Mabon

This past Friday was the Autumnal Equinox, and with that came our first celebration of a new tradition. There's been so much change in our family in recent years, and while we still hold and celebrate our old traditions, I found myself longing for a celebration that was all our own, one that could be shaped and molded completely to our choosing without the burden of generations of observance. I found the answer in the solstices and equinoxes.

Mabon is celebrated with the Autumnal Equinox, sometime around September 21. It embraces the harvest, the celebration of the equal length of day and night. It encourages connection to nature. Gwen and I did a nature walk after school to collect items for our table, including pinecones, leaves, and some wildflowers. We do a house cleaning, like in the spring (which we did a week and a half ago), and finish with sage smudging (I did that when everyone else was out at work/school, its a strong smell!).

Of course the star of the show for my family was the food! We did a smattering of harvest relevant foods like corn, bread, apples, nuts, grapes, and wine. We did turkey legs as our main protein. 

We turned off the light and ate by candlelight to embrace the coming darkness. And we discussed the meaning behind the holiday, what we were being thankful for.

For dessert, there was French Apple Cake, a new recipe for me to play with! 

After dinner we took another walk, as the sunset fell. It really turned out so well and we enjoyed it thoroughly!!

Happy Mabon all! I hope it is a beautiful season for you!