Short answer
The eight pagan sabbats are the seasonal festivals of the Wheel of the Year, observed by Wiccans and many other modern Pagans. In calendar order starting from autumn, they are Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh (Lammas) and Mabon.
What is a sabbat?
A sabbat is a seasonal festival in modern Pagan and Wiccan practice. The eight sabbats make up the “Wheel of the Year”, a cycle that follows the changing seasons, often linked to farming themes such as planting and harvest. Dates below are for the Northern Hemisphere and vary by a day or so depending on the year and tradition.
The eight sabbats
Samhain (around October 31 to November 1)
Often called the Pagan new year in some traditions. Samhain is associated with honoring the dead and ancestors and with the end of the harvest. Its name comes from the Irish for the November festival.
Yule (around December 21)
The winter solstice, the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Themes include the return of the light, rest and renewal.
Imbolc (around February 1 to 2)
An early-spring festival associated in Irish tradition with the goddess and saint Brigid. Themes include the first stirrings of spring, purification and new beginnings.
Ostara (around March 20 to 21)
The spring equinox, when day and night are roughly equal. Themes include fertility, growth and balance. The name is drawn from a Germanic goddess mentioned by the early medieval writer Bede, and how well her cult is attested is debated.
Beltane (around May 1)
A fire festival marking the start of summer in Celtic tradition. Themes include fertility, growth and union. Bonfires, flowers and maypole dances are associated with it.
Litha (around June 21)
The summer solstice, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Themes include the sun at its peak, abundance and celebration.
Lughnasadh or Lammas (around August 1)
The first harvest festival, associated with grain and bread. The name is linked to the Irish god Lugh, while “Lammas” is an English term for the loaf-mass harvest festival.
Mabon (around September 21 to 23)
The autumn equinox, when day and night are again roughly equal. Themes include gratitude, the second harvest and balance. The name “Mabon” was popularized in the 1970s and is not an ancient festival name.
Quarter days and cross-quarter days
The four solstices and equinoxes (Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon) are often called the lesser sabbats or quarter days. The four festivals between them (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh) are called greater sabbats or cross-quarter days, and are linked to Gaelic seasonal festivals.
Southern Hemisphere
Because the seasons are reversed, many Southern Hemisphere Pagans shift the dates by about six months, so that Yule falls in June and Litha in December. Others keep the northern dates. Both approaches are used.
How the wheel developed
Individual festivals such as Samhain and Beltane have historical roots in Celtic-speaking regions. However, the specific eight-part wheel combining them with solstices and equinoxes is largely a 20th-century development, shaped by figures in the early Wiccan and Druidic movements around the mid-1900s. Most scholars therefore describe the complete Wheel of the Year as a modern synthesis and not an ancient, unbroken tradition.
How people celebrate
Celebrations vary. Some groups hold a formal ritual with a feast, while solitary practitioners may light a candle, decorate an altar, take a walk in nature or share a meal. For more on how a ritual is arranged, see witchcraft practices and rituals, and for how the sabbats fit into Pagan belief, see witchcraft in Paganism.