What are traditional Autumn Equinox foods, herbs and colours?

Foods: apples, bread and grains, nuts, root vegetables, cider. Herbs: sage (cleansing), rosemary (remembrance), mugwort (intuition), marigold (protection), cinnamon (warmth). Colours: red and gold for harvest, brown and black for grounding and endings.

What is Mabon and how is it related to the Autumn Equinox?

Mabon is a modern pagan name for the Autumn Equinox festival. It honours balance, harvest and gratitude, often observed with seasonal feasts, offerings and reflective rituals.

Is the Autumn Equinox the same as the Fall Equinox?

Yes. “Autumn Equinox” is the term commonly used in the UK, while “Fall Equinox” is more common in North America. Both refer to the same astronomical event.

What jewellery or talismans are meaningful for the Autumn Equinox?

Symbolic adornments include an acorn pendant for renewal and stored potential, a raven claw pendant for wisdom and threshold-walking, and a blackthorn pendant for boundaries and protection.

How to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox: Rituals, Traditions & Folklore

Q: What is the Autumn Equinox?

The Autumn Equinox is the moment day and night are roughly equal in length. It marks the start of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and is celebrated as a time of balance, harvest, gratitude and release.

Q: When is the Autumn Equinox in 2025?

In 2025, the September equinox occurs on 22 September (UTC). In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Autumn Equinox; in the Southern Hemisphere it is the Spring Equinox. The Southern Hemisphere’s Autumn Equinox was on 20 March 2025.

Q: What does the Autumn Equinox symbolise spiritually?

Spiritually, the equinox symbolises balance, gratitude and transition. It is a threshold for reflecting on what you have harvested, releasing what no longer serves and preparing for the darker, inward season ahead.

Q: How can I celebrate the Autumn Equinox at home?

Simple practices include lighting a candle at sunset, creating a small altar with apples, acorns and leaves, cooking with seasonal foods, taking a twilight walk and journalling on gratitude and release.

On 22nd September 2025, the Autumn Equinox arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, the moment when day and night are held in perfect balance before the slow tilt into darkness begins. Known in modern pagan tradition as Mabon, this turning of the Wheel of the Year marks harvest, reflection, and preparation for winter.

Across cultures, the equinox has long been honoured as a threshold: a time to feast, give thanks, and recognise the eternal cycle of life, death, and renewal. From Celtic harvest fires to Norse myths of balance, the Autumn Equinox reminds us that every ending carries the seed of beginning.

At a Glance: Autumn Equinox 2025

Date: Monday, 22nd September (Northern Hemisphere)
Meaning: Balance of light and shadow, harvest, gratitude, release
Symbols: Apples, acorns, candles, blackthorn, ravens
Simple Rituals: Light a candle, cook with autumn foods, journal on gratitude

History and Folklore of the Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox has been marked for millennia, woven into myth and ritual across cultures. For the Celts, it was part of the great harvest cycle, a time of feasting and gratitude before the descent into winter. In Greek mythology, the equinox echoes the descent of Persephone into the underworld, a story of loss, renewal, and the earth’s turning inward. Among the Norse, this threshold mirrors the balance of the world-tree Yggdrasil, a reminder that endings and beginnings are always entwined.

Folklore also ties this season to fairy and spirit activity, with liminal spaces between light and dark believed to open pathways to the unseen. Fires were lit to ward off wandering souls, while offerings of bread, cider, and apples were left as gifts of gratitude. Across these stories, the equinox endures as a moment of pause. A sacred balance where myth, memory, and the cycles of the earth converge.

Autumn Equinox Traditions and Symbolism

The Autumn Equinox is a threshold moment, when the year hangs in balance before the dark half begins. Across cultures, it has been celebrated as a time of harvest, gratitude, and preparation for winter. In modern pagan tradition it is often called Mabon, honouring abundance while also acknowledging the coming descent into shadow. Folklore ties this season to the balance of light and dark, the interplay of death and renewal, and the wisdom found in letting go.

Traditional symbols of the equinox include apples, long associated with knowledge and rebirth; acorns, carrying the seed of new life within a shell; and candles or bonfires, rituals of carrying light into the darker months. Trees such as blackthorn and hawthorn are seen as guardians of thresholds, their thorns marking protective boundaries. Animals such as the raven, deer, and bee also hold autumnal resonance, messengers of wisdom, liminality, and the labour of harvest. Together, these symbols remind us that the equinox is not just about celebrating plenty, but also about preparing to release, simplify, and root ourselves for what lies ahead.

