The name Mabon comes from the Celtic God Mabon, or Maponos, who died every year, to be reborn in the Spring. Mabon is pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn
Mabon is the second of the three harvest festivals and is sacred to the Father God. It is a Solar Sabbat. This is the God in his role as the King and Judge.Mabon is also called Harvest Home, Autumn Equinox, Fall Equinox, Second Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Wine Harvest, Alban Elfed, and Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding from now till Oct. 15th, which is called Winter�s Night, which is the Norse New Year.
This is a holiday for giving thanks for the harvest, the food we eat and for sharing our blessings with others.
Colors - Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, and gold
Symbols - Wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.
Herbs - Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, Solomon�s seal, thistle, and vegetables, Vines, Ivy, Hazel, Cedar, Hops, Tobacco.
Stones - Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates, Amethyst and Yellow Topaz.
Foods - Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions. Grains, fruits and vegetables, especially corn. Cornbread is traditional fair, as are beans and baked squash.
Deities - Deities -Wine Deities, Aging Deities.
Traditions - Walk in woods and forests, gather seed pods and dried plants. Then use them to decorate the home, save some for future herbal use. Make wine; decorate burial sites with leaves and other fall foliage to honor those who have passed over.
Recipe
Blackberry Wine
Recipe by Edain McCoy
2 & 1/2 pounds fresh Blackberries
3 cups Sugar
2 cups Hot Water
Let the berries set out in a large bowl for about four weeks, stirring them occasionally. The berries will get a rank smell and may begin to mold.
With mortar and pestle, crush the berries into as smooth a pulp as possible. Stir in the sugar and then the water.
Pour the wine into casks to ferment for eight to ten months. The longer it is kept the better it will be. The wine will have to be aired every few days to allow building gases to escape. This wine has a gentle port-like flavor when finished.
