Brief explanation of Mabon

Post by **RegularJackass** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:18 pm

Mabon is another name for the autumn equinox. It is THE autumn festival. It is also known as Harvest Home. Astronomically speaking, Mabon is the first day of autumn, a season which lasts from Mabon until Yule - see link here for explanation https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/aboutseasons.html. This year, 2018, it falls on Saturday, September 22. A good resource for determining this year's date of the equinox is the Old Farmer's Almanac at https://www.almanac.com. Don't confuse Mabon with Thanksgiving; it is one out of the four harvest festivals many American Witches celebrate - Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, and Thanksgiving. To oversimplify these harvest festivals: Lammas is for grain, Mabon is for nuts and wine, Samhain for apples and meat, and Thanksgiving for well, you know.
Mabon is the first day of autumn. In my own practice, Mabon is a time for me to honor my family's dead. I don't do anything special or specific, I just remember them quietly and make a good dinner for my own family. I also ask the Angels to join my family and I in the celebration. Taking trips out to farms, gathering gifts of nature from the ground such as fallen leaves and acorns, arts and crafts with autumn objects, resting and quiet contemplation, telling stories or hosting plays, offering libations to trees, honoring the land, and honoring the dead are all traditional for this holiday. Also hosting a potluck or family dinner in a lavish setting, wearing fancy clothing, is not a bad idea. And of course, as with all Wiccan holidays, making great food, decorating the place, and arranging natural objects and flowers is par for the course. You may also wish to visit the elderly on and after this holiday, or volunteer your time at a soup kitchen, or otherwise volunteer your service. Finally, this might be one of the last days you can picnic or eat outside so an outdoor family cookout or BBQ may be good. If you love autumn and can't wait for the seasons to turn so that you can put on that cozy sweater, drink some hot cider, and get into that autumn spirit, this is a holiday just for you.
Themes include balance, life and death, keeping and discarding, focusing on what's important.
Mabon is a good time to cast spells for balance in your life.
Colors include brown, burgundy, orange, tan, red, deep orange, maroon, violet, and fall colors
Foods include wine, bread, apples, cider, pears, nuts, family recipes, meats, stews, root vegetables, honey, maple syrup, popcorn, and cornbread.
Symbols include: cornucopia, colorful leaves, indian corn, grapevines, theater masks, and... books
Some good resources
http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/angelline/mabon.htm
http://pentacle.swankivy.com/mabon.html
https://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/mabon.htm
http://www.pookapages.com/Mabon_Crafts.htm
http://hearthnhomewitchery.tripod.com/c ... rvest.html
What are you doing this coming Mabon?