es in the shape of man, woman or animal. The tools are charged with power and inscribed with a runic alphabet. One of the most important possessions a witch could own is the Book of Shadows. The book contains records of what the witch has learned from spells, rituals, songs, and the Craft. When a witch dies the book is destroyed. Witches celebrate eight major festivals or sabbats each year. The sabbats are “a religious ceremony deriving from ancient European festivals celebrating seasonal or pastoral changes” (Russell 167). The first is the Yule. It celebrates the winter solstice and the festival is held either on the 20 or 21 of December. The next is Oimelc, Imbolc, or Candlemas. It is the 1 or 2 in February. This is the festival where initiations take place. The third is on the 20 or 21 of March, the festival of Eostre, the vernal equinox, is a fertility festival. The fourth is Beltane or May Day Eve. It is held on the 30 of April. At this festival, witches celebrate the memory of certain Scottish and northern English villages. On June 21 the festival of Midsummer is held. August 1 is the celebration of Lughnasad or Lammas. Either the 20 or 21 of September, is the festival of the Harvestide. Finally, the 31 of October is Sahain or Halloween. Halloween, along with Beltane, have a long and celebrated history.The sabbats are open to prospective new members and also for worship, celebration, and socializing. Their meetings may be held in private areas but when sabbats or major festivals come around, they are usually held outdoors. A typical witches meeting will begin with a gathering, or informal reception. Some of these meetings are held “skyclad’ or nude, some are held robed. Some reasons for being naked are that witches feel that being nude increases their contact with the powers of nature, while others believe that it erases class distinction and want to appear before their gods as the...
