Witch Festivals
DISCLAIMER: The witch-cult hypothesis has been discredited. An extract from Murray—an eminent Frazerian—is here presented because of its importance to the mythology of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, as well as for its enduring value as a creative work.
“IT APPEARS FROM the evidence that certain changes took place in course of time in the religion; and, as might be expected, this is shown very markedly in the festivals. The ancient festivals remained all through, and to them were added the festivals of the succeeding religions. The original celebrations belonged to the May-November year, a division of time which follows neither the solstices nor the agricultural seasons; I have shown below (pp. 130, 178) that there is reason to believe these festivals were connected with the breeding seasons of the flocks and herds.
Medieval sheep pen, from the Luttrell Psalter (c. 1325-35).
(Source: Luttrell Psalter, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
"The chief festivals were: in the spring, May Eve (April 30), called Roodmas or Rood Day in Britain and Walpurgis-Nacht in Germany; in the autumn, November Eve (October 31), called in Britain Allhallow Eve. Between these two came: in the winter, Candlemas (February 2); and in the summer, the Gule of August (August 1), called Lammas in Britain.
Walpurgisnacht, by Albert Welti (c. 1896-7).
(Source: Albert Welti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Red wicker raven at the Samhain (Halloween) Festival in Derry, Ireland.
(Source: Nmckittie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
For the Candlemas, by Teodor Axentowicz (1898).
(Source: Teodor Axentowicz, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Lammas-tide loaf.
(Source: Synthiaks, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
"To these were added the festivals of the solstitial invaders. Beltane at midsummer and Yule at midwinter; the movable festival of Easter was also added, but the equinoxes were never observed in Britain. On the advent of Christianity the names of the festivals were changed, and the date of one—Roodmas—was slightly altered so as to fall on May 3; otherwise the dates were observed as before, but with ceremonies of the new religion. Therefore Boguet is justified in saying that the witches kept all the Christian festivals.
A fire of Beltane.
(Source: Beltane1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Yule log wrapped in ivy.
(Source: Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Vibrant Easter-tide decorations.
(Source: ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
"But the Great Assemblies were always held on the four original days, and it is this fact which makes it possible to distinguish with certainty between the Sabbath and the Esbat whenever dates are mentioned…. The actual hour at which the Sabbath was held is specified in very few cases; it appears to have been a nocturnal assembly, beginning about midnight and lasting till early dawn or cockcrow.”
—M. A. Murray, The Witch-cult in Western Europe (1921, p. 109; pp. 111-112)
Sabbat, by Tony Grist (c. 2011).
(Source: Tony Grist, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
