Autumn has always been a colorful season of reward and people harvested the bounty from the summer growing season and stored it safely away for the long winter: the vegetables from the garden, the fruit from the orchards, and the grain from the fields. Everyone in the community spent long hours participating in the harvest, and at the end, they were exhausted yet grateful, and looked forward to a celebration.
Around the world, there are Autumn Harvest festivals celebrated near the Fall Equinox: from the English Festival of Harvest Home, to Michaelmas Day, to Bavarian Oktoberfest to American Thanksgiving. (which was originally in October, then moved to the first weekend in November by President Lincoln, and then moved yet again by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress to the 4th Thursday in November to help boost the post-depression economy and assist merchants with holiday sales by giving folks a full month to shop. ....No comment!)
Harvest Goddess Mythologies
In many mythologies throughout the world, a goddess of the grain, harvest and the good earth was celebrated at the Autumn Equinox, which is not surprising since the Earth herself is seen as a fertile mother or Gaia. From this venerated matriarch, all life was born. Throughout time and in various cultures, she is a great mother goddess known by many names: Astarte and Ishtar to the Sumerians; Isis to the Egyptians; Demeter in Greece and Ceres in Rome. To the indigenous populations of the Americans, she was known as 'Old Woman Who Never Dies' and Mother of Maize.
Equally important was the concept of the seeds from the harvest used for the next year, and considered Mother Earth's child. In Greek mythology, we see this as Demeter being the harvest mother, the goddess of grain and fertile earth. The seed that fell and was planted in the spring was the child, or her daughter , Persephone. The spirit of these future crops were often seen as the daughter, or a maiden, or a divine child. In Russia, the child was simply called the Corn Baby. The Aztecs called the harvest goddess Chicomecoatl, and a goddess named Xilonen was the Goddess of the New Corn. Her son ws symbolized by the seeds and called the Spirit of the Corn. In Egypt, the spirit of the grain was the goddess' son, Horus. The Cherokee people called the harvest child the Green Corn Child. In India, there is a harvest festival called Pongal. It is a rice festival that lasts for three days. The child rice that came from this harvest mother was called the Rice Baby.
Making Mabon-Centered Meals
Mabon is the earth-centered Thanksgiving: casseroles, stews and hearty soups made with lentils and beans are traditional elements for the Mabon meal. Families in the Americas often include corn as a further connection to indigenous caretakers of the land. Mabon meals nourish us in body, mind and spirit with its earth energy. Apples are another time-honored autumn delicacy because they are fresh, crisp, come in vibrant reds, yellow and greens and don't have to be transported long distances using precious fossil fuels.
Here is a recipe adapted from Cait Johnson and Maura Shaw's delightful book, Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children. Use organic ingredients whenever possible, especially the apples!
2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 Tabs good quality oil (not canola!)
1 cup plus 2 Tabs honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp sea salt, to taste
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
Place apples and raisins in a bowl and cover with the measured boiling water. Pour oil on top and allow to soak, for 10 minutes. Add honey, cinnamon, allspice, salt and cloves and allow to cool. In another bowl, sift or mix together the flour and baking soda. Combine with fruit mixture and add in walnuts. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake in preheated 350 debree oven for approximately one hour.
(Loosely adapted from "Celebrating the Great Mother" by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw; "Celtic Gods and Goddesses" by R.J. Stewart; "Autumn Equinox: The Enchantment of Mabon" by Ellen Dugan)__________________________________________
Note: Any remedies or information listed on this newsletter are from historical references and used for teaching/educational purposes only. The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, cure or substitute consultation with a licensed health-care professional. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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