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reetings from Australia. 

Welcome to this Red-Letter Day. Below you will find today's global celebrations, birthdays and events.

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Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)

Pip Wilson

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Carpe diem! 22 Yesterday | Tomorrow | Search Open links in a New Window

Today is

The feast is such as earth, the general mother,
Pours from her fairest bosom, when she smiles
In the embrace of Autumn. To each other
As some fond parent fondly reconciles
Her warring children, she their wrath beguiles
With their own sustenance; they, relenting, weep.
Such is this festival, which from their isles,
And continents, and winds, and oceans deep,
All shapes may throng to share, that fly, or walk, or creep.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 - July 8, 1822), English Romantic poet

To many ancient people, the waning of the light signaled death. For example, in Welsh mythology, this is the day of the year when the God of Darkness, Goronwy, defeats the God of Light, Llew, and takes his place as King of the world. To this day in Japan, the equinox is celebrated by visits to the graves of family members, at which time offerings of flowers and food are made and incense is burned.  The three days preceding and following the equinox are called "higan," or the "Other side of the River of Death."
September Folklore

The goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.
Children's song 

The true beloveds of this world are in their lover's eyes 
lilacs opening, ship lights, school bells, a landscape, 
remembered conversations, friends, a child's Sunday, 
lost voices, one's favorite suit, autumn and all seasons, 
memory, yes, it being the earth and water of existence, memory.
Truman Capote

The autumn-time has come; 
On woods that dream of bloom, 
And over purpling vines, 
The low sun fainter shines. 
The aster-flower is failing, 
The hazel's gold is paling; 
Yet overhead more near 
The eternal stars appear! 
And present gratitude 
Insures the future's good, 
And for the things I see 
I trust the things to be; 
That in the paths untrod, 
And the long days of God, 
My feet shall still be led, 
My heart be comforted. 
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - '92); 'My Triumph'

The Jews who have arrived would nearly all like to remain here, but learning that they (with their customary usury and deceitful trading with the Christians) were very repugnant to the inferior magistrates, as also to the people having the most affection for you; the Deaconry also fearing that owing to their present indigence they might become a charge in the coming winter, we have, for the benefit of this weak and newly developing place and the land in general, deemed it useful to require them in a friendly way to depart, praying also most seriously in this connection, for ourselves as also for the general community of your worships, that the deceitful race—such hateful enemies and blasphemers of the name of Christ—be not allowed to further infect and trouble this new colony to the detraction of your worships and the dissatisfaction of your worships' most affectionate subjects.
Peter Stuyvesant; petition to the Dutch West India Company for the expulsion of Jews from New Amsterdam, September 22, 1654 (see the historical article at January 27, 1654 for the circumstances of this petition)

I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.
Nathan Hale (1755 - '76), US revolutionary soldier; speech, September 22, 1776, before being executed as a spy by the British. In 1713, English author Joseph Addison had written similar words: "What pity is it/That we can die but once to serve our country!" (Cato, act 4, sc. 4)

[George Washington was so taken with the character of Cato the younger in Joseph Addison's 1713 play Cato that he made the Roman republican his role model. He went to see Cato numerous times from early manhood into maturity and even had it performed for his troops at Valley Forge despite a congressional resolution that plays were inimical to republican virtue. Washington included lines from the play in his private correspondence and even in his farewell address.
Jim Stockdale; Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, Hoover Press, 1995, p. 75]

Ability is sexless.
Christabel Pankhurst, English feminism activist, born on September 22, 1880

We have a great objective – the light on the hill – which we aim to reach by working the betterment of mankind not only here but anywhere we may give a helping hand.
Ben Chifley, Australian prime minister, born on September 22, 1885

At it in its familiar twang: "My friend,
Cut your own throat. Cut your own throat. Now! Now!"
September twenty-second, Sir, the bough
Cracks with the unpicked apples, and at dawn
The small-mouth bass breaks water, gorged with spawn.
Robert Lowell (1917 - '77), US poet; 'After the Surprising Conversions'

I'm just a jobbing writer, really.
Fay Weldon

Feminism has achieved its aims, at least in the developed world.
Fay Weldon; Time Europe, September 17, 2001

