![]() ![]() Pagans often take this time to find connection to Gaia, the goddess of the earth and nature incarnate. ![]() Spending time outside, immersed in nature and her gifts, is another easy way to celebrate. ![]() Kitchen witchery, or using food for magic, is also apt. Celebrate in ritual outside, around a bonfire, or among the forest, giving libation and thanks to whatever it is that you worship and blessing the food in its name before partaking. Honor the autumnal bounty by hosting a feast, even if you're not the one who harvested the ingredients. Those who practice Mabon see it as a time of balance between the opposing forces of light and dark, life and death: As you celebrate the harvest you've reaped, you simultaneously recognize that the soil is dying, that the nights will start to become longer, and that the earth is slowly going into hibernation.īecause of Libra's community focus, the best (and most fun) way to celebrate Mabon is by throwing a party. This is an important time to give thanks to Mother Goddess and the earth for her gifts. For pagans, equinoxes are particularly significant events, and the autumnal equinox-also referred to as Mabon by neo-Pagans-is somewhat equivalent to Thanksgiving. The ancient Celts would conduct a mock sacrifice on this date, burning a wicker-work figure that represented the spirit of the vegetation.Īs any practicing witch can tell you, the equinox is a powerful time energetically the start of autumn, specifically, marks the point at which the light begins to wane. Although the details aren't known-initiates were forbidden on penalty of death from speaking about the rites-the festivities honored Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and Persephone, her daughter, whose six-month annual disappearance into the underworld was said to cause the barren winter season. In ancient Greece, the Eleusinian mysteries, which marked the transition from summer to fall, were "considered essential to the survival of humanity," according to historian Mara Lynn Keller. In ancient Ireland, before the arrival of the Celts, prehistoric worshippers erected stone cairns containing chambers that that only let light in on the equinoxes. People also celebrate the good weather and autumn harvest by enjoying outdoor activities and eating Shūbun no Hi snacks such as botamochi– a ball of sweet rice in azuki paste.Watch now: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge: 12 Hours at the World's Biggest Pagan Party On this day, people will reconnect with their families by tending to the graves of ancestors, and visiting shrines and temples. Past observed and future calculated equinoxes in Japan Standard Time. Like other holidays, this holiday was repackaged as a non-religious holiday for the sake of separation of religion and state in Japan's postwar constitution. In 1947 and before, it was the date of Shūki kōreisai ( 秋季皇霊祭), an event relating to Shinto. Autumnal Equinox Day became a public holiday in 1948. Due to the necessity of recent astronomical measurements, the date of the holiday is not officially declared until February of the previous year. JSTOR ( March 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įamily reunions, outdoor activities, snacks such as botamochiĪutumnal Equinox Day ( 秋分の日, Shūbun no Hi ) is a public holiday in Japan that usually occurs on September 22 or 23, the date of Southward equinox in Japan Standard Time (autumnal equinox can occur on different dates for different time zones).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Autumnal Equinox Day" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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