If you are going to have your holidays evenly distributed throughout the calendar year, this is one of the obvious days for such a holiday. Today is to Autumn what Easter is to Spring.
Which is sort of odd, really, because we don't typically do much with it. We don't even really have a name for today.
Wiccans call today Mabon, I guess. It falls very near (by definition) the Lunar Festival of many cultures. In places where they grow wine, today is the traditional beginning of the Vendemmia, the wine harvest.
Realistically, today ought to be when we have Thanksgiving, the American harvest festival. November is a silly time to do it, since nothing important is being harvested so late in the year. At THIS time of year, though, we're collecting grains and fruits and grapes and turning our attention to provisioning for winter and all of that.
So here's what I propose: From now on, we have a big feast on today. But instead of the puritanical wash on everything, let's celebrate plenty for real; let's pour all the wine and have gigantic loaves of crusty bread and some kind of roast beast and have our friends over (instead of just the family) and let's enjoy the Autumn (before it gets too cold and muddy).
The only bad news is, at least where I am living, the leaves haven't turned yet. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, it is still entirely summery outside. I haven't closed the windows in weeks. The grass is still growing and girls are still in summer dresses and short shorts.
Which really isn't bad news at all.
Anyway, happy Autumn. Happy Equinox. Happy Harvest. Happy Lunar Festival. See you for Halloween!
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