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Beliefs
The Southern Hemisphere and the Sabbats
The difference between festivals on both hemispheres is a point that rises controversy every time it's discussed. Some of the people living like I do in the southern hemisphere keep the same schedule as the northern hemisphere witches. My view is that this schedule should be changed. Here is a brief description of the reasons why I think so.
As adepts to what are called earth religions, we seek to achieve a balance and atunenement with nature. That is one of the reasons why our celebrations fall synchronized with the planting and harvest seasons, or the solstices and equinoxes. Besides, we must keep in mind we're also re-enacting a cosmogonical cycle, one stage corresponding to each of the main Sabbats. Each of this stages also is closely related to the astronomical position of the sun at the moment, but as we all know, seasons ( and solstices and equinoxes) fall alternatively on each hemisphere: when in the north is winter, in the south we're enjoying summer, and the other way round.
What does all this have to do with the Sabbats? Simple. If we're trying to atune to nature, we can't possibly celebrate the Death of the God and last harvest in the middle of Spring. Or his birth at the moment of the sun's highest peak. If we were doing so, we would be guiding ourselves by dates in the calendar, that are man-made, not by the cicle of nature, that we're trying to follow with such effort.
Once we understand the astronomical mechanics of it all, the conclusion is simple: we need to change the dates for all the festivities. Why not changing just the solstices and equinoxes? Well, we could do so, but in that way we would be disrupting the flow. Taking a close reading at the meaning of each celebration, we'll see that they're set in a certain order, telling a story. That order would have no meaning at all if we just changed the solstices and equinoxes. An example: we would be celebrating the God's death in October, it's highest peak of power in December, and it's rebirth in June!
