Happy Mabon 2022

Happy Mabon (Autumn Equinox) 2022, my friends!

What Is Mabon?

Mabon (pronounced MAY-bone) is a pagan holiday, and one of the eight Wiccan sabbats celebrated during the year. Mabon celebrates the autumnal equinox. In the northern hemisphere, this September 23rd will be the autumnal equinox. However, the southern hemisphere already celebrated Mabon on March 20, while the Northern hemisphere celebrated Ostara. It also celebrates the mid-harvest festival (also known as the second harvest).

Some cultures around the world view the second harvest (after the first harvest also known as Lammas) and equinox as a time for giving thanks. In short, farmers look upon how well both their livestock and crops did. This helped them determine if they would have enough food for the winter. That is why farmers (and some modern cultures) give thanks around this time.

Did you know the original American “Thanksgiving” was actually celebrated on October 3rd? That makes more sense than waiting till the last weekend of November. There aren’t many crops left by then.

Mabon: Origins

Where does the name “Mabon” come from? The name actually comes from the Welsh God, who was the son of the Earth Mother Goddess. In Celtic folklore, Mabon is the son of Modron, the Great Goddess of the Earth, who was kidnapped for three days after his birth making the light go into hiding.

Other sources say Celtic Druids call this celebration, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees.

Mabon’s counterpart in ancient Greece called it Oscophoria. Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine.

Symbols of Mabon

• Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes, eggplant, pumpkins, and gourds
• Apples and anything made from them, such as cider, pies, applesauce, apple butter, and dried apples
• Seeds, nuts, and seed pods
• Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops; bushel baskets are easy to find if you live in an agricultural region with a lot of orchards nearby
• Sickles, scythes, and other harvesting tools
• Grapes, vines, and wine

You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.

Modern Celebrations

For modern pagans of all varieties, this time of year is also about community and kinship. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Most celebrations I have personally attended had significant food drives as part of the festivities, celebrating the bounty of the harvest and sharing with the less fortunate.

If you choose to celebrate Mabon, give thanks for the things you have and take time to reflect on the balance within your own life, honoring both the darkness and the light. Invite your friends and family over for a feast, and count the blessings that you have among kin and community.