10 Ways to Celebrate Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, in the Southern Hemisphere
Mabon is the Autumn Equinox, the midpoint between the Summer and Winter Solstices, when day and night are of equal length, before we descend into the colder and darker months ahead. We’re celebrating the peak of the Harvest season and giving thanks for the food on our tables.
Here are 10 ways to celebrate Mabon in the Southern Hemisphere:
1. Go for a foraging walk and collect fallen leaves, seed pods, acorns and pinecones.
Enjoy spotting the changes in season, take in the last warmer days before Winter sets in. In New Zealand most of our native trees are evergreen but many deciduous ones have been introduced so it shouldn't be hard to find some beautiful Autumnal coloured leaves and acorns from oak trees in your local park. Flax flowers have now dried up into blackened seed pods and 'helicopter' seed pods from sycamore trees are fun to watch twirl as you throw them. Remember to take a basket with you as I forgot last time and could only take home as many as I could carry...
2. Create an Autumnal altar
Set up a special space in your home to display your foraged leaves, beeswax candles, symbols of balance and freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.
3. Harvest ripe seasonal fruits
Apples, peaches and grapes are abundant this time of year. Display them on your altar in a Cornucopia Horn of Plenty or other basket to represent abundance and bake them in your favourite desserts.
4. Bake an apple pie
I love making stewed apple with plenty of Ceylon cinnamon and raw honey, then I pour it over pastry and bake it in the oven. (Recipe coming soon...)
5. Brew apple cider vinegar
Try making homemade acv using the apple scraps leftover from your apple pie. It’s so simple to make, just takes patience.
6. Make a peachy pavlova
I like to make the most out of the chickens still laying plenty of eggs and bake a perfect fluffy pavlova decorated with golden queen peaches for an Autumnal theme. (Watch my recipe reel here on Instagram.)
7. Wear Autumnal colours and patterns
Red, orange, yellow, gold and brown just like the changing leaves.
8. Light red, orange and brown candles
Such as my Apple, Pumpkin and Pinecone candles, perfect for your Autumn themed seasonal altar.
9. Roast lamb and rabbit
Our animals that were born in Spring have now grown big enough to eat. For us, this honours the cycles of birth and death just like the seasons, as we descend into the darker half the of year.
10. Cook seasonal vegetables
Such as courgette, pumpkin and corn. Simply serve them as a side or think of creative ways to cook with them such as zucchini bread, pumpkin pie or corn fritters.
I hope you found these suggestions helpful. Even if you just pick one or two things to do from this list, that is enough and you can always expand on that next season.
How will you be celebrating Mabon this year? Leave a comment and let me know. I love it when you send me pictures of your altars, you can message me on social media or email maniana@southerseasons.nz