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Asterisks appear next to saintsí names - see Celebrating Saints | |
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| September 16 Yom Kippur The 10th day of the Jewish lunar month of Tishri, is the Day of Atonement. During the ancient ritual, described in Leviticus 16, the high priest sacrificed a bull and a goat to purify the shrine, and sent away a second (scape)goat to cleanse the sins of the community. During the time of the Second Temple, the high priest appeared before the people three times and recited a formula of confession: the first an account of his own sins and those of his household, the second on account of the priestly tribe of Levi and the third on account of the whole people. The ceremony involved a triple entry into the Holy of Holies, a triple recitation of God's Most Holy Name and a triple prostration by the people. After these most solemn ceremonies, the young men and women danced in the fields and chose spouses for themselves. After Yom Kippur, Jews begin building sukkahs, temporary dwellings, for the full moon celebration of Sukkot (September 21). The sukkah should be built in the open, not under a tree. It can't be more than 10 years high, it must have at least 3 walls, and is decorated with fruits, vegetables, drawing and other hand-made decorations. Waskow, Arthur, Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays, Beacon 1982 September 16 St Ninian’s Day St Ninian was a British Bishop, supposedly educated in Rome, who was much venerated in Scotland. Pilgrims flocked to his shrine at Whithorn and still visit his cave at the nearby seashore. His plant emblem is the southernwood, a strong-smelling member of the artemisia family, called "apple-ringie" in Scotland and pressed in bibles to perfume them. The Romans believed it protected men from impotence. The English called it "Lad's Love;" it was given as a love token. Attwater, Donald, The Penguin Dictionary of the Saints, Penguin 1965 Kightly, Charles, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, Thames and Hudson, 1987 |
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| September 18 St Sophia My Lives of the Saints says “Nothing is known about this saint who is commemorated today, except her baptismal name…found inscribed on a tomb in a cemetery reserved for martyrs.” In her pictures she is shown with her three daughters: Faith, Hope and Charity. Attwater lists her feast day as September 30. It is appropriate that her feast day falls in the same month as so many holy days honoring Mary, for she represents the feminine principle, otherwise missing in Christianity. She's the saintly version of the great goddess of wisdom, Sophia, praised in Proverbs (3:13):
Attwater, Donald, The Penguin Dictionary of the Saints, Penguin 1965 |
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| September 20 Eleusinian Mysteries begin The full moon of the Greek month of Boedromion signaled the beginning of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which began with a procession to Eleusis where the ceremonies were celebrated. Click here for full article. September 21 Full Moon in Pisces September 21 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival or Zhong Qui Jie On the full moon of the eighth Chinese lunar month, women celebrate the Moon. . . . click here for full article. |
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| September 21 Sukkot God set forth the outline for this feast in a talk with Moses recorded in Leviticus 23:39-43:
The Jewish full moon festival of Sukkoth, celebrated on the full moon of Tishri, is a joyous occasion after the solemnity of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Six months after the festival of Pesach, linked to the Spring Equinox, Sukkoth celebrates the harvest, the time of fulfillment, the festival of Ingathering.
