Mabon among the Gentiles (Mabon)

The end of September is one of the most beautiful periods of the year Summer has not yet completely lost its ground, and autumn is just quietly creeping up on tiptoe The air is saturated with the spicy aroma of ripe apples and pears, late flowers are shedding their last petals, the first rusty leaves are already appearing on the trees, and rare cobwebs remind of the imminent onset of Indian summer It’s still warm outside, so you can walk around to your heart’s content, but in the evenings the quiet breath of autumn reminds you of itself with a slight coolness, which makes you want to wrap yourself in a checkered blanket and warm your hands with a cup of hot tea During this truly wonderful time, Wiccan communities celebrate Mabon, a pagan holiday that coincides with the autumn equinox Pagans attached sacred significance to the autumn equinox Libra enters the zodiac scene, a sign that is a symbol of balance On September 22 or 23, the day becomes equal in length to the night A precarious balance is being established between darkness and light, which will soon be disrupted On the day of the autumn equinox, the pagans took stock It was believed that this was the best time to free oneself from everything old The very name of the holiday “Mabon” comes from the name of the Celtic sun god, who was the son of one of the mother goddesses Modron and the ruler of the underworld Urien Interestingly, the Celts celebrated this holiday long before the Viking invasion of their lands According to ancient custom, on the day of Mabon, many witches acquired new staffs and carved runes on elm wood This tradition has been preserved since the times of the Druids On this day, the goddess Modron and her husband acted as the eldest of the clan Their children reached full maturity Children mean not only people, but also animals, birds, and plant fruits By autumn, the chicks that hatched in the spring and the animals that were born several months ago became adults Mabon is not a witches' sabbath, but a family holiday The elders in the family assessed the achievements of their children with a fatherly gaze Not only the Celts, but also many other peoples held magnificent family celebrations on this day Guests were generously treated to what they had grown with their own hands; people visited their relatives Young girls were telling fortunes about their betrothed Among the Celts, Mabon was also known as the festival of the second harvest By this time, the bread was usually already harvested, but late vegetables were still growing in the gardens, and there were plenty of mushrooms, berries and game in the forests On this day, people often went with baskets to collect the gifts of autumn The Celts were interested not only in mushrooms and berries From the forest they brought fallen leaves, pine cones, acorns, tree branches, herbs, roots, and ferns They, along with ripe ears of wheat, were used to decorate the house for the holiday Some of the forest gifts were left for the winter to prepare healing decoctions and magic potions In the northern countries, Mabon coincided with the “last sheaf” ritual For example, at this time in Scotland the barley harvest was being completed, so the locals began brewing barley beer at the end of September, and the equinox holiday became an excellent occasion for tasting the drink On this day, the Celts also honored the deceased women of their clan The festive table was decorated with dishes of vegetables, beans and mushrooms, corn and wheat bread Slavic pagans also celebrated the day of the equinox, which had its own names in different parts They called him Ovsen, Tausen and Radogoshch By September 22 or 23, field work was completed The holiday was celebrated on a grand scale On this day the Slavs paid homage to the goddess Lada Pies with cabbage, dishes with juicy berries and fragrant lingonberries were placed on the table Immediately after the end of the harvest, young couples performed wedding ceremonies On the day of the solstice, each Slavic community baked a large honey pie, which was treated to all participants in the celebration On this day, the pagans thanked the gods for the harvest and commemorated their departed ancestors Houses were decorated with rowan branches, which, according to legend, acted as a talisman and protected against dark forces Mass celebrations with round dances and chants were always held In Tauseni, the Slavs burned a bird made of straw to guide the light gods and the souls of their ancestors to Iriy (pagan paradise)