In Wicca, we make it a point to honor both feminine and masculine energies, lunar and solar cycles. When we’re practicing our craft according to the lunar cycles, we honor the Moon Goddess with esbats. However, we also have eight solar festivals throughout the year, which are represented by the Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
The Wheel of the Year is a physical representation of the eight pagan festivals that celebrate nature’s life cycles. These eight Sabbats include four solar events — two solstices and two equinoxes — and four cross-quarter events. But how did this calendar come about in the first place?
The Origin of the Wheel of the Year Calendar
Many historians postulate that ancient pagans marked the passing of time by celebrating certain solar events. On top of that, some of their celebrations were a way to mark events that had agricultural significance. Even so, we can’t say that the seasonal festivals we’re about to discuss ever existed in their current forms. So how did we get to the Wheel of the Year we observe today?
Well, believe it or not, the Wiccan Sabbats are a result of decades, if not centuries, of modern interpretations of ancient rites. In fact, some pretty famous scholars unknowingly participated in the creation of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, c. 1837. This work is in the public domain.
Even Jacob Grimm of the Brothers Grimm fame tried to shed some light on ancient Anglo-Saxon paganism in his 1835 treatise on Germanic mythology. One of his contributions to the Wheel of the Year included the name of the deity we celebrate during the spring equinox — Ēostre. According to Grimm, the goddess was so deeply rooted in pagan beliefs that Christians had to adopt her when creating their spring holiday — Easter.
But the real turning point in the process of constructing a modern neopagan calendar came more than a century after Grimm’s treatise was published.
The Mid-Century Construction of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Ross and Olivia Robertson posing in fancy dress at Huntington (now Clonegal) castle Ireland
https://druidry.org/about-us/ross-nichols-founder
In the 1950s, Gerald Gardner of the Bricket Wood coven and Ross Nichols of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids decided to make a concerted effort to define a list of festivals neopagan practitioners could celebrate throughout the year.
On the one hand, Gardner pushed for the inclusion of the four solar events that the Germanic peoples celebrated. Meanwhile, the druids were more inclined to celebrate the cross-quarter events between those dates, as they corresponded with the Celtic fire festivals. In the end, the two groups agreed to celebrate all eight of these events, though the Celtic fire festivals are considered the Greater Sabbats.
Even then, the festivals didn’t have the names they have now. But after Aidan Kelly proposed new names for the equinoxes and the summer solstice festival, the calendar took the shape we now recognize.
The Purpose of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year
As you might have guessed, the original purpose of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year was to bring neopagan communities together to recognize the changing seasons. Celebrating the Earth’s natural rhythms was supposed to bring us into harmony with the world, which is a physical manifestation of the divine.
Since the Sabbats are meant to align us with the Earth’s natural cycles, they usually focus on agricultural symbolism. But even if you don’t live near nature, the Wheel can help you center your existence. After all, all work eventually bears fruit.
Even if you’ve never planted anything, you can harvest, come fall. Working on yourself during the year can also result in a rich bounty! So the themes of the seasonal festivals can have many parallels to our personal lives, as well.
Of course, in addition to building personal connections with the Sabbats, most Wiccans also use them as an opportunity to honor the Sun God and the Triple Goddess.