth.

Four of the Sabbats, perhaps the ones that have been celebrated for the longest time, were probably associated with agriculture, and the bearing cycles of animals. These are Imbolc(February 2), Beltane(April 30), Lughnasadh (August 1), andSamhain (October 31). These names are Celtic and are quite common among Wiccans, though many others exist. Many of these days still survive in secular and religious forms. May Day celebrations, Halloween, Groundhog Day, and even Thanksgiving, to name some popular American holidays, are all connected with ancient Pagan worship. Heavily Christianized versions of the Sabbats have also preserved within the Catholic church.

Some of the old Pagan festivals, stripped of their once sacred qualities by the dominance of Christianity, have degenerated. Samhain seems to have been taken over by candy manufacturers in the US, while Yule has been transformed from one of the most holy Pagan days to a time of gross commercialism. Even the later echoes of a Christian savior's birth are hardly audible above the electronic hum of cash registers.

The Sabbats tell us one of the stories of the Goddess and the God, of their relationship and the effects this has on the fruitfulness of the Earth.