Traditions | How We Celebrate | Recipes | Correspondences

Mabon, pronounced May-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn, is the Fall Equinox, named after the Celtic God of the same name. This lessor Sabbat is known, not only by the name of Mabon, but also that of Harvest Home, Winter Finding and Alban Elved plus various other names, such as The Second Harvest Festival, the Festival of Dionysus, Harvest of First Fruits, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding, spans a period of time from this Sabbat to Oct. 15th, Winter's Night, which is the Norse New Year. The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honour The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees.

The Autumnal Equinox is an instant frozen in time. Mabon marks the halfway point between the zenith of the Sun at Litha and it's nadir the night before Yule when our earth is at a complete equal facing with the sun which, at the equinox, enters the sign of Libra. This is the second time of year that day and night are equal, the first time being at Ostara. However, unlike at Ostara when the days will grow longer than the nights, after this day the darkness is beginning to gain over the day. Mabon marks the beginning of Autumn and the death of the land, that is to come, but it is also a celebration of life, as it is the second, and largest, harvest of the year. At this time we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with everyday life. The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is known as the "Harvest Moon," since farmers would also harvest their crops during the night with the light of the full moon to aid them.

The God & Goddess At Mabon Mythically, Mabon is the day of the year when the God of Light is defeated by his twin and alter-ego, the God of Darkness. Mabon symbolises the male side of the Harvest and is the son of the Great Mother Earth, Mabron also known as Maponus in Britain. Mabon may also be seen as the child who is born at Yule and is the God of the Sun. He grew into a an energetic toddler at Imbolc. The forests were his playground for the sprightly youth with golden hair at Ostara. At Beltane we see him matured and with his new bride. During the growing season he has sent the warm winds from the South, glowing with all his might, to help the crops grow. He is a man in his prime at Litha, and, at Lughnasadh, a leader, provider and a teacher of His people. In many traditions the Otherworld is equated with the Mother's womb. Because the passing of Mabon is inevitable he should be mourned but we must remember that as with all cycles there are things that must end, but the ending is always a good time to celebrate our successes, thank our selves and those who helped us, and take part in the balance of life. Mabon's Mother, Madron is also tired now and is the kindly Old Grandmother Crone who watches over all of us with her wisdom. Her daughter the Mother Goddess is also here to celebrate the Harvest in which she has helped us grow. The Goddess, full with child, cradles her dying lover in her arms. He slowly withdraws into her arms.

Mabon marks the end of the second harvest, a time when the majority of crops are gathered. Nuts, apples, and grapes all autumn crops are the featured items at this Sabbat feast. Berries, which began to ripen in summer, are ready now to be made into jam, jellies and wines. In many traditions there is a taboo against eating autumn berries after Mabon unless they were made into wine.

Reflection: Mabon is the time for looking back upon the efforts of the past - not just this year, or the last, but of your lifetime. Look back at this time and be sure to congratulate yourself on all those things you have done well, while, at the same time, being sure to think of things you wish to improve. Mabon is an excellent time to give thanks to all the time and energy put forth by others to help you. The work done by others not only helps you by making your work easier, it gives you a base to build higher than you could without it.

Balance: At Mabon we realise that this is not only a time of the physical balance of day and night, but a time of magical balance. Forces of dark and light are trading places once again and the wheel turns. Since this is one of the two days of balance in the year, along with Ostara, it is traditional to clean the house. At this time you can rid yourself of all of the clutter around your home and in your daily life. The thresholds of the house are blessed to protect those living inside. Foods are harvested, preserved and stored, animals begin to hibernate in preparation for the winter, and new clothes are bought and made for the colder times that await. The harvest theme of Mabon cannot be denied. With all of the blessings we have received it is natural to use this time of year to show our gratitude.
Magically speaking, this is an excellent time to perform spells around the idea of balancing out your life. Remove any guilt, and replace it with love and acceptance. The light half of the year from the spring equinox, until Mabon, is the best time of the year for outward turning magick. This magick is that which draws from and effects forces which lie outside of yourself. Spells which turn upon inner forces and mostly effect your own self will become more and more important as the dark half of the year grows in power. It had the power to give to the person in possession of it whatever he or she wished for.

