Mabon is the autumn equinox. Day and night are equal once more, and from here the dark outlasts the light. It is the second harvest, the gathering of fruit, and the Pagan season of thanksgiving.
Mabon at a glance
- Northern Hemisphere
- The autumn equinox, between September 21 and 24
- Southern Hemisphere
- The autumn equinox, between March 19 and 22
- Pronounced
- MAY-bon or MAB-on
- Also called
- The autumn equinox, Harvest Home
- Kind of festival
- Solar festival
- Themes
- Balance, gratitude, sharing, preparation, letting go
- Colors
- Deep red, orange, brown, gold, purple
- Symbols
- Apples, grapes and vines, acorns, autumn leaves, gourds
- Foods
- Apples, grapes, squash, nuts, root vegetables, cider
Where Mabon comes from
The name is modern. Mabon is a figure from Welsh legend, Mabon son of Modron, whose name means the divine son of the divine mother. In the tale he is taken from his mother as an infant and later freed from captivity. His name was given to the autumn equinox festival in the 1970s by an American Wiccan writer, to match the other named sabbats. No historical festival was called Mabon, and some Pagans prefer simply to say the autumn equinox.
The celebration itself has deep roots. Farming communities everywhere have marked the end of the main harvest with a feast. In England it was known as Harvest Home. The last sheaf of grain was cut with ceremony, often woven into a figure, and carried back for a supper shared by everyone who had worked in the fields.
What Mabon means on the Wheel
In the Wiccan story, the God is declining toward his death at Samhain, and the Goddess begins to turn toward her Crone aspect. The earth has given nearly everything it will give this year.
Like Ostara, Mabon is a festival of balance, but the mood is different. Ostara looks forward to growth. Mabon looks back in gratitude and ahead to the dark with preparation. It is the time to count what you have, share it, and get ready for winter.
Ways to celebrate
- Hold a thanksgiving meal. Cook with whatever is in season where you live. Before eating, have each person name one thing they are grateful for.
- Pick apples. Cut one across the middle to find the five-pointed star of seeds at its heart.
- Preserve something. Make jam, dry herbs, or freeze a batch of soup. Storing food is the practical magick of the season.
- Walk in the woods. Collect fallen leaves, acorns, and seed heads for your altar. Take only what has already dropped.
- Finish things. Complete a project, pay a debt, or return what you have borrowed.
- Share the harvest. Give surplus produce to neighbors or to a local food bank.
A simple ritual
An apple for balance and thanks
You will need
- An apple and a knife
- A candle in a safe holder
- Your journal and a pen
What to do
- Light the candle at dusk on the equinox.
- Draw a line down the middle of a page. On one side, list what you are grateful for from this year. On the other, list what you are ready to set down before winter.
- Cut the apple in half across the middle to reveal the star.
- Hold one half and read your list of thanks aloud. Eat that half slowly.
- Hold the other half and read the second list aloud. Say: "I set this down."
- Put the candle out safely. Bury the second half of the apple, or add it to the compost.
After Mabon
The weeks between Mabon and Samhain are the last of the outdoor year. They are a good time to tidy the garden, clean and cleanse the house before it is closed up for winter, and decide what you want from the quiet months ahead.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Mabon falls in March. On the September equinox, Southern Hemisphere witches are keeping Ostara.