Autumn

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Autumnal Equinox: September 20-23

Michaelmas

Marking the official beginning of autumn, equinox is determined by the sun.   Again the day and night are of equal length.   All over the northern hemisphere, harvest festivals are taking place at this time; too many to list here!   Michaelmas is celebrated on September 29th and is either to celebrate St. Michael or Michael the archangel, who are usually one and the same.   This is also the same Michael who fights and conquers a dragon and is often depicted with his fiery sword and the beast.   This celebration of strong will and autumn really has no modern counterpart, though we do have the beginning of the school year, homecoming and football season which has many similar ritualistic and willful activities that go with it.   With the push for year long school we will surely lose this feeling of autumn being the appropriate time to leave behind the sultry heat to pick up our swords (or even mightier, pens) and tame the feral energies within and without.   But many of us will never feel the wind shift and the light dim without remembering the smell of new books and chalk dust.

Samhain: October 31

All Saint's Day, Hallowe'en, All Soul's Day, Martinmas

Samhain means simply summer's end and was the traditional New Year for the Celts.   The holiday was, as was often the custom, more than one day but spread over a couple of weeks.   It is uncanny how many cultures find this particular time of year to be sacred and choose to remember and honor their dead now.   So from all of the customs, necessities and superstitions that arise from the end of harvest, the beginning of dormant season, the impending harsh winter, the honoring of death and the dead we end up with so many of the modern manifestations of the celebration of Halloween.   Most of them involving orange and black plastic, fake slime and blood.   The name is a misspelling of Hallowe'en, short for All Hallows Eve as November 1st was Christianized as All Hallows Day.   This was later changed to All Saint's Day and honors all the dead saints.   Not to be confused with November 2nd which is All Soul's Day, honoring the dearly departed who are not yet canonized except in our hearts.

Close on the heels of All Soul's is Martinmas, on November 11.   St. Martin is the patron saint of beggars, drunkards and outcasts and is known for his ability to bring warmth and light to those who were previously in darkness.   His day is often celebrated with a lantern walk where children take lanterns (or flashlights) and process through the dark behind a grown up.   In my mind it sort of brings an end to the season of lanterns and I love the idea of honoring a saint at this time of harvest and plenty who looks out for those the rest of us would rather overlook.   Of course in the United States we drag out this harvest season by celebrating Thanksgiving at the end of November, but the holiday has as many political overtones as spiritual ones and I'd rather not list it here in any more detail.