Mabon, the Autumn Equinox
Autumn equinox, about September 22nd
Give thanks for what you have, celebrate the gifts of the earth but also acknowledge that the soil is dying.
History: People have been celebrating the harvest for centuries. In Greece people would celebrate Oschophoria for the harvesting of grapes for wine in the 1700s, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, and in China’s Mid-Autumn celebration is on the Harvest Moon night. While US citizen celebrate Thanksgiving in November, many see the second harvest of fall as a time to give thanks for your crops and animals and how well they grew because of how well your family should be eating in the winter. Originally US Thanksgiving was celebrated on October 3rd, but Abraham Lincoln changed this with his “Thanksgiving Proclamation” of 1863 to the last Thursday of November, and in 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to change it to the 2nd to last Thursday to boost moral during the Great Depression but it just confused people and we kept the last Thursday of November to celebrate.
Decorate your altar with colors of autumn like yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Symbols of harvest like baskets, sickles, sythes, and veggies like corn, squash and root veggies. This is a balance so scales, yin-yang symbols, a white and balck candle will all work.
Symbols include mid-autumn veggies (squashes, eggplant, pumpkin, etc), apples (juice, cider, pie, applesauce also), corn dolls, seeds, nuts, seed pods, baskets, sickles, scythes, grapes, vines, and wine.
Prayer for Abundance- We have so much before us and for this we are thankful. We have so many blessings, and for this we are thankful. There are others not so fortunate, and by this we are humbled. We shall make an offering in their name to the gods who watch over us, that those in need are someday as blessed as we are this day.
Balance Prayer- Equal hours of light and darkness we celebrate the balance of Mabon, and ask the gods to bless us. For all that is bad, there is good. For that which is despair, there is hope. For the moments of pain, there are moments of love. For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again. May we find balance in our lives as we find it in our hearts.
To The Gods of the Vine- Hail! Hail! Hail! The grapes have been gathered! The wine has been pressed! The casks have been opened! Hail to Dionysus and Hail to Bacchus, watch over our celebration and bless us with merrymaking! Hail! Hail! Hail!
Prayer to the Dark Mother- Day turns to night, and life turns to death, and the Dark Mother teaches us to dance. Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Nemesis, Morrighan, Tiamet, bringers of destruction, you who embody the Crone, I honor you as the earth goes dark, and as the world slowly dies.
Prayer of Thanksgiving- The harvest is ending, the earth is dying. The cattle have come in from their fields. We have the earth’s bounty on the table before us and for this we give thanks to the gods.
Home Protection Prayer to Morrighan- Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan! Protect this land from those who would trespass upon it! Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan! Guard this land and all those who dwell within it! Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan! Watch over this land and all contained upon it! Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan! Goddess of battle, great goddess of the land, She who is the Washer at the Ford, Mistress of Ravens, And Keeper of the Shield, We call upon you for protection. Trespassers beware! The great Morrighan stands guard, And she shall unleash her displeasure upon you. Let it be known that this land falls under her protection, And to do harm to any within it Is to invite her wrath. Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan! We honor and thank you this day! Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
Some recipes: https://www.learnreligions.com/mabon-recipes-4142766 (Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce, Baked Apple Chips, Harvest Herbal Butter Blends, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Buckeye Candies)
Source: https://www.learnreligions.com/all-about-mabon-the-autumn-equinox-2562286