   Mabon is the Autumn Equinox. The Sabbat is named for Mabon, the Welsh God who symbolized the male fertilizing principle in the Welsh myths. Some mythologists equate him as the male counterpart for Persephone. As a day of balance between light and dark it was not unnoticed by the English and the Celts, but as a Sabbat it went unobserved by them until the Norse invaders brought it into prominence and placed it between Lughnasadh and Damhain as the second of the three harvests. With the number three in these conquered lands associated with the Triple Goddess and with the act of completeness, they adopted this addition wholeheartedly. In old Rome the equinox marked the infamous Festival of Dionysus, the God of Wine, whose party lasted for as many days as the revelers could remain upright. The old Anglo-Celtic festival of Harvest Home, a respite from the work of harvesting and a celebration of thanks, probably once fell on Mabon. In remembrance of that time, Mabon is often referred to as the "Witches' Thanksgiving" and is one of the oldest harvest celebrations in Europe. Thanksgiving as it is known in the United States and Canada grew more out of the Pilgrims' need to connect with the festivals of their homeland than it did from any religious impulse, and that first Thanksgiving Day had many detractors among the Puritan leaders due to its pagan origins. The original Harvest Home festival featured many of the same activities that characterize Mabon. These include cider pressing, grain threshing, dancing, feasting, and the crowning of a Harvest King and Queen that is still done in pagan circles. The King and Queen become the earthly vessel for the God and Goddess to reside in during the Mabon ritual and festivities. The English folk song "Lavender Blue, Lavender Green" was a song that grew out of Mabon observances. Blue is the color pf the Harvest Lord and green of the Harvest Lady. It became customary during Mabon in Ireland, and in parts of western Scotland and Cornwall, to visit burial mounds, called cairns. Cairns and cemeteries were feared by many of our ancestors as places were evil spirits lingered. Approaching such places at Mabon was deemed safe because it was believed that the balance of light and dark would act like an equilateral cross, and offer protection from any negative spirits attracted to graveyards. Fires were lit at the cairnes, or carried in gourds similar to our jack-o'-lanterns, to further frighten away baneful spirits. Just prior to Mabon, the Druids cut wands from the willow tree, a tree associated with death and also sacred to the Celtic goddesses. These wands were thought to be powerful tools for magick involving the conjuring of spirits they consulted for divinatory purposes. Mabon is a time when night and day are equal, and all things are in balance for one brief moment. The Goddess and the God are thought to have equal power on this night, as well as the forces of good and evil. It was a time when old Norse people believed one's fate for the coming year was sealed. The Norse often spent the day and night before Mabon fasting and praying for forgiveness for transgressions. Divinations and vision quests were done to ascertain whether one's life in the last year had been pleasing to the deities. Mabon marks the end of the second harvest, a time when the majority of crops are gathered. Nuts, apples, and grapes - all autumn crops - are the featured items at this Sabbat feast.Wines from the autumn grape harvest have always figured prominently in our pagan harvest rites. Drunken orgies were common practice at the equinox in Germanic lands and in Rome and Greece. In Scotland and Wales, Mabon wines were poured onto the ground to honor the aging Goddess as she moved swiftly into her Crone aspect. Our coven celebrates Mabon at the ocean, with Sophia portraying the Crone and pouring her wine onto the sand.
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