Autumnal equinox, Mabon: Welcome, fall!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22: Sharp scents of cinnamon and clove, met with the sweet taste of apple cider, marks autumn, and today, astrological events signal the autumnal equinox. Equinox, a celestial event, occurs twice per year and is so named because the length of day and night are (almost exactly) equal—after which, the number of hours of sunlight each day will wane until the winter solstice. For Pagans and Wiccans in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year is known as Mabon, during which the gifts of the harvest are recognized and a type of Thanksgiving is celebrated. Mabon is also a time to seek blessings for the approaching winter months.

Did you know? The equinox phenomenon can occur on any planet with a significant tilt to its rotational axis, such as Saturn.

THE SIGHTS AND SMELLS (AND TASTES) OF AUTUMN

Take a walk through the woods, while enjoying the bold colors of autumn; make a horn of plenty that will grace the home through the season.

Looking for a DIY project for autumn? For centuries, people have been making apple dolls and corn dollies at harvest time. Learn how to make applehead dolls and corn dollies, with tutorials from Mother Earth News.

In search of fall recipes? First, check out Bobbie Lewis’s Mabon column, complete with a delicious recipe for apple cake. Want more? You’ll find other options at AllRecipes, Food Network, Taste of Home and Epicurious.

Love the smells of autumn? Bring the scents home with a make-it-yourself scented pinecone wreath.

MABON: THE SECOND HARVEST FESTIVAL

Pagans and Wiccans offer cider, wines and warming herbs and spices to gods and goddesses, while Druids call this time Mea’n Fo’mhair, honoring the God of the Forest. Wiccans celebrate the Mabon with altars, decorating them with pinecones, gourds, corn, apples and other autumn elements.

A time of mysteries, Wiccans recognize the aging of the goddess and visit ancestors’ graves, decorating them with leaves, acorns and other elements of fall. Tables are covered in feasts of breads, root vegetables and apple cider, as scents of cinnamon and nutmeg fill the air. Families gather, and preparations are made for the coming winter months.

For Pagans and Wiccans, Mabon is the second harvest festival; Lughnassadh precedes it, and Samhain will come later. Feasts are prepared, and individuals look to the dark of winter—a time of rest. Autumn’s abundance of harvest foods, combined with a shift to cooler temperatures, has long made it a popular time to reflect, renew and gather.

 

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