Commonly thought of as a "Sabbath" by people who are not familiar with Wicca or Witchcraft, Sabbat does not end in an "h". It is said that the European sabbat was fabricated mostly by judges of Inquisition during 14th and 15th centuries. Claims of celebrations with the devil were an attempt to stay alive. Witches were said to hold 4 "great sabbats" that where said to be derived from church festivals, but is was actually the other way around. The church copied the pagan festivals of Candlemas, May Eve, Lammas, and Halloween.

There is much controversy over the origin to the word Sabbat. Some think the word had a meaning similar to Sunday, the Christian day of rest. The Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday, the seventh day, and is holy. It is a day of rest. The word Sabbath is said to be from Shabbathai, the planet Saturn, ruler of the seventh day, a day for rest.

The word Sabbat is considered older than Christianity and Judaism, therefore it is said there is no connection to the Jewish Sabbath.

Sabbat may be derived from Moorish zabat meaning an occasion of power, or from the Greek sabatu meaning to rest.

The word Sabbat may also be derived from a alternative name of the god Dionysus. Dionysus was also called Sabadius or Sabazius. He was worshipped with wild dancing and general all-round raucousness.

It seems each language has an old name for sabbat. These names include, the French Lanne de Bouc and Spanish Prado del Cabron, both meaning the field of the goat. A reference to the horned god?

There is still much confusion on the origin of the word Sabbat.

Other Interesting Bits of Information

An old chant used by the Witches of Gurnsey goes "Har, har, Hou, hou, danse ici, danse la, jouce ici, jou la, Sabbat, Sabbat!" "Har, har, Hou, hou, dance here, dance there, play here, play there, Sabbat, Sabbat!"

This chant was changed by French demonologish Bodin. He substituted 'diable' for the word 'Hou' in an attempt to prove witches worship the devil. Hou is the name of the celtic god Hu Gadarn or Hu the Mighty. This was pointed out by Margaret Murrey in her 1952 book" The God of the Witches."

Many old accounts state that there was no salt at the sabbat feasts. Christians of the time claim that salt was a symbol of salvation and witches hated it. According to Doreen Valiente it was the salt cellar, or container that was missing, not the salt itself. This object was was a mark of social distinctions. There were no distictions of class at a sabbat. "One of the customs of great houses, in former times, was to place a large ornamental salt-vat upon the table, about the centre, to mark the part below which it was proper for tenants and dependents to sit."*

Modern Sabbats

If the celebration is to be out side there will be a fire, and in an area near running water, but it is not necessary. The Elements of Air and Earth are already there. Celebrations include dancing, chanting, making of music, food, drink, magickal workings or just for enjoyment of the holiday. Indoor modifications include a smaller fire and the other Elements represented on an altar.