Mabon Countdown Day 11

Why Mabon? A History

Mabon is the last Sabbat of the year (as Samhain starts a new year on the Witches calendar). It occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on September 21st, although this date changes every year to be on or around this date. In the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs around or on March 21st, as there dates are usually on the the opposite part of the wheel depending on the hemisphere.

The name Mabon is derived from the medieval Welsh myth called the Mabinogion, where the main character of the story is the son of the Earth Mother, his name is where Mabon derives from. However, Mabon as a name for this sabbat was not popularized until the 1970s.

The celebration of the autumn equinox itself is as ancient as humanity. While the ancient Celts may not have celebrated Mabon, they did celebrate the end of the harvest season around this time.

Many cultures celebrate this time of year as a time to give thanks. It is the time of year when the farmers know how well their crops and animals have done. A look at how well their family would be fed that winter.

Canadian Thanksgiving is closer to this time of year as well (whereas the US celebrates it closer to the end of November where the harvest would be less abundant).

The Welsh Myth

This oral narrative, which is along the lines of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, tells four different stories featuring a cast of recurring characters. Mabon, who is often portrayed as a young man or warrior, is the cultural hero of one of these myths. He is born a Divine Child and his birth is associated with some kind of miracle, like immaculate conception, similar to the stories of Jesus, Buddha, and the Aztec man-god Quetzalcoatl. 

As a baby Mabon is kidnapped and taken to the otherworld (AKA underworld) and is eventually rescued, echoing the story of Demeter and Persephone, who are two figures from Greek mythology closely associated with the autumn and spring equinoxes.