Product placement has always seemed to me a rather sneaky thing, very insidious. My contract required me to mention Bulgari 12 times. They got at least three times that, as well as the title. What could be more upfront than that? I'm not sure how I got from there to being branded morally corrupt.
Fay Weldon; ibid

September 22 is the 265^th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (266^th in leap years), with 100 days remaining.
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Eight Stations of the Year (Sabbats) in the Book of Days

The Eight Stations are the equinoxes, solstices, and the midway points between them

Spring Equinox/Ostara   May Day/Beltaine   Summer Solstice/Litha   Lammas/Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox/Mabon   Halloween/Samhain   Winter Solstice/Yule   Brigid/Candlemas/Imbolc

Helpful external links

Autumn: Quotes, Poems, Sayings, and Links for Gardeners

Wheel of the Year at Mything Links   Wheel of the Year at Wikipedia

School of the Seasons   Calendars at Wikipedia   Almanacs, calendars, time

Autumn Equinox, Northern Hemisphere
(Spring Equinox in the south)

In astronomy, the autumnal equinox signals the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere: the moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward; the equinox occurs around September 22 - 24, varying slightly each year according to the 400-year cycle of leap years in the Gregorian Calendar.

In the southern hemisphere, the equinox occurs at the same moment, but at the beginning of spring. There are two conventions for dealing with this: either the name of the equinox can be changed to the vernal equinox, or (apparently more commonly) the name is unchanged and it is accepted that it is out of sync with the season.

At the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. In the northern hemisphere, before the autumnal equinox, the sun rises and sets more and more to the north, and afterwards, it rises and sets more and more to the south.

This is when the Neopagan Sabbat of Mabon is celebrated. Also, Autumnal Equinox Day is an official national holiday in Japan, and is spent visiting family graves, and holding family reunions.

Why do the equinoxes not always occur on the same days each year? 
"The Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to go around the Sun. This is the reason we have a leap year every 4 years, to add another day to our calendar so that there is not a gradual drift of date through the seasons. For the same reason the precise time of the equinoxes are not the same each year, and generally will occur about 6 hours later each year, with a jump of a day (backwards) on leap years."   Source

Autumn Equinox, ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, the Autumn festival commemorated the grief of Isis at her loss and her joy at the rediscovery of Osiris, her husband, and Horus, her son.

Autumn Equinox, ancient Rome

Autumn Equinox, Europe

Autumn Equinox is the time when village elders gathered food and grain and at night left it at the doors of the poor to ensure that they would have food for the coming winter:

Food an' gifts outside the door –
A welcome treat to cheer the poor.
Never, ever must they see
That even one was left by me. 

The Equinox Error: The Fallacy of Fall's Arrival

Autumn Equinox festival at Chichén Itzá, 
Yucatán, Mexico (Sep 17 - 26)

At the Castillo, a Mayan pyramid built c. 1000 - 1200 at Chichén Itzá, Mexico, on the equinoxes a jagged shadow is thrown down the northern staircase. It looks like a serpent going down, meeting a stone snake's head at the base.

Festival of Mikeli, ancient Latvia (Sep 22 - 24)

Day 1: the Catching of Jumis

Mikeli was during the dzelzs nedela meaning 'the week of iron'. The holiday was sacred for both Mikelis and Jumis.

Mikelis and Jumis

In Latvian mythology, Mikelis was one of dievadeli, sons of Dievs, the supreme god. He was a god of astronomy, prophecy and abundance.

Jumis was an agriculture and fertility god, and in the Latvian language the word also applies to 'double-plants,' such as two corn stalks, two trees that have grown together and share a trunk or stem, or two fruits or vegetables that have grown together. He was depicted as a short man with clothes that resemble ears of wheat, hops and barley.

On the first day, a ritual called the Catching of Jumis (Jumja kersana; Apjumibas; Rudenaji; Raudonoji) took place. Jumis, represented by a double-headed stalk of grain, was said to be hiding in the last of the unharvested fields. This last cut was saved until the end, so as to please Jumis, and invite him back the following spring. When the reaping was finished, a 'Jumis-clump' was left uncut. The ears of this grain were then tied in a knot and bent to the ground, being weighed down with stones or surrounded with soil. The grain from the Junis-clump was rubbed out of the ears and scattered in the tilled soil, thus ensuring that the strength and spirit of the harvest was directed back into the Mother Earth, so that it could appear again in the new sowing.

