Mabon/Autumn Equinox/Midfall (Sept 21)
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Summer is over, and Winter is quickly approaching. Autumn is the second time of year, when day and night are of equal length. It is a time to celebrate the harvest and to store our abundance for the coming cold months of winter. Animals are busy preparing for winter hibernation. Mabon marks the completion of the grain harvest begun during Lughasadh. Mabon celebrates hunting and harvest. I would imagine that the calves of the spring of this and or last year would be slaughtered and the meat stored.
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The word Mabon (could also be Maponos) is Welsh for "Son", and refers to the Welsh God of youth. Mabon is the son of Modron ("young man" son of "mother goddess") was a hunter-god. He was stolen from his mother at three days old, and lived in Annwn, whence he was rescued as an adult. He was forever young. He has the power to make a land flourish or waste away.
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Mabon/Maponos the god has nothing to do with the holiday Mabon. The Autumn Equinox was named "Mabon" by Aidan Kelly (author of Crafting the Art of Magic). The reason for this is unknown, however I believe it has something to do with the myth of Mabon being able to make the land flourish and waste away.
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The Autumn Equinox holiday is the final harvest festival, a time of thanks giving and is related to Michaelmas. Michaelmas is the old English name for the feast day of Saint Michael and All Angels, on September 29. The date is believed to have been selected because it is the anniversary of the dedication of the Church of Saint Michael and All Angels on the Salarian Way in Rome in the 6th century. In England, Michaelmas is one of the quarter days, traditionally marked by the election of magistrates, the beginning of the legal and university terms, and the collection of quarterly rents.
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I have also seen this holiday attributed to Meadhbh. I think it is a little far fetched. Meadhbh was the warrior queen of the Ulster Cycle. She is sometimes thought to be the combined mother and warrior aspect of the Triple Goddess (The Morrigan, I believe Macha is confused or related to Meadhbh). The Pagan festival of Mabon was celebrated in her honor each year at the Autumnal Equinox. During the festival, those wishing to be King were not endorsed unless Meadbbh invited them to drink of her mead wine (said to represent or actualy contain menstrual blood which was considered to contain women's wisdom). Drinking of the mead wine ensured that the male king would be well versed in women's wisdom.
National Pagan Pride Day (Sept 23, 2000), make sure to wear a
red,
white, and black ribbon. The black and white ribbon would serve to represent the balance of our beliefs the red would symbolize the bloodshed of the Burning Times. Together these ribbons will symbolize how far we have come and pay homage to those that came before us.
It's not to early to make Pagan Pride ribbons to wear, cut a six inch piece of each color ribbon. Get some safety pins and a hot glue gun. First lay one ribbon down vertically, then place a spot of glue about an inch from the end closest to you. Then place the next color diagonally across the first one, repeat in the opposite direction with the last ribbon so that your ribbons resemble \|/ (only the ends will be crossing). Next put a spot of glue where the ribbons intersect, place an open saftey pin in the spot of glue, then take one of the ribbons and match the ends up and press the ribbon into the glue, continue until all the ribbons are set. Then you have a Pagan Pride pin! (I have made at least 19 Pagan Pride pins for fellow pagans and friends.)
For further information on Pagan Pride, please see the
Pagan Pride Web Site