wicca - rites
Many new Wiccans are familiar with the series of eight Sabbats which represent the Wheel of the Year. There are also a series of rites in an individual's life that mirror the Wheel of the Year, honour different stages of life.
Rites for pregnancy and birth can be done for both the baby and for the parents (mother and father). These rites celebrate the new life as well as provide support to the new parents. It is common to ask for health, blessings, and advice during these rites.
Plotted on the Wheel of the Year, this rite of passage falls in the North East, and corresponds to the Sabbat of February Eve/Imblog. This is the time of the promise of new life.
Wiccaning is the term commonly used for the baby welcoming rite. The baby is welcomed into the world and into her new incarnation, similar to a Christening. The baby is not dedicated to the Lord and Lady or to the Wiccan path. Rather, the Lord and Lady (or the parents' Matron and Patron deities) are asked to watch over the child until she is able to make her own decision about which spiritual path to follow.
Wiccaning rites can include the participants offering blessings or gifts to the child. Another possibility is to appoint God/Goddess parents to help oversee the child's spiritual teachings.
Wiccaning falls in the East of the Wheel of the Year, and corresponds to the Sabbat of Spring Equinox/Ostara. This is the time of year to honour new life, beginnings, and innocence.
The Coming of Age rite is generally celebrated when a young person reaches puberty. It marks their moving into adulthood, the start of make decisions on their own such as which spiritual path to follow. It can be helpful to dedicate a rite to the recognition on this change, as a way to provide support to the young person who may be going through some difficult and confusing changes and emotions. (Remember how angst filled your teenage years were?)
On the Wheel of the Year, this rite falls in the South East, and corresponds to the Sabbat of May Eve/Beltane. This is the time of year, and the time of life, to honour the journey towards maturity and the growth of energy (both personal and natural).
The joining together of two people are in love, regardless of sex, is a very joyous event. Many Pagans choose to make their joining legal, and there are some Pagan ministers who are legally capable of performing such marriages. Other Pagans choose a temporary (year and a day) or life-time handfasting which is not legal recognized.
Handfasting falls in the South of the Wheel of the Year, and corresponds to the Sabbat of Summer Solstice/Midsummer. This is the time to honour fertility, life and abundance.
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