Make A Cornucopia: You will need: a cornocopia basket, either handmade or from one you buy from a shop or garden centre. Alternatively you can make a salt dough cornucopia. Once you have your cornucopia, fill this with fruits, flowers, and veggies of the season, spilling out onto the table. Add to it small trinkets or charms for prosperity, abundance, or anything else you would like to give thanks for.The cornucopia, also known as the "Horn of Plenty", is a symbol of prosperity and affluence, dating back to the 5th century BC. In Greek mythology, Amalthea brought Zeus up on the milk of a goat. In return Zeus gave her the goat's horn. This gave rise to the legend of the cornucopia. The original depictions were of the goat's horn filled with fruits and flowers: deities, especially Fortuna, would be depicted with the horn of plenty. More modern images, such as those used in harvest celebrations, depict a horn-shaped wicker basket filled with fruits and vegetables. The cornucopia is also a favourite design for corn dolly making.

Preserve The Harvest: Gone are the days when we needed to make great autumn preparations to provide ourselves with a hedge against winter starvation by filling the loft with apples, the cellar with root vegetables and the larder with barrels of salt fish and pickled pork (although the occasional snowstorm can keep us on our toes). However, it is still a satisfying pleasure to keep the memory of high summer in the winter by making jams, pickles and chutneys. It isn't very hard to do either, get yourself a book on preserve making and get creative, homemade blackberry jam or apple chutney can't be beaten. You can gather hedgerow fruits whilst out on your Mabon travels and in next to no time upon your return home you turn them into delicious treats to serve over the winter months. You can even research and make your own special Mabon Chutney or Jam.

Submitted by Moonshadow - Mabon brings my favourite season of the year. The trees are starting to change colour and there is that unmistakable sense that there is a difference in the air. Not just the smell of falling leaves, but a certain crispness that wasn’t there just a few days before. I ponder the fact that the days of summer are behind me and that they were sweet while the warmth of the sun was with me, and remember the time passed and reflect how my garden and I have grown. My personal rituals are simple and entwined with daily life. Around this poignant time of the year, I work on awakening the energy of Crone within. I gather the last of the garden's herbs, tie them in bundles and hang them inside for drying. I look through the garden with a wisewoman's keen eye, clearing out the old growth, cutting back the dying foliage. I trim the perennials that need to put their energy back into their roots for the cold months ahead. I rake and mulch, and scatter dead blossoms and wizened seed pods for the birds.

Later I take some time to be outdoors during the last golden rays of the sun. Taking a walk with Simon through falling leaves at our favourite place to be at Mabon, I never miss an oppourtunity to run through the freshly fallen leaves, that's been a ritual unto itself ever since I was a child. We observe the animals in the place we are walking, it's amazing watching them making ready for the cold months ahead. We use this walk as a way of refreshing our instinctual self and listening to our whole body, heart and spirit. Breathing in the clarity this Sabbat brings and breathe out peace and love for nature.

Don't forget to leave offerings for the the trees and for the Goddess & God, we also use this walk as a time to gather any last items such as pine cones, acorns, blackberries etc to store and use later for food or decoration. It's nice after a walk in the crisp autumn air to come back to a cup of warming Spiced Apple Brew (see recipe below), which we sit and sip whilst we warm up and wait for our evening meal to be ready.

Other Things To Do

Gather fruits, berries and other items suitable for making wine and on Mabon day busy yourself making wine from natures bounty ready for the next Mabon feast.

Fill your kitchen with the fruits of the season: pumpkins in all sizes, colourful gourds if you can get them, juicy grapes, baskets of berries and corn. Decorate your door with corn husks. Gather acorns and apples in every colour for your altar.

