As a holiday, the term Mabon is fairly new, but people have celebrated the autumn equinox for centuries. At the time when there is an equal amount of light and dark, we harvest our crops and prepare for winter, all the while giving thanks for that which we have.
The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact, people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine. In the 1700's, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in existence today. China's Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the night of the Harvest Moon (which also happens to be tonight!), and is a festival of honoring family unity.
Many cultures see the second harvest time of the fall equinox as a time of giving thanks. After all, it's when you figure out how well your crops did, how fat your animals have gotten, and whether or not your family will be able to eat during the coming winter.
(about.com)
I see this time as the perfect time for reflection as well as for thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things in my life and I give thanks to the Powers The Be for being so blessed. I have a wonderful husband who supports me and takes care of me as well as be a doting father to our daughters. I am thankful that even though my children can sometimes be ornery and just downright crazy at home, they have the decency to show that we are raising right and are polite and well-behaved in public. I am thankful that even though I am currently searching for a 3rd job, the government has provided programs to assist me until I find something full time so that we are not starving and homeless. I am thankful that I am making ends meet. I am thankful for friends. I am thankful for family. I am thankful for this crazy, wild, and unpredictable life I live because in the end, it will totally be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment