Introduction

Mabon, one of the Lesser Sabbats, is the second harvest festival and is held on the autumn equinox to celebrate the last fruits of the year. Like the Spring Equinox, it is a time of balance between dark and light. At this time we are moving from light to darkness, from warmth to cold, we are gathering the harvest of summer to prepare for the winter months.

This is the second of the three harvest festivals; the ripe grain is being reaped from the fields. Vegetable season is ending and the fall fruits, such as apples, are ready to pick. This is a time to celebrate with feasts and thanksgiving.

An equinox is an astronomical point, and due to the fact that the earth wobbles on its axis slightly, the date may vary by a few days, depending on the year. The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator on its journey southward, during this time we experience a day and a night that are of equal duration. Up until Mabon, the hours of daylight have been greater than the hours from dusk to dawn. But from now on, the reverse takes place.

The Welsh Connection

In 1970 Aidan Kelly, a folklorist and poet attached the name Mabon to the Fall Equinox.

He acknowledges that his sources were all literary and not historical. The most influential author among them was Gerald Gardner, followed by the poet Robert Graves and then a list of lesser names including Margaret Murray and Doreen Valiente.

Kelly based this on an interpretation of the story of the Child of Light, Mabon, and the son of the Great Mother, Modron. Mabon, the son of Modron, was stolen from his mother only three nights after his birth at the beginning of time. The Great Mother grieved for her son and the world became dark and cold. During her mourning plants withered and died, and the animals, fat from the summer fruits, slept in their caves to protect themselves from the coming winter.

Mabon is eventually found, with the help of the wisdom and memory of the Oldest Animals – the Blackbird, the Stag, the Owl, the Eagle, and the Salmon. The battle to release the Child of Light is not an easy one and will take months to complete. Ever since Mabon was stolen, the seasons of cold and darkness prevail in sync with the grieving Mother Earth, feeling the loss of Her child. Because Modron’s child is imprisoned deep within the earth, the plants and animals of the earth slow down and move inward. Mabon is eventually found, although he will not be released until Yule when the days again begin to grow longer. At Yule, Mabon is reborn as the Child of Promise and the Son of Light.

The Wiccan Tradition

Even though Mabon was named after a Welsh deity, most Wiccans don’t hold the festival in his honor. Instead, there are many other Mabon deities you can raise a glass to this fall.

During this time, we see the moon goddess lie down and begin her descent. As the harvest nears its end, she enters her final Crone stage. The aging goddess has wild yet hidden energy, which is also abundant in several other female deities. So if you want to honor one of them, you can call on Hecate, Lilith, or the Morrígan.

The Druids call this celebration, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor the Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs, and fertilizer are appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth.

No matter the name you call it, the Fall Equinox is a time of celebration and balance, it is a time to finish the old and to ready ourselves for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection.