Current mood: chipper
Category: Religion and Philosophy
..> along with my favorite time of year...fall
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Mabon this year will occur on September 23rd. It is celebrated on the Autumnal Equinox.
Mabon is a Magickal time. The leaves are starting to change. There's a snap in the evening air, and dew in the morning grass. The cries of migratory birds make you look up and take in that spicy scent that begins to fill the air.
Mabon marks the beginning of autumn, a time of balance between light and dark, but now we are moving from light into darkness, from the warm, abundance of summer to the barren, cold winter. Also called Harvest Home, this holiday is a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them.
Yet Mabon is probably the most undervalued or forgotten Sabbat in the Wheel of the Year. It's not hard to see why. Mabon is not overshadowed by commercialism the way Ostara, Samhain and Yule are. It marks the second harvest, between Lughnassadh and Samhain, but many of us don't live in an agricultural community. And unlike other Sabbats, Mabon is not an authentic ancient festival in either name or date. Although there are many folk customs associated with the fall harvest and modern Pagans often refer to the Welsh story of Mabon and his mother Modron, it appears the autumn equinox was not celebrated in Celtic countries.
Mabon may be a quiet holiday, but it is a deeply profound one, and there are many ways to celebrate it without family. Mabon is also known as the Feast of Avalon and the festival of the Wine Harvest. To the Celts, Avalon is the mysterious place for the land of the dead and literally means the "land of apples". Thus this is a holiday for celebrating the bounty of the harvest and the desire for the living to be reunited with their deceased loved ones.
But the holiday is also named for the Welsh God Mabon. Mabon means the "great son". He was the son of Modred, kidnapped at the age of 3 and later rescued by King Arthur. His life represents the innocence of youth, the strength of survival and the growing wisdom of the elderly. Perhaps it is this
view of the cycle of life that brings Mabon to his most popular role, the King of the Otherworld and the God of Darkness.
His myths overlap with other Gods such as the Welsh God Gwyn Ap Nuad, which means "white son of darkness". He is seen as the God of war and death, the patron God of fallen warriors. Once again this is a representation or connection to the Land of Avalon.
The Purpose of Mabon:
As a holiday, Mabon represents the time of honoring the dead, visiting burial sites, giving thankfulness for the end of the harvest season and the bounty it provides. In fact, it is our Pagan Thanksgiving.
These are the themes of closing, letting go and remembering. For the year, the harvest and for those who were lost during the year. Although many view the Harvest season as a celebration of life, it is also a celebration of death. The bounty you gather from your garden provides nourishment for you, family and friends. But it is also the death of those plants and vegetables which have been harvested from that garden. Thus Mabon is a celebration of the cycle of life.
At this festival it is appropriate to wear all of your finery and dine and celebrate in a lavish setting. It is the drawing to and of family as we prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain (Halloween to non-pagans). It is a time to finish old business as we ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection.
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Currently listening :
Upstairs at Eric's
By Yaz
Release date: 25 October, 1990