On Sabbat Dates

[thedogisdead]

So, I know that yearly, sabbat dates tend to change. For instance, I assumed Mabon was 21st September this year, but when looking it up I've found dates such as the 22nd and 23rd. I know usually it's acceptible to perform a rite/ritual/celebration on either of these, but is there really any 'official' dates? If so, when is Mabon?

Comments

[pinkpolarity]

There are two schools of thought about this kind of thing. One that says that the purpose of ritual is to magically bring the energies of the Sabbat into being, that the Wheel turns because we help turn it. If you're of that mind, the exact time when the solstice or equinox occurs matters quite a great deal.

The other school of thought is that we're celebrating the turning of the Wheel, which happens quite fine without our help, and we're attuning ourselves to its change. If you go according to this idea, exact times and dates don't matter all that much, as long as you're able to get the ritual sometime within the swirl of changing energy, you're fine. (I'm sure there's a more liberal subset of #2 and a more conservative "it matters because we're following our ancestors' traditions" subset of #2, though.)

I'm of the more liberal end of #2, and even more so as my fibromyalgia has worsened. Whatever day I'm able to get alone time and not in lots of pain, within the rough subset of "days near the Sabbat", works for me. It's weird-- I ended up going to an open Mabon ritual about a week ago, and I've been feeling the shift ever since.