Rituals to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox at Home

Celebrating the Autumn Equinox at home can be both simple and deeply meaningful. Begin by marking the balance of light and dark. As the sun sets, light a candle to honour the turning of the season, a ritual of carrying warmth into the longer nights. Many choose to create a seasonal altar, decorating it with leaves, pinecones, apples, acorns, and nuts as offerings of gratitude. This small, intentional space becomes a reminder of the cycles of abundance and release.

Cooking with seasonal foods is another powerful ritual. Bake bread, roast root vegetables, or prepare apples and blackberries into pies or cider. Sharing food, even if only with yourself, roots you in the harvest. Journaling is also a valuable practice at this time, reflect on what you have achieved, what you are ready to release, and what seeds you want to plant for the season ahead. Finally, wearing or holding a symbolic talisman can carry this energy with you: blackthorn for boundaries, acorn for renewal, raven for wisdom. These small acts, grounded in tradition, transform everyday life into quiet ritual.

Seasonal Foods, Herbs & Colours of Mabon

Food has always been central to the Autumn Equinox, when communities gathered to share the harvest and give thanks. Celebrating today can be as simple as choosing foods that mirror the season’s abundance. Apples, blackberries, nuts, squash, pumpkins, and root vegetables are all traditional, often turned into feasts, pies, or cider. Bread also carries symbolic weight, representing both the fruits of labour and the cycle of sustenance.

Herbs such as sage, rosemary, and mugwort are traditionally associated with protection, cleansing, and intuition, powerful allies as we move toward the darker half of the year. Burning or brewing them can weave ritual into daily life. Colours also play an important role in Mabon celebrations. Deep reds and russets, golds, browns, and blacks mirror the landscape and reinforce the symbolism of balance, decay, and renewal.

Offering these foods, herbs, or colours on an altar, or simply weaving them into meals and clothing, grounds you in the rhythm of the season. They are reminders that even as light fades, the earth provides abundance, and that gratitude is itself a ritual act.

Wear Autumn jewellery as a symbolic talisman

Jewellery can be part of a potent personal ritual to connect you to the seasons and the folklore that surrounds them. Wearing a symbol of what you wish to honour will act as a tactile reminder of your desires and wishes. Adorning yourself in symbolic autumnal jewellery is a way of ritually dressing yourself the same way you might a sacred altar. With this ritual, you become a living altar to honour the season.

DRAOIDH - SMALL ACORN NECKLACE IN SOLID STERLING SILVER

The acorn is the seed of potential, a symbol of strength contained within something small and unassuming. At the Autumn Equinox, when the harvest is gathered and the year tips toward shadow, the acorn reminds us that endings carry beginnings within them. Wearing the Acorn Pendant is an invocation of renewal and resilience, a way to carry the promise of future growth even as the light fades. It embodies continuity, grounding you in cycles of harvest, release, and rebirth.

FORNI - RAVEN CLAW NECKLACE IN SOLID STERLING SILVER

The raven has long been tied to wisdom, liminality, and transformation, all themes central to the Autumn Equinox. As light and dark stand in balance, the raven reminds us of thresholds, carrying messages between what has been and what lies ahead. The Raven Claw Pendant embodies this energy: sharp, protective, and symbolic of moving through change with clarity. Worn at the equinox, it is a talisman for walking the in-between spaces with strength, honouring both the harvest gathered and the mysteries yet to come.

CAILLEACH - BLACKTHORN NECKLACE IN SOLID STERLING SILVER

The blackthorn tree has always been a guardian of boundaries, its clawed branches marking thresholds and offering protection. At the Autumn Equinox, a moment of balance, when the wheel turns toward the darker half, blackthorn becomes a symbol of resilience and endurance. The Blackthorn Pendant holds this power in silver, carrying the spirit of protection into the months ahead. It is a talisman for standing strong, for holding boundaries, and for finding wisdom in shadow. Worn at equinox, it anchors you in strength and balance.

