September 29 Michaelmas

Michaelmas

Description by Ben Jonson

“Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on the 29th of September every year. 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”.

There are traditionally four “quarter days” in a year (Lady Day (25th March), Midsummer (24th June), Michaelmas (29th September) and Christmas (25th December)).

They are spaced three months apart, on religious festivals, usually close to the solstices or equinoxes. They were the four dates on which servants were hired, rents due or leases begun. It used to be said that harvest had to be completed by Michaelmas, almost like the marking of the end of the productive season and the beginning of the new cycle of farming.

It was the time at which new servants were hired or land was exchanged and debts were paid. This is how it came to be for Michaelmas to be the time for electing magistrates and also the beginning of legal and university terms.

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. As Michaelmas is the time that the darker nights and colder days begin – they edge into winter – 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 later months of the year.

Traditionally, in the British Isles, a well fattened goose, fed on the stubble from the fields after the harvest, is eaten to protect against financial need in the family for the next year; and as the saying goes: “Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day, Want not for money all the year”.

The Michaelmas Daisy

The Michaelmas Daisy, which flowers late in the growing season between late August and early October, provides colour, and warmth to gardens at a time when the majority of flowers are coming to an end. As suggested by the saying below, the daisy is probably associated with this celebration because, St. Michael is celebrated as a protector from darkness and evil, just as the daisy fights against the advancing gloom of Autumn and Winter. …

The act of giving a Michaelmas Daisy symbolizes saying farewell to old ideas, patterns, etc., perhaps in the same way as Michaelmas Day is seen to say farewell to the productive year, and to welcome in the new cycle.

Michaelmas’ daisies are grown around the event and in late summer in preparation. There are many varieties of Michaelmas daisies, but they are all typically purple or pink in colour.

Another practice that is common on this holiday is the eating of desserts that contain blackberries. This tradition can be traced back to the legend of Lucifer being thrown from heaven. In this story, when Lucifer was tossed out of heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush. As such, every year Lucifer spits on the blackberry bush, and they turn bad, if they aren’t collected by this day.

Michaelmas is also accustomed to being a celebratory event to honour the Angels who fought alongside Saint Michael to banish Satan from Heaven. This includes Gabriel and Raphael who, together with Saint Michael, form the 3 Archangels named in the Sacred Scriptures. “

I was not Episcopalian or Anglican in my formative years. If I were, I would have been introduced to this holiday/holy day. However, I was taught about the significance of this day by an Episcopal priest John Philbrick, and his wife, Helen, who became my gardening mentors, and who introduced me to Anthroposophy, and the writings of Rudolph Steiner. I will always remain grateful to him and his wife for their gracious willingness to share their teachings, and even more for the way they opened their hearts and lives to me.

In their honor, I always celebrate Michaelmas each year!