6 Ways to Celebrate Mabon, Also Known as the Autumn Equinox

Mabon—the pagan harvest holiday that celebrates the Autumn Equinox—is held on September 23, the same day the sun enters Libra. Mabon is also known as the pagan Thanksgiving, where we celebrate and give thanks to all the wonderful things the earth has to offer us and make way for winter.

While most of us don’t harvest our food anymore, Mabon is still an important holiday to celebrate. It is a time to give thanks for what we have, strive for balance in our lives, and enjoy a new season.

Here are some modern ways to celebrate!

Host A Dinner Party

Call up your favorite people and host a sit-down dinner. Decorate your table with a red, orange, and gold palette (the colors of Mabon), and put some pine cones or fall decor around the table to create the right ~mood~. What’s on the menu? Well, Mabon is a very carb-loving holiday, so any kind of bread items are welcome at your table. A hearty stew or corn chowder are also excellent choices for the chilly weather. For dessert, bake up a hot apple pie, to be served with wine or apple cider. A dinner party is a great way to catch up with loved ones and show them how much they mean to you, all while honoring the second wave of the harvest.

Go Apple Picking

While most of us usually do our “harvesting” at the grocery store, one of the most classic fall activities is going apple picking, which is harvesting. Gather up your pals or hit the farm solo and pick some fresh apples, the fruit of Mabon. Use the apples you get in spells or kitchen magic, or place them at your altar at home. Apples are associated with love, fertility, beauty, and wisdom.

Show Gratitude

Mabon is a time to give thanks for all that we have been given in life, so take this opportunity to express your gratitude. Write a thank-you note to the people who have helped you this year and send flowers to your loved ones. Then take a moment to write down everything for which you are grateful, no matter how small. Often, we are so weighted down with worrying about what we don’t have, that we don’t appreciate what we do. Writing down what you are grateful for can boost your mood and show you a new perspective on life. 

Practice Yoga

Put a little balance in your life by practicing yoga. Not only is it great for your body, it also clears your mind. Do yoga outside to enjoy the beauty of nature before winter comes. For an added magical bonus: while you are practicing, imagine that you’re banishing the negative energy from your body with every exhale, while inhaling in the positive.

Create an Autumn Wreath 

As the weather gets cooler, we start spending more and more time at home. Use this time to re-decorate your space to give it a nice fall feel. Indulge in a fun craft day by creating an autumn wreath to put in your home. Collect some acorns, vines, cinnamon sticks, maple and oak leaves, marigolds, red poppies, chrysanthemum, celosia, black-eyed susans, and any red, orange, or yellow flower you like. Cast a spell on your finished wreath and hang it over your door or put it in on your altar.

Burn Away Bad Habits

Mabon is a holiday of transition—we are moving from one season to the next, and one phase of life to the next. As we great the new, it’s time we banish bad habits from the previous season and begin with a clean slate. Light a candle (preferable a fall scented one) and write down each one of your bad habits. When you are finished, carefully burn them away in the fire. When you are done, whisper a word of thanks into the fire and blow it out.

Happy Mabon!

Art by Evie Shaffer