[Tracy]

I have read a few books on Paganism and Wicca and find it very interesting. I have always been curious about something, and have not yet been able to find an answer to satisfy me. There are eight sabbats that are observed, and they are tied to the changing of the seasons. How does a Pagan observe these sabbats if they live in an area of the world that does not have discernible season changes (such as the desert, a snowy region or near the equator)?

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Name : Tracy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Spiritual but not religious, Age : 30, City : Edmond, State : OK, Country : United States, Occupation : Electronic Banking Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Greebo]

I’m surprised nobody’s answered this one already. Even if you live in a place with no seasonal variations to the weather, which I doubt, as you might get the prevailing wind changing, you will still find there are variations in the levels of light and dark each day. So instead of celebrating the start of weather dry enough to cut hay, you might celebrate the time of year when the days are short enough for you to sleep easily without needing thick curtains or a blindfold. Or you might celebrate a time when you have enough daylight hours to see without needing the light on after work/school. The wheel of the year is related to a seasonal pattern, but it needn’t necessarily reflect agricultural seasons – it can be related to what you personally see people around you doing/experiencing at certain times – eg Lughnasadh (trad start of harvest, approx, beginning of August in Europe)is also the time of students gettting their exam results and dedcidng what happens next.

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Name : Greebo, Gender : F, Race : English mongrel, Religion : Pagan, Age : 35, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Rob29715]

You can go to hell where its seasonably warm all year round & enjoy more pagan holidays there or you have till your last breath for salvation.

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Name : Rob29715, City : Dallas, State : TX, Country : United States, 

[Teena]

I am not a wiccan/pagan, but based on what I know about the ‘standard’ holidays and their origins, I would say that the ‘seasons’ are not necessary. The holidays are partially based on solstices and equinoxes (two of each).

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Name : Teena, Gender : F, City : Richmond, State : VA, Country : United States, 

[Frank21708]

I have found, having lived in a desert (Mojave, in Southern New Mexico, and in the Sahara), in a snowy region (Aleutian Islands) and near the Equator (Guam), that there is always a change in the seasons if you look for them. If you base the changes you look for on a European or ‘American’ basis, you may miss them. Talking to locals, you can find out what the signs are and try to experience them.

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Name : Frank21708, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pagan, Age : 34, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : Military, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Amanda H.]

Wiccans don’t just have rituals for the changing of the season. It’s also a change of, for lack of a better word, attitude. It’s the passage of time. For instance, Lammas (in August) brings change; Beltane (in May) brings new beginnings. There’s a new season after each Sabbat, but not like Spring, Summer, or Autumn (those are seperate). They are seasons of what might be, things to happen. Like the time for a handfasting, the time for a naming ceremony, the time for a sacrifice.

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Name : Amanda H., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 23, City : baltimore, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : Mom, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lorisha]

Take a walk in a park, pay attention to the birds, to the trees, to the chatter of the squirrels. Even if the leaves don’t change colors, evergreens will be more or less lush with the changing of the seasons. Buy a book about birdwatching and see what types of birds migrate to or from your area during the winter. What types of plants bloom in the summer? Does it rain more during one particular season, or not at all? Are there particular types of fish in the rivers during the spring, or certain animals that hybernate in the winter? Honor the small things. These are the manifestations of the Goddess and God. If all else fails, go to a good bookstore or to Llewellyn.com and buy Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac. This book gives you the dates and times of season changes, Sabbats, and Esbats, as well as a lot of other useful and fun information about ways to celebrate. Even if you are not close to nature or incorporate little or no religion, there are other ways to celebrate the seasons. Decorate your home and altar with the colors of the seasons, plants that are representive of some aspect of the Sabbat. Blessed be.

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Name : Lorisha, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 23, City : Grand Rapids, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : Accounting, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Shellie]

I myself am a Pagan, I have been practicing for 9 years. The Sabbats do tie in to the seasons but really it’s by dates. Dec. 21 Yule; Feb. 2 Imbolc; March 21 Ostara; May 1 Beltane; June 22 Litha; Aug 1 Lughnasadh; Sep 21 Mabon; Oct 31 Samhain. It’s also not so much about the seasons but the phases of life, the maidenhood of the goddess, the conception, quickening and birth of the sun god and back to the maiden hood.

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Name : Shellie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : not known, straight, bisexual tendencies, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 16, City : Tulsa, State : OK, Country : United States, Occupation : Dance and High School Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Nancy20249]

I am an argentinian pagan and we celebrate the sabbats according to the seasons, it does not matter if it is always hot or cold, sabbats are simbolic.

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Name : Nancy20249, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Wiccan, Age : 17, City : Buenos Aires, State : NA, Country : Argentina, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jack]

First, not all pagans follow the same holidays. I, for one example, celebrate cultural holidays instead (mostly Christian) as well as the sabbats. Wiccans and others who celebrate the eight sabbats usually practice them at the official solstices, equinoxes, and mid-points in their area. So while those of us up here in the Northern Hemisphere have just finished Yule, people down in the Southern Hemisphere just finished Midsummer (the summer solstice). Sometimes there aren’t really obvious seasonal changes, but the official dates are still observed.

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Name : Jack, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 19, City : Oshkosh, State : WI, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mystofflyn]

Seasons are only one part of the Sabbat celebrations. It stems from the ancient pagans who would celebrate the gods’ times of strength and weaknesses. Harvest times, times of growth, etc., were all part. I live in Michigan, and if you’ve ever heard of Michigan weather, you’d know you cannot rely on snow in December. I generally follow the sun phases to decide which day to celebrate Yule, Ostara, etc. Llwellyn, a pagan publishing company, puts out an excellent calendar that shows the Sabbat’s dates along with moon phases.

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Name : Mystofflyn, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 18, City : Flint, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : Guest Service rep. at Hollywood Video, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Louise22596]

These days are either observed in the context of mythology (usually by British Taditional Wiccans and other more ‘orthodox’ forms of Paganism) or in the context of seasonal cycles (less organised, more eclectic forms). Neither is more correct or valid than the other, these differences merely reflect the differences in focus.

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Name : Louise22596, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 31, City : Sydney, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : Writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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