I don’t know about you but September is one of my favorite months. The leaves start to turn. There’s a tangible energy in the air that whispers to us of the coming Fall days. Many of us begin our preparations for the winter, be it physically or spiritually. In this article, we answer the question what is Mabon? And provide some easy and fun Mabon celebrations for the whole family.
What is Mabon?
Mabon is the Wiccan/Pagan term for the Autumn Equinox that occurs annually between September 21st and 23rd. It’s the first official day of Fall, sometimes known as the Witches’ Thanksgiving. Mabon is the second of three harvest festivals for many Wiccans, witches and neo-pagans (Lughnasadh and Samhain are the 2 others). Mabon is the welcoming of the harvest and our last farewell to the long days of Summer.
Who is Mabon the god?
The term Mabon is of Celtic origin – it’s the name of a Welsh Celtic mythological figure. His name pops up in Arthurian legend and is featured in Welsh Celtic mythology. Mabon is believed to translate to “the Great Son”, which makes sense that Mabon’s mother is Modron a.k.a. “the Great Mother”. Here we see a divine mother-son motif as in many other religious and cultural belief systems (Mary – Jesus; Isis – Horus, etc.). Mabon is a Celtic god of light, death and resurrection, the harvest and more.
Traditional Mabon Celebrations
On Mabon, we know of a few earth goddesses that symbolically go “underground” to rest during the winter including Persephone and Inanna. And in the Spring they are born anew. In modern times, Druids offer libations to the Green Man of the forest on Mabon, while Wiccans acknowledge the Mother aspect of the Goddess. These are just a few traditional Mabon celebrations.
6 Simple Mabon Celebrations
1. Decorate Your Mabon Altar
One of my favorite Mabon celebrations is to decorate for Fall. I start with my Mabon altar: I clear off my Summer decor, clean everything on my altar, then cleanse all of my tools and set them back on the altar. THEN I add Fall decor to my Mabon altar, for example: pinecones, acorns, twinkly orange lights, leaves, apples, gourds, etc. Orange, red, brown and yellow hues are best for a Mabon altar.
2. Decorate Your Home
In Ellen Dugan’s Cottage Witchery, Dugan states that being a witch isn’t about what you buy, it’s about being resourceful and creative. Easy, low-cost ideas for decorating include: dried leaves and/or acorns (picked from your yard or nearest park), dried corn sheaths or hollow gourds from a local market or craft store. Fall wreaths with apples, pumpkins, leaves, etc. Green, brown, and orange candles arranged throughout your home. Fall colored linens are a nice touch. Make your whole house your Mabon altar!
3. Have a Mabon Feast
Instead of planning an elaborate Mabon celebration, work your celebration into your daily life by cooking a planned Autumn dinner. Instead of having the usual quick weekly meal, try making an herb-roasted chicken with lemon thyme green beans and having a pumpkin dessert afterward.
4. Gratitude as a Mabon Celebration
What is Mabon all about, truly? It’s about being grateful and giving thanks to the Earth and the gods/ancestors for what we have in life. What are you thankful for? Discuss your gratitude at dinner or simply thank the people in your life who make your life better! You can also leave an offering on your altar to the earth goddesses or ancestors to show your gratitude.
5. Mabon Corn Dollies
If you’re a particularly crafty person, try making corn dollies in honor of the harvest goddesses.
Corn Dolly Instructions:
- Take five pieces of straw with heads, and 20 to 30 more stalk stems.
- Tie the five pieces (with heads) around your dowel, making the tie as close to the wheat heads as possible with the clove hitch knot (see illustration).
- Bend each stem in a 90 degree angle, so that one head points in each direction. (Think of the north, south, east, and west points on the compass.) This arrangement will leave one extra straw that you’ll aim just to your left, assuming you are sitting south of the compass.
- Start with the extra “beginner” straw pointed toward you (the one just to the left of the south stem) and bend it up parallel to the dowel. Then bend it to the right over two wheat stems. If you’re thinking compass: your first bend will be over the south and east stems.
- Now, turn the dowel 90 degrees (a 1/4 turn) clockwise. The east stem will now become the south stem. Take your new south stem and bend it over two more stems. Again, turn the dowel 90 degrees, and repeat the process.
- It will take five bends to complete the circle, and you’ll continue building up circles one on top of the other. It won’t be long before you’ll reach the end of a stem and run out of straw. Simply join another straw stem into the “run-out” one. To do so, cut the small end of a stem (the end nearest the top) at an angle and then slip this end into the larger, hollow end of the used-up stem.
- Try to use only one of these for each round around the dowel or it will weaken the spiral.
- When you’ve made the size dolly you want, simply tie off the ends with a brightly colored ribbon or another piece of straw.
- Add the finishing touch by joining heads into the weave, which will leave you with straw heads at both the top and bottom of your weave (instructions pulled from Mother Earth News here).
6. Mabon Celebration Bonfire
In addition to having a feast or making crafts for Mabon celebrations, having a bonfire is always a warm and welcome treat to welcome in Autumn.
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