Wiccans and Witches meet as a coven, their version of a church meeting. Often meetings are held on Sabbats, or Wiccan holidays, or when a coven member is in need of assistance from the group.
In addition to the Sabbats, there are also Esbats, which occur once a month, timed with the cycles of the moon. These are not as widely celebrated as Sabbats.
A coven need not be made of thirteen members. Most are much smaller than this. Many Wiccans consider the number thirteen powerful and sacred, and some covens do limit their numbers to no more than thirteen.
If a coven wishes to remain at thirteen, but has grown to a larger number, a new coven with a new head, called a High Priestess, is split, or hived, off from the original.
A coven is led by a High Priestess, who is sometimes aided by a High Priest, though this is not a requirement. If one expression of gender is seen as dominant, it is the feminine.
A High Priestess or Priest is not seen as an ultimate authority, but rather as a leader, or an experienced guide.
Sabbats or Holidays
Wiccans celebrate eight Sabbats, holidays based on solar cycles and ancient Pagan celebrations. Some of these holidays coincide with Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter.
Yule is celebrated with the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It usually occurs near the 21st day of December.
Imbolic, or Candlemas, marks the beginning of February and celebrates the end of winter.
Ostara is marked on the Spring Equinox, when the days and nights are balancing out in length. It is a fertility festival.
Beltane, or May Day, is the first day of May, and is the last of the spring holidays. It celebrates the coming of the warm summer season.
Summer Solstice, or Midsummer Night’s Day, is celebrated on the longest day of the year. This is a celebration of the sun and its bounty.
Lammas, or Lughnassadh, is celebrated in the beginning of August, and is a harvest festival.
Autumn Equinox, or Mabon, is also a harvest festival, celebrating the bounty of summer and the beginning of autumn.
Halloween, or Samhain, is celebrated on October 31st, and marks the Wiccan New Year. It is the final harvest festival.