These last stalks were tied with special twine, taken home in a procession and placed in a barn, separate from the rest of the harvest, symbolizing a 'captured' Jumis, thereby ensuring the following year's harvest would be at least as successful. The grasses were then used during the winter to cure sick livestock. Chicken was eaten at the evening's feast.

The festival was held at the end of the harvest season, when Jumis's gift of food had been received. After Mikeli, it was considered that the gates were open for Winter.

A Jumis-loaf was baked at Mikeli, larger than the usual bread loaf, and it was a great honour to eat it. The second day was a feast and party, and the third day was a market day, and also the only day men proposed to their prospective wives.

Time-keeping systems of ancient Latvia    Today's date in ancient Latvia    Ancient calendars    More    And more

Higan (O-Higan; Higan no Chu-Nichi), Japan

Celebrated at both the Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox

This is an important festival in the Japanese calendar which, since January 1, 1873, Japan has been based on the Gregorian Calendar, with local names for the months and mostly fixed holidays. (Before 1873 a lunisolar calendar was in use, which was adapted from the Chinese calendar.) Higan is the week-long period of Buddhist memorial services peculiar to Japan and held twice a year.

On or around the day of the Autumn Equinox, Japanese people celebrate Shuubun-no-hi, also known as Higan (Higan no Chu-Nichi). There is another Higan at the time of the Spring Equinox, which is also called Higan no Chu-Nichi. Both are usually observed on the Sunday on or immediately preceding the equinoxes. The middle days of each Higan, Shunbun no hi (Spring Equinox) and Shuubun no hi (Autumnal Equinox) are national holidays.

The name Higan means 'the other shore' and derives from the Buddhist notion that there is a river that marks the division of the mundane world and the afterlife. This river is one of illusions, passion, pain and sorrow. Only when one crosses the river, swimming against the currents of temptation, to the other shore, does one gain enlightenment.

During the whole of this week there is a Buddhist observance, three days either side of the equinox, when the spirits of one's ancestors are commemorated. Usually on the equinoctial day, families and friends visit their family tombs, where they tend and weed the graves of their loved ones. They leave flowers, incense and ohagi (sweet rice balls covered with soybean paste) –  it is tradition that ancestors' spirits prefer food that is round. The visitors sweep the ground, say prayers, and may even have a bit of a family party, drinking sake rice wine.

Japanese consider this period the changing of the season. Usually around the autumnal Higan the Japanese summer heat-wave weakens, and the weather changes to autumn. Thus the Japanese have a saying, "Atsusa samusa mo Higan made" ("Neither heat in summer, nor cold in winter last beyond higan").

See School of the Seasons for a good article on Feast of the Ingathering/Autumn Equinox

The chemistry of Autumn colours    Make a spot dial – a cheap and easy sundial for your ceiling

