eight sabbats · the modern Pagan calendar
Wheel of the Year
Four solar holidays (two solstices, two equinoxes) and four cross-quarter days between them, mapping the year as a wheel of eight. Pre-Christian European farmers worked to this calendar; Wicca and modern neopaganism formalized it in the twentieth century. The dates below are for the northern hemisphere.
the wheel turns through
Lughnasadh
Currently inside
Lughnasadh(LOO-nuh-sah)
began Sat, Aug 1, 2026, 29 days ago
First harvest. The grain is in. Lugh's funeral games, the god of skill is honored as he begins his long descent.
first harvest · skill · bread · gratitude
Next sabbat
Mabon · Autumn Equinox, Tue, Sep 22, 2026
in 24 days
All eight, this year and into next
Mabon · Autumn Equinox
Light and dark in balance again, the year leaning into night. Second harvest. Apples ripen.
balance · second harvest · gratitude · preparing
Tue, Sep 22, 2026in 24 days
Samhain
The veil thins. The dead are welcomed back to the table for one night. The Celtic New Year.
ancestors · endings · divination · the door
Mon, Nov 30, 2026in 92 days
Yule · Winter Solstice
The longest night. The sun reborn at the bottom of the year. Evergreens, fire, the wheel turning again.
return of light · rest · rebirth
Mon, Dec 21, 2026in 113 days
Imbolc
The thaw inside winter. Brigid lights her flame. Snowdrops push through frozen ground.
beginning again · cleaning · lighting candles · milking the ewes
Mon, Feb 1, 2027in 155 days
Ostara · Spring Equinox
Light and dark in balance, the tilt about to favor the day. Eggs, hares, the first flowers.
balance · first planting · fertility · Eos returning
Sat, Mar 20, 2027in 202 days
Beltane
The fire-festival. The May Queen meets the Green Man; cattle driven between two fires.
union · sensuality · flowering · abundance
Sat, May 1, 2027in 244 days
Litha · Midsummer
The longest day. The sun at its highest. After this, the year tilts toward the dark.
fullness · peak · the turn
Mon, Jun 21, 2027in 295 days
Lughnasadh
First harvest. The grain is in. Lugh's funeral games, the god of skill is honored as he begins his long descent.
first harvest · skill · bread · gratitude
Sun, Aug 1, 2027in 336 days
Holidays & Festivals
A note at each turning of the year, solstices, the Lunar New Year, the old festivals.
Arrives as they come