Madron (aka Mabon and the Autumn Equinox) is coming up. This year it is on Wednesday 22nd September.
For the past few years, I've written celebration ideas and inspiration posts for Madron. For 2021 I'm doing a round-up post, like I have for the last few sabbats this year. I also thought it would be good to include an autumn baking section, so see below for that! :)
Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly time for Oestara aka Ostara/the Spring Equinox. You may like these posts with ideas for celebrating:
Oestara/Spring Equinox Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/03/oestaraspring-equinox-celebration-ideas.html
Celebrating Oestara + Spring: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/03/celebrating-oestara-spring.html
Oestara Celebration Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/03/oestara-celebration-inspiration.html
Oestara + Spring Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/03/oestara-spring-inspiration.html
Happy Oestara!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/03/happy-oestara.html
Madron (more commonly known as Mabon, but I first heard of it as Madron) is the 2nd harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year. It comes after Lammas (around 1st August) and before Samhain (on 31st October). It's also the Autumn Equinox which marks the "official" start of autumn. On this date day and night are roughly equal. This year the scientific time of the Autumn Equinox will be 3.20pm EDT/7.20pm UTC/ 8.20pm BST/UK time. You can work out your local time compared to universal here: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time/
Themes of this sabbat include balance, letting go, gratitude and of course, harvest.
Here are my previous Madron posts on the blog:
Madron (2014): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2014/09/madron.html
Madron 2015: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2015/10/madron-2015.html
Happy Madron!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2016/09/happy-madron.html
Madron 2016: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2016/09/madron-2016.html
Madron/Autumn Equinox Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/09/madronautumn-equinox-celebration-ideas.html
Madron 2017: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/09/madron-2017.html
Celebrating Madron + Autumn: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/09/celebrating-madron-autumn.html
Madron 2018: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/09/madron-2018.html
Madron Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/09/madron-inspiration.html
Madron 2019: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/09/madron-2019.html
Baking for Madron + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/09/baking-for-madron-extra-ideas.html
Madron 2020: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/09/madron-2020.html
And here are some posts from elsewhere:
The Meaning of Mabon: https://www.mumblesandthings.com/blog/020
Mabon Correspondence: https://tiredwitch.com/2020/09/12/mabon-correspondence/
Celebration ideas: https://reallifewitchery.com/themes-and-activities-for-your-mabon-celebration/
Mabon as a Kitchen Witch: https://eclecticwitchcraft.com/mabon-as-a-kitchen-witch-celebrate-the-harvest-with-a-meal/
Crafts, DIY projects and decor ideas for Mabon/the Fall Equinox (Witchcrafted Life): https://witchcraftedlife.com/50-awesome-mabon-crafts-diy-projects-and-decor-ideas-for-the-fall-equinox/
Also here is an interesting post from John Beckett about the Autumn Equinox and the triumph of the dark: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2021/09/autumn-equinox-the-triumph-of-the-dark.html
I'm definitely a summer person and feel happier about the transition from dark to light, but I think it's good to see it from the other side. I've noticed the difference as the days have shortened in past weeks and I do feel a bit sad knowing that summer is coming to an end. I'm not a fan of the lack of light in the darker part of the year, especially coming up to Yule/the Winter Solstice (the shortest day). I've written about this before in my Summer Photos + Preparing for Autumn post. However, some people like the shorter days and celebrate the dark, as John does in this article. :) And autumn is a beautiful season. It just would be nice if it lasted a bit longer!
My main celebration is making food and drink. I usually bake some kind of ginger cake for Madron (or occasionally gingerbread like I do for Lammas). This year I'm planning to make some gingerbread muffins, using this recipe: https://simplybeautifuleating.com/2020/10/05/super-moist-gingerbread-muffins/
I did bake some for Madron 2019 but wanted to try a different recipe. Think I will have to substitute a couple of the things for Simply Beautiful Eating recipe as I did for the Fork Knife Swoon one though.
I will make the cream cheese frosting I used for the James Martin frosted white chocolate Easter cake. I've used it for several other ginger cake and muffin recipes and it goes well with them.
I sometimes bake bread for this sabbat but have decided to use a mix this year!
I'm also planning to go up to my local nature reserve on a hill at sunset and take some pics. That is something I like to do for sabbats, at least during the warmer months!
Autumn Baking
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| Oatmeal bread I made last year |
Here is an extra section with some ideas for things to bake this autumn. You can also read last year's Baking for Madron post for some ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/09/baking-for-madron-extra-ideas.html
I considered these gingerbread muffins for Madron: https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/easy-gingerbread-muffins/
Gingerbread cookie bars I made last year (Handle the Heat): https://www.handletheheat.com/gingerbread-cookie-bars-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
This vegan gingerbread cake looks nice (you could adapt it if you're a non-vegan like me): https://www.joskitchenlarder.com/gingerbread-cake/
Found these one bowl carrot and apple muffins through Tess Whitehurst's 5 Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox post: https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-carrot-apple-muffins-vegan-gf/
Zucchini (courgette) muffins with apples and carrots (Don't Waste the Crumbs): https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/zucchini-bread-muffins-apples-carrots/
I made these zucchini/courgette muffins last year and although I liked them, I think they could have come out better for me. I had to change the recipe a bit because of lockdown baking shortages though!
Moist chocolate zucchini cake (dairy/egg free option): https://www.extrapetite.com/2020/04/moist-chocolate-zucchini-cake-recipe-dairy-free.html
I baked these chocolate courgette cupcakes last year and again this year, and really like them. They have a nice lemon cream cheese icing. You can make them dairy and/or egg free if you have allergies or are vegan. You can also modify the recipe to make a carrot cake. I haven't tried that version but plan to!
Maple oatmeal bread I baked last Madron (pictured above): https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/yummy-recipe-maple-oatmeal-bread/
Think I'll try this wholewheat bread from DWTC next year: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/easy-delicious-soaked-whole-wheat-bread/
Pumpkin bread (DWTC): https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/pumpkin-bread-recipe/
Apple pecan scones: https://joshisbaking.com/apple-pecan-scones-with-crunchy-cardamom-sugar/
These morning glory muffins from Handle the Heat look good: https://handletheheat.com/morning-glory-muffins/
Fresh apple spice muffins https://www.homemadefoodjunkie.com/fresh-apple-spice-muffins/
Mini apple doughnut muffins: https://www.thetexmexmom.com/apple-donut-muffins/
You can also find some baking inspiration in this post from last year (also an update from March and April 2020, so scroll down the page): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/05/marchapril-update-baking-inspiration.html
Hope you liked the post and got some inspiration for celebrating. And that you also got some ideas for baking this autumn! I will do another one about my celebrations next week. :)
What do you like to do for Madron/Mabon/the Autumn Equinox? Have a good one! (Or have a good Oestara/Spring Equinox!) :)
Photo at top of page: Hove Park. Moonsparkle 2021.
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