- Mabon
:"This article is about the Neopagan festival Mabon.
For the Welsh mythological character, seeMabon ap Modron . For the Welsh politician, see William Abraham." Infobox Holiday
holiday_name=Mabon
caption=
observedby=Neopagans Wicca ns
date=Autumnal Equinox onSeptember 22 orSeptember 23
in theNorthern Hemisphere March 20 or 21
in theSouthern Hemisphere
celebrations=Thanksgiving for the Fruits of the Earth
type=Pagan
significance=Marks the Celtic Mid-fall , and the Astronomical beginning of Fall
relatedto=TheHarvest festival ,Equinox ,Quarter days ,Thanksgiving
nickname=Harvest Home, The Feast of the Ingathering, Harvest End,Autumnal Equinox
date2007=Sept 23 (North) orMarch 21 (South)
date2008=Sept 22 (North) orMarch 20 (South)
date2009=Sept 22 (North) orMarch 20 (South)
date2010=Sept 23 (UTC Northern) orMarch 20 ( [South)Mabon is the name used by some traditions of neopaganism for one of the eight annual
sabbat s central to their beliefs. It is celebrated on theAutumnal Equinox , which in the northern hemisphere occurs on or aroundSeptember 23 rd (occasionally the 22nd). Many celebrate on the 21st since most pre christian religious sources reference this date as Mabon. In the southern hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox occurs usually aroundMarch 21 .Also called Harvest Home, the Feast of the Ingathering, Meán Fómhair, or as Alban Elfed by
Neo-Druid ic traditions, this holiday is a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and God during the winter months. The name may be the root ofMabon ap Modron , a character from Welsh mythology, although the connection is unclear (see below).Among the sabbats, it is the second of the three harvest festivals, preceded by
Lughnasadh /Lammas and followed bySamhain .Antiquity of Mabon
The Autumnal equinox along with the other Equinox's were indeed celebrated in
Celt ic countries as part of the harvest festival, the Autumnal Equinox is an annual solar event likely commemorated by many ancient pagan cultures. Meanwhile, all that is known aboutAnglo-Saxon customs of that time was that September was known as haleg-monath or "holy month".Mabon is a masculine
personal name in Welsh; as well as being found as the given name of the mythological character Mabon fab Modron, it remains a popular name inWales today.Mythology
In modern Wicca, various mythologies associated with Mabon have grown up.
Firstly, it is seen as the time when the Oak King who has ruled for half of the year, must give up his throne to the Holly King, who shall rule for the next half of the year.
Popular culture
*Mabon is a contemporary Celtic music band, from
Bridgend ,Wales
*Mabon is an alias of the popularWelsh language MC, Gruff Meredith, who composes under the name of MC Mabon.
*In many ofCharles de Lint 'sNewford books, the character Sophie Etoile visits a city in her dreams called Mabon.
*The Dutch neo-celtic band Omnia has a song called "Mabon", no. 3 on their album "Crone of War"References
*Hutton, Ronald "The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain", 1996 - ISBN 0-19-285448-8
*Kelly, Aidan (1991) "Crafting the Art of Magic" Llewellyn.ee also
*
Wheel of the Year
*Lochmaben Stone
*Samhain
*Sympathetic magic ----
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