Mabon (autumn equinox) is the completion of the harvest that began at Lammas and takes place usually around September 21st. (anywhere from the 20th to the 23rd) Day and night are again equal and balanced, but the darkness is winning and the sun fades in the sky. On this day, which will fall somewhere between the dates above, the Sun again passes the equator, this time on its trek south. The earth is fully harvested as the God gives up his life to begin the renewal towards birth within the Goddess. Nature draws back and begins to rest. We say farewell to the God and prepare for His rebirth. This is a time for resting and a time of completion, thanksgiving, evaluation and meditation. Take stock in what you've received and prepare for the dark days. This is a great time for grounding and storytelling.

Herbs: Hazel, Corn, Acorns, Oak, Wheat Stalks, Cypress cones, Pine cones

Incense : Myrrh, Sage, Pine
Colour : Orange, Dark red, Yellow, Brown
Decorations: Acorns, Pomegranates, Pine Cones, Baskets of fallen leaves

Foods: Breads, Corn, Cornbread, Beans, Squash, Apples, Roots (carrots,
potatoes, onions), Cider

The feast that you have after gathering in the harvest is called by many
names:

Mabon (Celtic)
Fall Equinox
Festival of Dionysus (Greek)
Wine Harvest
Cornicopia
Feast of Avalon
Equinozio di Autunno (Strega)
Alban Elfed (Caledonii or Druidic - which celebrates the Lord of the
Mysteries).
Winter Finding (The Teutonic name for this period which begins on the
Equinox itself and runs until Winter Night, October 15th. Winter Night
is the Nordic New Year.)

Basically Mabon is the "Thanksgiving" of the Pagan peoples. We may not work the fields all the live long day as our ancestors did, but most of us work quite hard so we should celebrate what we've done to be thankful for.

Who is Mabon?

Mabon, the Welsh God who symbolizes the male side of the Harvest. He is the son of the Great Mother Earth, Mabron. He is the child who is born at Yule and is actually the God of the Sun. During the year he's been sending the warm winds from the South and glowing with all his might to help all our crops grow. But, now it's Autumn and winter is not far behind and the days are growing shorter due to Mabon being so very tired from having to work so very hard for us all year long. So on this holiday we are giving him a "Going Away Party" and thanking him for all this hard work because he is returning home to the Otherworld in Modron's magickal Otherworld which is a wonderful and enchanted faerie place. So Mabon's light has been drawn into the Earth, gathering enough strength and wisdom to come again to help us in the coming year. So now he is resting gathering strength and wisdom in the Otherworld so that he can come again at Yule to help us!

His Mother, Madron is also tired now and is the kindly Old Grandmother Crone who watches over all of us with her wisdom. Her daughter the Mother Goddess is also here to celebrate the Harvest in which she has helped us grow.