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The Sabbats are Wiccan holidays/festivals. They describe the turning of the seasons, old ways of life, and the shortening and lengthening of days.
Because Wicca is a (relatively) new religion, it has been reconstructed from ancient traditions from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and parts of Europe. This means that you'll find that the Wiccan Sabbats are very similar to the festivals in other Pagan paths, because they're a mixture of all the ancient traditions. For example, Samhain and Beltane have their roots from ancient Celts, and Yule comes from ancient Norse traditions.
The Wiccan year starts at Samhain (Halloween), October 31st, and ends with Mabon, September 21st.
According to the Wiccan rede, there are 4 main or Greater Sabbats; Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh/Lammas. The other 4 are Lesser Sabbats, as they were later introduced by Saxons or from European traditions. These are the equinoxes and solstices. Despite this, Yule is often considered a Greater Sabbat because it makes up 5 Greater Sabbats, one for each element and point of a pentacle (fire, earth, water, air, and spirit).
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You will find that many witches -regardless of religion- celebrate the Sabbats, not just Wiccans. This is because a lot of witches base their craft in nature, and the Sabbats are primarily an observation of the turning of the seasons, otherwise known as "The Wheel Of The Year". The Sabbats are also regarded as good opportunities for witches to celebrate their beliefs and practices together with like-minded individuals, as they can give a sense of unification among those who might otherwise be shunned by society.
That is not to say that celebrating the Sabbats is compulsory. Many witches choose only to celebrate a few Sabbats (or none at all), and some even opt to create their own Wheel Of The Year to better fit the changing seasons of their local area, or to match their own beliefs. Since the Wiccan Sabbats are based on seasonal patterns in the UK and Europe, the themes don't always match the seasonal changes of witches who live elsewhere in the world. Some southern hemisphere witches like to switch the Sabbats around to fit their own seasonal changes.
It is also not essential to celebrate the Sabbats on the exact dates on which they occur (some of the Sabbats don't have an exact date anyway). Some witches prefer to celebrate on the nearest weekend. Other witches may wait until visible signs of the turning season appear (e.g. blossoms, autumn leaves). Regardless, you should just do what works for you and celebrate (or not) whenever you want to.
Many of the Sabbats fall around Christian holidays. This is because most Christian holidays have pagan roots, and the original pagan holidays were Christianised to make it easier for pagans to convert. The holiday most famous for this is Christmas whose pagan equivalent is Yule. Pretty much every Christmas tradition you can name has direct pagan roots.
