Witches' sabbath

A sabbath is a nocturnal gathering of witches, a colorful and intriguing part of the lore surrounding them in Christian European tradition. The concept dates only from 1400, when the Inquisition began investigating witchcraft seriously, though revels and feasts mentioned by such classical authors as the Romans Apuleius and Petronius Arbiter may have served as inspiration.

The sabbath, or sabbat, derived probably from the term for the seventh day used by the despised Jews, might be held on any day of the week, though Saturday was considered rare as being sacred to the Virgin Mary. Attendance at sabbaths varied; one confessed witch reported a gathering of 10,000. Witches travelled to the sabbath smearing themselves with special ointment that enabled them to fly through the air, or they rode on a goat, ram, or dog supplied by the Devil.

- The Brocken - In the Hartz Mountains, Germany
- The Bald Mountain - Near Kiev, Russia
- The Blåkulla - An island on the eastcoast of Sweden
- The Département du Puy-de-Dôme - Auvergne, France

Included the two traditional Druid festivals:
- The Eve of May Day - April 30th
- All Hallows Eve - October 31st

Other dates were:
- The Winter festival - February 2nd
- The Spring festival - June 23rd
- The Summer festival - August 1st
- The Fall/Autumn festival - December 21st

Occurences at the sabbath were represented by inquisitors as including obeisance to the Devil by kissing him under his tail, dancing, feasting and indiscriminate intercourse.