I was recently presented with a reel on social media that began with “In Celtic Mythology Mabon marks the time when…” and they want me to buy my hand fasting rope from them.
Firstly Mabon is not a time and it is certain not pronounced Maybon or Mabone. Mabon ap Modron, whose name means the son of the divine mother, is a Welsh folklore character based on the worshiped gaulish deity Maponos. He essentially had nothing to do with this time of year.
In the 1970s the names for the festivals used Celtic fire festivals for the greater sabbaths: Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain and Imbolc, but for the solar festivals the terms spring equinox, autumnal equinox, midsummer and midwinter were used. A creator named Aiden Kelly wanted more provocative names so used names such as Litha for Summer Solstice or Midsummer and Mabon for Autumnal Equinox. These were initially just in his San Fransisco pagan community, but it was quickly shared with Oberon Zell Ravenheart who published it in Green Egg and Starhawk who published it in Spiral Dance. Spiral Dance became one of the most widely read books on Wicca in America.
Kelly picked Mabon because in his mythology he took on a role similar to Persephone going missing for sometime causing his mother grief. This tale explained the nature of the seasons. To be honest through, why autumnal equinox… why not spring when Mabon is found again?
Mabon has largely been adopted by most of the community now and misinformation is more prevalent than the truth, but when someone tries to suggest this Mabon is the name of an ancient festival I am summoned to say “actually no”. The Brittons likely had harvest festivals around this time, but they weren’t Mabon and it is unlikely rhey ressembled our own except for the types of veg being harvested.
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