Autumn Equinox (Mabon): Description: Religious Holidays and Observances: Cultural Involvement: Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Indiana University (2024)

FAQs

What is the autumn equinox Mabon? ›

Autumn Equinox (Mabon) (Mah-bon or May-bon)

It represents the height of nature's abundance and usually falls between September 21 and 24. It is seen as the height of the harvest season and is a time to celebrate nature's bounty. Many also celebrate the balance in nature during Mabon.

Cultural Significance of the Autumn Equinox

It is a time to gather the final crops of the year and give thanks for the abundance of the harvest. These festivals often involve feasting, music, dancing, and other communal activities to celebrate the bountiful harvest season.

Others might perform a ritual to restore balance and harmony to their lives, as this holiday celebrates a day with equal light and day. Another common ritual is to set up an altar with symbols of the season, such as apples, grapes, and other seasonal harvests.

As a baby Mabon was said to have been held hostage as a baby in the underworld, similar to the story of Persephone and Demeter. Indeed, the Greek goddess Demeter is much more closely associated with the Autumn harvest, as it was her grief at losing her daughter that turned the earth from lush abundance to barren cold.

The Autumn Equinox, one of the two points in the year where day and night are of equal length, holds profound astrological significance. This celestial event represents a balance, a moment when the energies of the light and the dark are in harmony, offering a unique time for reflection and introspection.

The autumn equinox, known as Mabon in some pagan traditions, is a time of gratitude for the bountiful harvest the earth has bestowed upon us. To celebrate this, gather your loved ones and partake in a sumptuous feast. The table should be adorned with the rich hues of autumn, from deep reds to golden yellows.

And there's an eagerness to reconnect with some of the routines you may have let go of over Summer. There's a desire to bring some calm into our lives, to feel more grounded than we have over the past few months. And the seasonal energy is making a shift to help us. At the Equinox, the energy is in balance.

Mabon, named after the Welsh god of the harvest, is a time of equal day and night, marking the astronomical transition from summer to fall. It symbolizes the second harvest, where we reap the rewards of our hard work and appreciate the abundance surrounding us.

Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh and wider Brythonic literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair.

Nutmeg, cloves, spice–these are the scents of Mabon. Sandalwood and myrrh, heather, pine and cedar also make good choices. Herbs commonly associated with this Sabbat are mace, cinnamon, cloves, cypress, juniper, oakmoss, marigold, ivy and sage.

What is the symbol of Mabon? ›

The Cornucopia: Mabon is traditionally represented by the cornucopia, also known as the Horn of Plenty. It is a magnificent sign of the prosperity that harvest brings, and it is a beautifully balanced symbol that has both masculine (phallic) and feminine elements (hollow and receptive).

Mabon has evolved into the traditional Harvest Festival as celebrated by our school children with their creative and vibrant church service. The festival of Samhain, more familiar today as Halloween, marked the end of the harvest season and the start of a new Celtic year.

The autumn equinox occurs when the tilt of the Earth's axis is positioned so that the northern and southern hemispheres receive nearly equal amounts of light. The result is roughly equal lengths of day and night.

To celebrate Spring Equinox some Pagans carry out particular rituals. For instance a woman and a man are chosen to act out the roles of Spring God and Goddess, playing out courtship and symbolically planting seeds. Egg races, egg hunts, egg eating and egg painting are also traditional activities at this time of year.