Michaelmas, or The Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated in Europe on the 29th of September. As it falls near the equinox, the day is associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days; in England, it is one of the “quarter days”.
St Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, protector against the dark of the night and the Archangel who fought against Satan and his evil angels. Michaelmas occurs at the time when the darker nights and colder days begin – the autumnal equinox – the celebration of Michaelmas is associated with encouraging protection during these dark months. It was believed that negative forces were stronger in darkness and so families would require stronger defenses during the late fall and winter months of the year.
Around the time of the fall equinox, Michaelmas marked the end of the harvesting season with great fairs and festivals. Traditional foods for Michaelmas include goose to bring prosperity, new wine, and cakes of oats, barley, rye, and carrots.
Once the harvest was in, farmers would pay their yearly rents to the landowners. Many farmers included “a goose fit for the lord’s dinner” with their rent payments. Especially if the tenants required a delay in payment, they may have placated their landlords with gifts of geese as interest.
Sometimes the day was also known as “Goose Day” and goose fairs were held. Even now, the famous Nottingham Goose Fair is still held on or around the 3rd of October. Part of the reason goose is eaten is that it was said that when Queen Elizabeth I heard of the defeat of the Armada, she was dining on goose and resolved to eat it on Michaelmas Day. Others followed suit.
This also started the custom of early autumnal elections, because it was a convenient time for people to gather. In America, election days came to be shifted to November because in the milder climate, where the harvest season was more stretched out, harvest didn’t finish until November.
If St. Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.
Michaelmas Sources
- http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Michaelmas/
- The Old farmers Almanac
- http://projectbritain.com/calendar/September/Michaelmas.html
