Sabbats Review

---

Greater/Lesser; Quarter/Cross-Quarter By Callisto

---

What is meant by "Greater" and "Lesser" Sabbats? Likewise, what is meant by "Quarter" and "Cross-Quarter" sabbats?

Don't know? Well ...

[click image for larger view]

It's not that some are more important than others. Rather, the designations of Greater & Lesser and Quarter & Cross-Quarter signify the same thing. Namely, that the 8 sabbats are divided into 2 categories. Quarter/Lesser and Cross-Quarter/Greater.

The QUARTER/LESSER sabbats are SOLAR festivals.
They are the Spring Equinox and Fall Equinox, which are the days when we have equal amounts of day and night. Plus the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) and Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year).

The CROSS-QUARTER/GREATER sabbats are FIRE festivals.
"Cross-Quarter" means they fall evenly between the Quarter sabbats. These are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lammas (Lughnasadh). For the ancients, these were the festivals of harvesting, planting, breeding (herds, flocks), and slaughtering (livestock for food).

Simply put, the Quarter/Lesser sabbats mark the given season, the Cross-Quarter/Greater sabbats mark the mid-points of the season.

[If someone knows the source of this article please tell me! This is not on the site with permission!]

Back to top