Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Mabon is the other term for the Autumn Equinox which often takes place around September 21. Days are shorter while nights are longer if you are in the Northern hemisphere and the reverse is true in the Southern hemisphere around March 21.
See the fact file below for more information on the Mabon or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Mabon worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
ETYMOLOGY AND HISTORY
- The term “Mabon” is named after a Celtic sun god of the same name. Mabon or Fall/Autumn Equinox is also called The Second Harvest Festival, the Festival of Dionysus, Harvest of First Fruits, and Wine Harvest.
- The Festival of Mabon is one of the many harvest festivals celebrated around the world by different cultures. The Greeks, Bavarians, Native Americans, Chinese, and the Druids all have their own unique ways of celebrating the bountiful harvest.
- During Medieval times, Christianized European peasants celebrated the autumn equinox as the Feast of the Archangel Michael.
- In the lunar cycle, September marks the Wine Moon, which is the time for harvesting grapes. Early pagans considered wine and grapevines as sacred following the commemoration of Dionysus, god of Resurrection. They believed that grapes and wine were symbols of rebirth and transformation.
- In mythology, Mabon is the time when the God of Light was defeated by the God of Darkness, resulting in longer nights. In Celtic folklore, Mabon is the son of Modron, the Great Goddess of the Earth, who was kidnapped for three days after his birth making light go into hiding. Moreover, Mabon symbolizes the male figure of the harvest.
- In British folklore, Mabon is associated with Herne the Hunter and marks the beginning deer hunting season in many places.
SYMBOLS AND TRADITIONS
- Mabon is the time of the year to celebrate balance, reflection, and grace. Among the symbols used during this season are mid-autumn vegetables like squash, eggplant, pumpkin, and gourd; anything made from apples like pie, cider, and sauce; baskets and harvesting tools symbolizing gathering of crops; and anything made of grapes, especially wine. Aside from traditional feasts, such symbols are also used to decorate homes and altars.
- Modern Druids’ celebration of Mabon is related to Alban Elfed as the time of balance between light and dark.
- In China, Mabon falls on the moon’s birthday. Chinese people celebrate this time of the year by baking cakes made of harvested rice to honor the moon who will, in return, bless them with abundance.
- In some English counties, Michaelmas or the Feast of St. Michael is observed on September 29. A meal of goose and St. Michael’s bannocks is traditionally served on this day.
- In Nigeria, the Yoruba people celebrate the yam festival every October with dances for their ancestors and fertility of crops for the succeeding year.
- Each fall, the Iroquois people gather together for the Corn Dance to give thanks for the ripening of grains.
- Many Pagans and Wiccans regard Mabon as a time to give thanks and share blessing with the less fortunate.
- Mabon altars are usually decorated with seasonal colors of orange, red, yellow, gold, and brown. Some light a bonfire at night and do ritual dances while others appreciate the autumn constellations.
- Aside from apples, pomegranates also symbolize the fruit of death given by Hades to Persephone.
- A Mabon altar is set up with the best produce crops including apples, pears, rose hips, elderberries, blackberries, and other mid-autumn fruits and berries.
Image of a Mabon Altar - A Mabon altar is set up using traditional harvest colors; mid-autumn crops including squash, pumpkin, acorns, nuts, grapes, wine, pomegranates, bread, honey, and Indian corn; and symbols of your deity. Leaves, twigs, incense, and feathers are also included.
- Some set up outdoor altars with three candles, a match or lighter, a wand, incense, bread, and wine or cider for offering and sharing.
- In addition to the ritualistic altar, Mabon is also celebrated through apple picking, enjoying the gifts of nature, and counting of blessings.
ADDITIONAL MABON FACTS
- Mabon is one of the ancient feast days according to the Great Wheel of the Year often attributed to English Paganism. It is an eight-armed wheel that influences yearly celebrations.
- In modern Pagan beliefs, all things with life revolve in a cyclical manner, including life and death, wherein each point of the wheel represents cross-quarter days of the lunar calendar. Aside from Mabon, the wheel also includes Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.
- Mabon is often celebrated by the Wiccans with colors and symbols representing the harvest season.
- Mabon is the second of the three harvest festivals, with Lughnasadh and Samhain being the first and last.
Mabon Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Mabon across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Mabon worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Mabon which is the other term for the Autumn Equinox which often takes place around September 21. Days are shorter while nights are longer if you are in the Northern hemisphere and the reverse is true in the Southern hemisphere around March 21.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Mabon Facts
- Around the World
- Mabon Symbols
- Solstices and Equinoxes
- Three Themes
- Mabon Altar
- Naming Harvest Deities
- The Great Wheel
- Apple Picking
- Happy Mabon!
- Story of Day and Night
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Mabon Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 23, 2019
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.