Southern sabbats

Okay.I'm in the southern hemisphere and I was wondering, should I celebrate the sabbats on the original dates for the northern hemisphere? Though I feel more inclined to celebrate them on the southern dates as the correspond with the season and I can't be celebrating winter in summer! I'm just wondering if there are any other witches with this dilemma and what they do :)

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I'm not in the Southern Hemisphere, but I would say that the sabbats are directly linked to the seasons and the shifting of the year.. Celebrating Yule in the middle of summer probably isn't ideal, nor is celebrating the summer solstice in mid winter.

I would always say, go with what you think is right, to you.

Thank-you

The Sabbats in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite the dates of those in the Northern Hemisphere. So in the Southern Hemisphere the Sabbats would fall as follows:

Yule - June 21-23

Impolc - Aug 1

Ostara - Sep 21-23

Beltane - Oct 31

MidSummer - Dec 21-23

Lammas or Lughnassad - Feb 1

Mabon - March 21-23

Samhain - May 1

Also, in the Southern Hemisphere the directions for the Elemental Quarters are also reversed to reflect the climate there. So East = Air, South = , West = Water, and North = Fire.

There is an excellent website with lots of good information for those practicing in the Southern Hemisphere that can be found at http://www.applegroveonline.com/

A question on this. Is there any differences it could cause to your celebrating and/or ritual depending if you follow the date or the seasons?

You should follow the season not the date. Ostara celebrates spring, little odd if your area is entering autumn. This is why some pagans re-evaluate and edit the wheel to Bette reflect their region. Imbolc is about the first signs of spring but in my area we're still dealing with snowstorms, so I celebrate it as more of a time of balance, meditation and putting plans in motion to begin at Ostara. [plus you try opening all your windows for a cleansing when it's -20]

personally I'm a little envious of people who celebrate Yule, Ostara, and Samhain when it's not currently Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. [especially when people use the argument 'your most holy day is Halloween' no, it just so happens we have a religious holiday that falls on the day you give candy to children, which is not our choice]

so it's better to follow the seasons but you can follow dates too. the only reason i got confused is because, lets say you live in the southern hemisphere then go to the northern hemisphere. you may miss out on holidays or have two lots of one holiday because the switching between seasons.