The History of Mabon

Mabon, also known as the Autumn Equinox, goes by many different names and it is celebrated in some form by practically every culture throughout the world. It is essentially the second harvest of the year. It is a time when American farmers bale the hay, harvest wheats & grains and get the fields ready for the coming of winter. The Autumn Equinox usually falls between September 20th-23rd. This is the time when the skies start to darken earlier and the Holly Kings' power begins to wane. Many historians believe that the Fall Harvest is when the first Thanksgiving Celebration actually took place between the English settlers and the Natives of the new world. The Pilgrims celebrated the first New World harvest; however, Thanksgiving was not the first feast celebrating harvest. Pagans had festivals giving thanks for bounty. By the time Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1861, other Europeans had settled in Amercia and brought their traditions, some Pagan, with them.  Harvest festivals were celebrated by Europeans. Romans celebrated Cerelia by giving thanks to Ceres, the Goddess of Harvest. Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Pagans celebrated Lughnasadh and Mabon - the first and second harvests. The Greeks gave honor to Demeter during the Thesmophoria. The New Englanders' Pagan ancestors celebrated Harvest Home, the first reaping of crops, in August. There was a silent time for graditude and reflection, followed by singing and dancing after which a bountiful feast was held.

HAPPY MABON TO ALL & BRIGHTEST BLESSINGS!!!!!


(For sabbat dates, please see the post, "The Wheel of the Year..." - November 2010)