Make a corn dolly charm out of the first grain you harvest or acquire. Corn dollies are appropriate altar decorations for any of the 3 harvest sabbats. (See the Lammas Sabbats page for further information on making corn dollies and also the Witch Crafts section for a more detailed look at corn dolly making and history).

Light candles at dusk . . . Yellow for health, orange for sharing the harvest, and purple for deepening spiritual awareness.

Gather the spices of the season and toss out last year's stale spices during the waning moon, and visualise old habits, obstacles, and outworn desires being cleared from your life. Restock your pantry with fresh cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole nutmegs, allspice, curry powder, cumin, chilli powder, cayenne, peppercorns, sea salt. Warming herbs such as dried basil, marjoram, and dill are wonderful for the chill of the coming winter. Rosemary, thyme and sage are traditional must-haves for the months to come.

Mabon Recipes

Spiced Apple Brew - Serves 4 This wonderfully warming spiced apple drink is perfect to come home to after being outdoors in the crisp autumn air. We put ours in the slow cooker to be warming slowly whilst we're out and we come back to a ready made and delicious drink to warm us up. 1 Litre Apple Juice 6 Whole Cloves 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon 1/4 Tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg 100ml Orange Juice Orange & Apples Slice to decorate.

Method : Heat the apple juice in a large pan. Heat it gently and do not let it boil. When it is just below boiling, keep it at temperature and add the other ingredients. Let the brew infuse for at least five minutes or so. Strain out any cloves and serve in mugs or mulled wine glasses. To make an alcoholic version add some white rum just before serving. You will also get a satisfied smile as well as the warming effect of the drink.

Mabon Vegetable & Coconut Curry - Serves 4 A marvelously warming dish for when the nights draw in and you need something to warm you up, you can make the curry powder yourself or use a pre mixed one. This dish smells wonderful to return home to. Serve with rice or a grain such as couscous and some naan bread. 2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil 1 Medium Onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbs. Curry powder, (or more, to taste) 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala 4 Carrots, scrubbed, sliced into chunks 1/2 Cauliflower, cored, cut up into bite size pieces 2 Medium Potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced 250ml Dry White Wine 250ml Vegetable Stock 2 Tsps. Mango Chutney 1 x 14 oz. can light coconut milk 75g Peas, (frozen) 1 x 16 oz. can chick peas, drained, rinsed Pepper freshly ground

Method : In a large pan heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the onion until softened. Lower the heat and stir in the garlic and spices, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in the carrots, cauliflower and potatoes. Stir well to coat with the spices, and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the wine and stock, and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat and cover, gently cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, mango chutney, sultanans and baby peas. Gently simmer the stew until the vegetables are fork tender, for about 10 minutes or so. Add in the chick peas and stir. Taste for seasoning adjustments, and add the freshly ground pepper. Heat through for another 5 minutes, and serve immediately. Serve this deliciously spicy-sweet curry with rice accompanied with naan breads.

Mabon Herbs: Apple, Benzoin, Balm of Gilead, Calendula, Elderberry, Blackberry, Hazel, Milk Thistle, Mugwort, Myrrh, Oak, Orris Root, Rowan Berries, Honeysuckle & Rose.

Mabon Incense: Frankincense, Jasmine, Sage, Cinnamon, Myrrh, Pine & Passionflower.

Mabon Colours: Orange, Dark Red, Corn Yellow, Brown, Burgundy, Deep Purple & Gold.

Mabon Decorations: Acorns, Pomegranates, Pine Cones, Baskets of fallen leaves, Horn of Plenty.

Mabon Foods: Breads (especially whole wheat or multigrain), Cornbread, Corn, Pumpkins & Squash, Apples, Root Vegetables e.g. carrots, potatoes and onions, Baked apples, Cider, Beans, Nuts, Oat cakes, Wine, Grapes and grape juice & Blackberries.

Spellwork appropriate for Mabon: Spells for protection, Health, Prosperity, Security, Self-confidence & Balance.