sabbat
Noun: A sabbat is a midnight gathering or assembly of witches, traditionally believed to be held for the purpose of practicing witchcraft, sorcery, and engaging in demonic rites. Historically, particularly during the Middle Ages and the early modern period, it was commonly thought to involve a blasphemous parody of Christian rituals and was often described as a demonic orgy.
The word sabbat is used specifically in the context of historical witchcraft beliefs, folklore, and studies of the European witch trials. It refers to the alleged secret meetings of witches.
Examples: * Medieval inquisitors wrote detailed accounts of the witches' sabbat. * The folklore described the sabbat as a terrifying ceremony held in a remote forest clearing. * Historians study descriptions of the sabbat to understand the fears and beliefs of the past.
- Capitalization: The word is sometimes capitalized as Sabbat, especially when referring to it as a specific event or within certain modern pagan contexts that have reclaimed the term.
- Distinction from "Sabbath": It is crucial to distinguish sabbat from Sabbath. While they sound similar, Sabbath (typically capitalized) refers to a day of religious observance and rest in Abrahamic religions, such as Saturday (Judaism) or Sunday (Christianity). Sabbat is specifically related to witchcraft.
- Witches' Sabbath: This is a common synonymous phrase for sabbat.
- Esbat: In some modern Wiccan and pagan traditions, an esbat is a regular meeting, often held at the full moon, contrasted with the more major seasonal festivals (also called sabbats in this context, but with a different, non-demonic meaning).
- Witches' gathering
- Witches' assembly
- Coven meeting (though a "coven" is the group itself, and its meeting could be called a sabbat)
The concept of the sabbat is based on accusations, confessions (often obtained under torture), and folklore rather than verified historical events. It represents a composite of medieval Christian demonology and popular superstition. In modern times, some neopagan groups use the term sabbat to denote one of their eight seasonal festivals, completely divorcing it from its historical demonic connotations.
- a midnight meeting of witches to practice witchcraft and sorcery; in the Middle Ages it was supposed to be a demonic orgy