Originally a #Babylonian word, #Sabbat designated the quarter-days of the lunar cycle (Full, New, First & Last Quarter) thus occurring about every 7 days.

Minor Sabbats (or quarter days) are the 2 #solstices & 2 #equinoxes since they quarter the year.

Major Sabbats (or cross-quarter days) bisect the 4 quarters of the solstices & equinoxes. This makes them power-days due to the climax of nature's energy before its decline, similar to peaks & wanes of full moon energy

https://www.stellaseaspirit.co.za/cross-quarter-days-beltane-samhain/

#MythologyMonday: #Loughcrew is connected in legend to the great hag #Cailleach. Its #Irish name means “mountain of the hag” (Sliab na Cailleach). One cairn at #Loughcrew opens to the dawn of both #Equinoxes.
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and Folklore`
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RT @NeuKelte
#MythologyMonday: On the side of one hill of the #Loughcrew (Sliab na #Cailleach) complex is the Hag’s Chair. Atop that hill is a decorated cairn …
https://twitter.com/NeuKelte/status/1637803104182599680

I had one of those “Why didn’t that ever occur to me before?” moments. The time between the #Equinoxes is not symmetrical. It’s about 186 days between the #March and #September equinoxes and about 179 days from September to March. This is because the speed of the #Earth in its #orbit varies as it’s #elliptical rather than circular. I never bothered to count the days and yet it’s “obvious” when you look at the calendar. This gives an eccentricity of the orbit to be around 0.015.