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Vendémiaire | Brumaire | Frimaire | Nivôse | Pluviôse | Ventôse | Germinal | Floréal | Prairial | Messidor | Thermidor | Fructidor | Sansculottides First day of month of Vendémiaire (Vintage month), French Republican Calendar (New Year's Day)  On October 24, 1793 the French National Convention adopted the French Republican Calendar (French Revolutionary Calendar) retrospectively as from September 22, 1792. Napoleon Bonaparte abolished it and restored the Gregorian calendar on January 1, 1806 (the day after 10 nivôse an XIV), a little over twelve years after its introduction. However, it was used again during the brief Paris Commune in 1871 (year LXXIX). It was designed by the politician and agronomist Charles Gilbert Romme, although it is usually attributed to Fabre d'Églantine, who invented the descriptive names of the months. Instead of most days having a saint as in the Catholic Church's calendar, each day has a plant, a tool or an animal associated with it. Some enthusiasts in France still use the calendar. Each month lasted 30 days and was divided into three decades. Every day had the name of an agricultural plant, except the 5th (Quintidi) and 10th day (Decadi) of every decade, which had the name of a domestic animal (Quintidi) or an agricultural tool (Decadi). Autumn Vendémiaire (from Latin vindemia, 'vintage'), begins Sep 22, 23 or 24 Brumaire (from French brume, 'mist'), begins Oct 22, 23 or 24 Frimaire (From French frimas, 'frost'), begins Nov 21, 22 or 23 Winter Nivôse (from Latin nivosus, 'snowy'), begins Dec 21, 22 or 23 Pluviôse (from Latin pluviosus, 'rainy'), begins Jan 20, 21 or 22 Ventôse (from Latin ventosus, 'windy'), begins Feb 19, 20 or 21 Spring Germinal (from Latin germen, 'seed'), begins Mar 20 or 21 Floréal (from Latin flos, 'flower'), begins Apr 20 or 21 Prairial (from French prairie, 'meadow'), begins May 20 or 21 Summer Messidor (from Latin messis, 'harvest'), begins Jun 19 or 20 Thermidor (from Greek thermos, 'hot'), begins Jul 19 or 20 Fructidor (from Latin fructus, 'fruits'), begins Aug 18 or 19 Sansculottides The Sansculottides (also Epagomenes; French Sans-culottides, Sanculottides, jours complementaires, jours épagomènes) are the end of the calendar. They follow Fructidor and precede Vendémiaire of the next year, belonging to the summer quarter of the year. The Sansculottides, named after the Sansculottes, amend the 360 days of the calendar so that the beginning of the next year is on the autumnal equinox. There were five Sansculottides in a common year and six in a leap year (from this derives the French name of the leap year année sextile). The Sansculottides start on September 17 or 18 and end on September 22 or 23.   1re Décade 2e Décade 3e Décade Primidi 1. Pomme (Apple) 11. Salsifis (Salsify) 21. Bacchante (asarum baccharis) Duodi 2. Céleri (Celery) 12. Macre (Water Chestnut) 22. Azerole (Crete Hawthorn) Tridi 3. Poire (Pear) 13. Topinambour (Jerusalem Artichoke) 23. Garence (Madder) Quartidi 4. Betterave (Beet Root) 14. Endive (Endive) 24. Orange (Orange) Quintidi 5. Oye (Goose) 15. Dindon (Turkey) 25. Faisan (Pheasant) Sextidi 6. Héliotrope (European Turnsole) 16. Chervi (Skirret) 26. Pistache (Pistachio) Septidi 7. Figue (Fig) 17. Cresson (Cress) 27. Macjonc (Sweetpea) Octidi 8. Scorsonère (Black Salsify) 18. Dentelaire (Leadwort) 28. Coing (Quince) Nonidi 9. Alisier (Chequer Tree) 19. Grenade (Pomegranate) 29. Cormier (Service Tree) Decadi 10. Charrue (Plough) 20. Herse (Harrow) 30. Rouleau (Roller)   Source: Wikipedia    Website converts Gregorian calendar to FRC (and has desktop program) High resolution image of the calendar by Louis-Philibert Debucourt (951x1098, 486 KB) Antique Decimal Watches    Criticisms and shortcomings of the FRC   Julian day calculator (pop-up) Date converter for numerous calendars, including this one    Calendrica, great calendar comparisons The Book of Days index page shows the current day's date in the French Republican Calendar     A solstice and equinox calendar, Fajada Butte, New Mexico, USA On Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, NM, Anasazi Indians 1,000 years ago used three stone slabs to create a still-usable calendar. On the four stations of the year, the sun shines through gaps between the slabs, either dividing or framing spirals carved on rocks behind.   Mabon, Neopagan festival Mabon is one of the eight solar holidays or sabbats of Neopaganism. It is celebrated on the autumn equinox, in the Northern Hemisphere circa September 22 - 24 and in the Southern Hemisphere around March 20. Also sometimes called Harvest Home or Feast of the Ingathering (which is more commonly a Christian version; see September 24), this holiday is a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and God during the winter months. Among the sabbats, it is the second of the three harvest festivals, preceded by Lammas and followed by Samhain. At Wikipedia, see Wheel of the Year, and for the Celtic deity, Mapon.   Winter Finding, Second Station of the Year, Norse (Phoenix and Arabeth 1992 ... maybe not solar calendar)   Festival of the Sea Goddess, Inuit mythology Sedna the Shaman has to go to her abode at the