Autumn festival at Idaho Museum of Natural History will give public a taste of medieval culture

POCATELLO – The Idaho Museum of Natural History successful Pocatello is gearing up for its yearly Mabon ceremony this weekend.

The show honoring nan autumn equinox is happening connected Saturday, Sept. 28. It offers a unsocial blend of taste traditions, acquisition exhibits and hands-on activities for each ages.

Robert Gay, nan museum’s curator of education, says “Mabon” is simply a Welsh word originating from mythological figures pinch a akin name.

“They are featured successful epic Welsh mythological tales of nan Mabinogion (the earliest Welsh stories compiled from oral history). I person seen immoderate references to Mabon arsenic a medieval harvest festival, but astir existent usage seems to halfway astir modern recreations of nan pre-medieval equinox celebrations,” Gay says.

Mabon marks nan clip of twelvemonth erstwhile time and nighttime are of adjacent length. It is simply a clip of reflection, gratitude, and ceremony of nan changing seasons, and was initially celebrated arsenic nan 2nd to past harvest of nan year.

The arena provides an opportunity for visitors to link pinch nan earthy world and study astir nan taste value of this clip of year. Objects created by Indigenous group will beryllium connected display.

Emily Thornton | EastIdahoNews.com

Other activities and exhibits astatine nan Mabon show will see warriors fighting successful combat armor, medieval euphony and sewing, costumes and coloring books for nan kids, arsenic good arsenic artifacts and reproductions from civilization represented successful nan Society for Creative Anachronism, an Idaho State University nine helping to shape nan event.

“I dream group will understand nan complexity of our corporate pasts by seeing these glimpses … successful nan flesh,” Gay says. “Showing really group crossed nan world were dealing pinch akin issues astatine akin times is important.”

The Mabon Festival is happening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free to nan public.

For much information, sojourn nan museums’s website aliases telephone (208) 236-3139.