The Wheel of the Year turns eternally, and the Wiccan Calendar marks the spirit of the seasons at each of the Wiccan Sabbats. At Mabon the abundance of the Harvest is celebrated around 21st September in the Northern Hemisphere, 21st March in the Southern Hemisphere.
Festivals such as Mabon, key to the Wiccan religion as well as the traditions of other Pagans, are an opportunity to acknowledge and give thanks for the precious gifts of nature. Pagan and Wiccan holidays are also a time to align oneself with the power of the nature, in the case of the Sabbat of Mabon there is a powerful opportunity to restore balance in oneself, and in key life projects.
Celebrating the Fall Equinox at Mabon Today
The Wiccan Harvest Festival is a wonderful opportunity to gather the fruits of the earth for a great celebratory meal with friends and family, to give thanks for the abundance of good things that support one in life. Gather berries, home grown vegetables, attend a market of fresh foods and pile the table high with delicious food prepared with love.
Mabon Decorations, Incense and Candles
When celebrating Mabon, decorate the table and home with leaves, fruits, candles and ribbons choosing rich autumnal colors to suit the season. Burn heady scented incenses including cinnamon, myrtle and rosemary.
A Wiccan Home Altar may be adorned in rich reds, browns and greens for the Sabbat of Mabon, along with heads of wheat, branches of berries and colorful fall leaves.
An Autumn Equinox Sharing Circle for Mabon
A sharing circle with friends and family is a wonderful opportunity to inspire each member in their turning inwards for the winter. Allow each person to speak freely of their hopes and fears, wishes and dreams. The other members of the circle listen with care and concentration, giving the speaker a precious opportunity to share their inner thoughts without interruption with those they love. If someone does not wish to speak that is fine, simply pass on your silent love and respect to them.
Traditional Mabon of Autumn Equinox Activities
Harvest Festivals are universal, expressing a fundamental human need to celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of nature. Since ancient times rituals included round dances, harvest wreath head dresses and the joyous harvest home feast. The first of the grains harvested might be offered to the gods in gratitude for the safe gathering of the vital food supplies to last the winter.
Related Articles on Wicca and Paganism
Readers may also enjoy The Wiccan Home Altar along with The Festival of Samhain , the first Wiccan and Pagan Festival to follow the Sabbot of Mabon. The Winter Solstice is a key moment of the Wiccan and Pagan Year, a moment for celebration, reflection and retreat.
Sources:
- Sacred Celebrations: A Sourcebook, by Glennie Kindred.
- The Golden Bough, by Sir James George Frazer.
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