Sabats for kids: Mabon

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The moon right now

Mabon

The three Harvest festivals are by far my favourite Sabbats! Mabon epitomizes the nature of the bountiful harvest and is indeed sometimes called the Witch’s Thanksgiving. Not only are we celebrating the event of the Autumnal Equinox, when day and night are in perfect balance, but we are also celebrating the bounty of Mother Earth. There’s a definite chill in the air which was missing during the more playful time of the First Harvest at Lughnasad. Mabon’s deeper meaning is one of hard work and readying ourselves for the coming winter. Only after the harvest is safely in and preserved, can we begin to rest and reflect on the year that has passed. Stories like “The Ant and the Grasshopper” would be a great Mabon lesson to share with your child.

Of course, if you keep a garden then it’s easy for your child to witness this cycle. Even if you don’t, you can pay a visit to a local orchard where many allow you to pick your own apples for a small fee. This is the time to begin the “putting up” of your harvest by canning and preserving. I know not everyone has a garden or is interested in canning food. That’s understandable. But you could still make it a Sabbat activity with your child by using the apples you have obtained (at the orchard, a farmer’s market or even good old WalMart, in a pinch) and making an apple pie, applesauce or apple butter.

Allow your child to snip and bundle some of the herbs you have grown, as well. Tie them up with a pretty ribbon and hang from the ceiling of the kitchen for decoration or in a cool dry place if you plan to use them later. He or she might also enjoy giving the herbs as gifts, either bundled or in sachets.

I love the book Circle Round: Raising Children In Goddess Traditions by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill. It is a must have for every parent attempting to raise a Pagan child. One craft that I absolutely love and that is in the Mabon chapter is called Cinanimals. You will need:

1 cup of applesauce, smooth variety

1 ½ cups of cinnamon

rolling pin

wax paper or parchment cookie sheet

tooth picks

miniature animal-shaped cookie cutters

Mix the applesauce with one cup of the cinnamon (slowly to prevent clouds of cinnamon!) and then add more cinnamon, a teaspoon at a time until the mixture has a firm consistency, easy to roll out but not to dry. Dust the wax paper with cinnamon and then roll the dough into kiwi-sized balls and flatten out to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the shapes and use the toothpick to make a hole near the top if you plan to hang them up. Let them dry in the sun or for 2 hours in the oven at the lowest temperature.

These animals will last indefinitely and you can always re-use them at the Winter Solstice to hang on your Yule tree. Just spruce them up by sprinkling some fresh cinnamon over them.

A time-honoured Autumn activity is the collecting of fallen leaves, either to pile up and jump into, or to paste onto paper and carefully preserve. I came across the following activity years ago, via an e-list I belonged to called Mystic Moms and Dads. It seems completely appropriate to do it at Mabon.

You will need: fall leaves wax paper iron towel picture frame

Directions: Collect as many different coloured and size fall leaves as possible! Cut two pieces of wax paper slightly larger than your picture frame. Lay one piece of the wax paper on the towel, and arrange the leaves in a pleasing design. Lay the other piece of wax paper over the leaves, and press the two together using a hot iron and moving quickly but firmly. Tape the "stained glass" to the picture frame and cut off the excess Hang in a window for best results.

I love the story of the Celtic God, Mabon, who was stolen from his mother, Modron, when he was only three days old and imprisoned in the Underworld. He was freed years later but because of this false imprisonment, he has become the God of freedom which makes Mabon (named in His honour, after all) the perfect time to discuss freedom of beliefs and religion with your children. Look up information on the lives of Nelson Mandela, Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and even our own beloved Starhawk (to name but a handful) for examples of people who have been persecuted, imprisoned and even murdered for their personal beliefs.