Herbs of the Autumn Equinox

Sage: Release and purification, clearing the way for renewal.
Rosemary: Memory, gratitude, and ancestral honouring.
Mugwort: Intuition, dreamwork, and liminality.
Marigold: Warmth and resilience, protection for the darker half of the year.
Cinnamon: Abundance, prosperity, and comfort.

These herbs weave balance, reflection, and seasonal magic into even the simplest rituals.

Autumn Equinox Correspondences (Mabon)

Plants:

Apples – abundance, knowledge, rebirth
Acorns – endurance, potential, renewal
Vines & Ivy – continuity, cycles of life
Corn & Wheat – harvest, sustenance, gratitude

Herbs:

Sage – cleansing, protection, release
Rosemary – remembrance, honouring ancestors
Mugwort – intuition, liminality, vision
Marigold – resilience, warmth, protection
Cinnamon – prosperity, seasonal abundance

Colours:

Red – harvest, vitality, gratitude
Gold – abundance, the sun’s waning fire
Brown – grounding, the earth’s turning inward
Black – endings, fertility of decay, shadow

Animals:

Ravens – wisdom, transformation, thresholds
Deer – liminality, grace, the forest path
Bees – community, labour, sweetness of harvest
Owls – intuition, guidance through shadow

Foods:

Bread & Grains – fruits of labour, community
Apples & Cider – harvest, sweetness, renewal
Root Vegetables – grounding, preparation for winter
Nuts – hidden potential, stored strength

Symbols:

Balance Scales – equal day and night
Bonfires & Candles – carrying light into shadow
Cornucopia – abundance and gratitude
Circles & Spirals – cycles of life, death, rebirth

Quiet & Simple Equinox Practices (for Busy Lives)

Not everyone has time or space for elaborate ritual, but the Autumn Equinox can still be honoured in quiet, everyday ways. Lighting a single candle at dusk is one of the simplest practices, a gesture that acknowledges balance tipping toward shadow. A cup of warm tea brewed with cinnamon or sage can become a seasonal offering, grounding you in both body and spirit.

If you spend your days at a desk, placing an apple, acorn, or autumn leaf nearby can act as a seasonal marker, a small reminder of the wheel turning. A short twilight walk, noticing the shifting colours and earlier sunsets, is also a ritual of presence. Even journaling a single line of gratitude each evening can root you in the meaning of the season.

For many, wearing a symbolic piece of jewellery or talisman becomes the simplest yet most potent act. A blackthorn pendant for protection, an acorn necklace for renewal, or a raven talisman for wisdom can hold the equinox energy close, carrying balance and reflection with you into daily life.

Autumn Equinox FAQ

What is the Autumn Equinox?
The Autumn Equinox marks the day when daylight and darkness are equal in length. It symbolises balance, harvest, and preparation for winter.

When is the Autumn Equinox in 2025?
The equinox falls on Monday, 22nd September 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere and Monday, 22nd March 2025 in the Southern Hemisphere.

What does the Autumn Equinox symbolise spiritually?
It represents gratitude, balance, and letting go. Many see it as a threshold moment, acknowledging what has been harvested and preparing for renewal through darker months.

What are traditional Autumn Equinox rituals?
Harvest feasts, offerings of bread and apples, lighting candles, and rituals of gratitude are common. In pagan traditions, the equinox is called Mabon and celebrates the harvest season.

How can I celebrate the Autumn Equinox at home?
Create a small altar, light candles, cook with seasonal foods, journal about balance, or wear symbolic jewellery connected to the season.

Continue the Wheel of the Year

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, this moment of balance brings Ostara, the Spring Equinox, a celebration of light’s return, blossoming life, and renewal.

How to Celebrate Ostara - the balance of day and night, honouring fertility, growth, and the awakening earth.
How to Celebrate the Summer Solstice - the longest day, steeped in fire, abundance, and the height of light.
How to Celebrate Samhain - the threshold of shadow, remembrance, and ancestral wisdom.

Together these rites form part of the Wheel of the Year, a reminder that every season is both an ending and a beginning, no matter where you stand in the world.

Join the ritual circle

If the turning of the seasons stirs something in you, I invite you to go deeper. My email letters follow the wheel of the year, sharing folklore, rituals, and talismans crafted for each threshold. Sign up to the Thorn & Claw newsletter to receive these seasonal guides, early access to new pieces, and stories rooted in myth and memory. Step into the circle, and let the next equinox find you already woven into its rhythm.