The weather is finally just beginning to cool for the first time since summer began. We are heading into the fall season which starts on the day of the Autumn equinox. This is one of 2 days throughout the year where day and night are equal in length. This will not occur again until the spring equinox. Historically this time of year was celebrated as a time to complete the yearly harvest before the cold weather set in.
Many pagans today call this holiday Mabon rather than the Autumn Equinox. This is a term taken from the ancient celts which they used to call their end harvest. There is some evidence to suggest that the name Mabon may have come from the Welsh for Mabo who was the son of the Earth Mother god. In some cultures both in ancient times and today this celebration was a week long time for festivities. This was a time when there was plenty of food and the weather was often moderate so it was a good time to enjoy time with friends. Traditionally this was a time to give thanks for the harvest that was just collected and to pray it was enough to get through the long winter ahead.
Now that we have gone over some of the history and there reason as to why this holiday is important let’s talk about how to celebrate :
Dressing you Altar
There is no right or wrong way to decorate an altar, however many pagans choose to decorate their altar based on the holiday being celebrated. This time of year is associated with anything having to do with fall. Some common items are colored leaves, cornucopias, apples, flowers, anything harvested, pumpkins, and most things red, orange or brown. This is a time to showcase the beauty of the season, often smells such as pumpkin pie and cinnamon are used to represent this time of year.
Ways to Celebrate
There are many ways to celebrate this day and season, how you choose to celebrate is up to you. I will touch on how I celebrate a bit later but here are some ideas you may wish to try.
Go for a walk in you favorite wooded areas
Take some time to reflect on how your summer went
Cook some fall foods
Harvest local growing plants
Make crafts with nature
Get in touch with the world around you
Host a private or open ritual
Host a bonfire or barbeque
Magic and Mabon
Many of you may be wondering what type of magic or ritual would be good to do around this time of year. This is a time of year where balance and abundance are the focal point. Any time of ritual that focuses on either would be good to do at this celebration. For many Mabon is also the end of the pagan year so it can be a good time for rid of what is no longer needed. This means it can be a good time to do a chord cutting or a severing of ties. The most important takeaway from this season though should be balance and abundance.
My Celebration
We start our day by ensuring the altar is ready. For me, this includes most if not all of my children coming with me. They like to ensure it checks out okay also. We then start to cook a big meal as we invite all of our family and friends over. We enjoy a meal together, talk and laugh and have fun. When the sun goes down we light a big fire and host a ritual for abundance for those who wish to participate. The children play games and run around and the adults chat. It is a fun time for all with a focus on togetherness. These are the people I will be spending the coming months with my family. One thing that we enjoy this time of year is drinking Wassail. I will include the recipe I use, however please note I did not come up with it, I've just been using it for years and don’t know the original source.
Wassail
Crock pot
1 gallon apple cider
2 apples (Macintosh if you can find them)
3 oranges
1 jar of whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups orange juice
Whiskey ( optional)
Put 2 cups of orange juice in the crock pot. Add cinnamon and cinnamon sticks. Open overs and push them into the skin of the apples and oranges. You need at least 20-25 in each fruit. Place the fruit into the crock pot. Add apple cider until the pot is full. Simmer for 5 hours, mixing periodically. Add whiskey to taste , if using, and serve.Hope you have a joyous Holiday.
May you be blessed upon your journey,
Sara Lynn
