The Pagan Calendar & Wheel of the Year

Pagans believe that there is no real beginning or end to the year. The Pagan calendar of Sabbats and Esbats reflect the belief that life runs in cycles. For convenience, Pagans will designate a particular Sabbat as the "start" of the year. One of the differences between Pagan traditions is on which Sabbat they choose to start the cycle of the year. In my Urban Pagan Tradition, the year begins (and ends) on Yule, or Winter Solstice.

The Annual Holidays - The Sabbats

The Sabbats, or Solar Celebrations, occur at the Beginning and middle of each season. The Wheel of the Year, shown on the right, lists the eight Sabbats. In my tradition, the Wheel is read clockwise from the top.

Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon shift their dates slightly from year to year. This is because they occur on the Solar Equinoxes and Solstices. The Equinoxes are the beginning of Spring and Autumn. These are the days of the year when day and night are of equal length. Summer Solstice has the longest day of the year. Winter Solstice has the longest night. The dates of these Celebrations are listed on the table below.

More information about how and why these days on the Pagan Calendar are celebrated can be found on the Pagan Sabbats and Holidays page

Monthly Rituals - The Esbats

In addition to the Solar Celebrations, Pagans hold rituals under the Full Moon and, occasionally, the New Moon. These are called Esbats. These are generally more private and somber than the Sabbats. The Dates of the Full and New Moon are listed in the tables below.

The Dates of the Sabbats

Dates of the Sabbats in the Pagan Calendar from 2010 to 2020 (These are the dates used in Wolf and Raven Path of Paganism)
Dates that Stay the Same Every Year
	Imbolc	Beltane	Lammas	Samhain
2010-20	Feb. 2	May 1	July 30	Oct. 31
Dates that Change from Year to Year
	Ostara	Litha	Mabon	Yule
2010	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 21
2011	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 22
2012	Mar. 20	June 20	Sep. 22	Dec. 21
2013	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 22	Dec. 21
2014	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 21
2015	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 21
2016	Mar. 20	June 20	Sep. 22	Dec. 21
2017	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 22	Dec. 21
2018	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 21
2019	Mar. 20	June 21	Sep. 23	Dec. 22
2020	Mar. 20	June 20	Sep. 22	Dec. 21

Dates of the Esbats

Dates of the New Moon from 2010 to 2012
2010
Jan. 15	Feb. 14	Mar. 15	Apr. 14
May 14	June 12	July 11	Aug. 10
Sep. 8	Oct. 7	Nov. 6	Dec. 5
2011
Jan. 4	Feb. 3	Mar. 4	Apr. 3
May 3	June 1	July 1
July 30	Aug. 29	Sep. 27
Oct 26	Nov 25	Dec. 24
2012
Jan. 23	Feb. 21	Mar. 22	Apr. 21
May 20	June 19	July 19	Aug. 17
Sep. 16	Oct. 15	Nov. 13	Dec. 13

Dates of the Full Moon from 2010 to 2012
2010
Jan. 30	Feb. 28	Mar. 30	Apr. 28
May 27	June 26	July 26	Aug. 24
Sep. 23	Oct. 23	Nov. 21	Dec. 21
2011
Jan. 19	Feb. 18	Mar. 19	Apr. 18
May 17	June 15	July 15	Aug. 13
Sep. 12	Oct. 12	Nov. 10	Dec. 10
2012
Jan. 9	Feb. 7	Mar. 8	Apr. 6
May 6	June 4	July 3
Aug. 2	Aug. 31	Sep. 30
Oct. 29	Nov 28.	Dec. 28