Waskow comments that this is one of the few times that the pagan past ix explicitly linked with Jewish ceremony. Later the sexual rites, which were intended to provoke the land's fertility by imitation, were eliminated (although still suggested by the bowers of greenery for sleeping under the stars--sleeping in the sukkah is recommended for women who want to become pregnant). |
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| September 22 Autumn Equinox September 22 Gathering St Michael's Carrots In the Hebrides, on the afternoon of the Sunday preceding Michaelmas, women and girls gather St. Michael's wild carrots in a ritual manner. They dig triangular holes (signifying Michael's shield), with a three-pronged mattock (to represent Michael's trident), and tie them into bunches with a triple red thread. These are given to visitors on Michaelmas Day (see September 29). Forked roots are considered especially lucky. In the 19th century, Alexander Carmichael collected many folk customs and prayers (that are more like spells) from the Scottish highlands and islands. Here is a charm that was recited during the gathering of St. Michael's carrots:
Carmichael, Alexander, Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, Lindisfarne Press 1992 |
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 NEW! Harvest Packet: Over 30 pages of ideas on how to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, including: the meaning of the Harvest Moon, transformation mysteries of beer and wine, recipes for gingerbread, ginger beer and other traditional Harvest foods, instructions for creating a corn dolly and making a basket to honor Demeter, and much more! |
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| September 24 Our Lady of Ransom/Obatala Commemorates the founding on September 24, 1128 of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy in Barcelona, since Our Lady of Mercy is also known as Our Lady of Ransom. I just love the name. Perhaps a day to ask for the mercy of the Goddess or to promise payment of some kind (ransom) to her if she will release you from captivity. Warning: you must then pay the ransom. Obatala: The supreme deity of the Yoruba pantheon, an androgynous creator god, usually pictured as an ancient wo/man dressed in white cloth and having white hair, was conflated with Our Lady of Ransom. Obatala lives on the top of the mountains, as high as the clouds. She is the judge and the keeper of the peace. For more ideas on how to work with Obatala, check out Luisah Teish's Jambalaya (Harper San Francisco 1979). September 25 Holy Night Day 6 and the Culmination of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The initiates process along the Sacred Way, stopping at a sacred fig tree and crossing two bridges. At one of the bridges they encounter Baubo who tries to lighten Demeter’s heavy mood by lifting up her skirts and making the goddess laugh. At the second bridge, they pass through some sort of challenge, which requires knowing a password. They enter the Initiation Hall and see the beatific vision. September 26 Sports Day Day 7 of the Eleusinian Mysteries: Athletic games and races, with the winners given barley September 26 Mid Autumn Day A Scottish holiday, traditionally considered the start of mating season for the deer. September 27 Second Initiation Day 8 of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Perhaps a repeat for those who had not fully grasped the Mysteries the first time through, or a confirmation of what had been realized at that time. Took place in caves. September 28 Michaelmas Eve, Crack Nut Day In the Scottish highlands and islands, an unblemished ram lamb called the Michael Lamb is killed for tomorrow's feast. Women make special cakes called struan Michael or Michaelmas cakes, from equal parts of all types of grain grown on the farm, kneaded with butter, eggs and sheep's milk, marked with a cross and cooked on a stone heated by a fire of sacred oak, rowan and bramble wood. A piece of the cake is thrown into the fire as a tithe to St. Michael's opponent, the Devil. Other cakes are made for special people, for the family and for the community. Cranberries, bilberries, brambleberries, caraway seeds and wild honey are baked into the cakes. Clearly part of the purpose of this charm is to take the bounty of the farm's harvest and use it to fashion an offering of thanks. It is OK to steal horses on the eve of Michaelmas so the men sit up and watch their horses. In Surrey, this day is known as Crack Nut Day and nuts are cracked and eaten in churches (see September 14). In Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, people build bonfires on the Eve of Michaelmas and scatter grain for the wild birds to bring luck to the farm. |
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| September 29 Michaelmas This is the feast day of St. Michael and all the Angels. It is the most ancient of all the angel festivals. From fairly early on, Michaelmas was an important holiday, the religious or Christian equivalent of the autumn equinox. In England, it was considered the start of a new quarter. It marked the start of a new business year, a time for electing officials, making contracts, paying rent, hiring servants, holding court and starting school. Obviously we still see the remnants of this in the timing of our elections and school year. This is also a time when the weather is known to change. In Italy, they say "For St. Michael, heat goes into the heavens." In Ireland, people expect a marked decrease in sickness or disease. Michaelmas became the fixed date for the feast otherwise associated with Autumn Equinox or the harvest. As early as 1014, the laws of Ethelred in England prescribe a three day fast for all Christians before the feast. Servants weren't allowed to work during these days. Michaelmas was a time when rents were due, and rents were often paid in food. The traditional rent for Michaelmas was a goose. Eating something rich like goose at this turning point of the year brings good luck. In Nottingham they say "If you eat roast goose on Michaelmas day, you will never want money all year." In Norfolk, they say, "if you don't baste the goose on Michaelmas Day, you will want money all year." In Italy, where this is clearly considered a harvest festival, they say "For St. Michael all the last fruits of the year are honeyed and ripe." Cosman says that it is traditional to eat ginger on Michaelmas. She mentions ginger ale, beer and wine, gingerbread, ginger snaps, fish baked with ginger and two ginger desserts: charwardon (made with large succulent wardon pears, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) and ginger caramels with curls of ginger-root shavings on top. St Michael Michael is a warrior angel often pictured poised with a sword over a dragon (or demon) that he tramples underfoot. Other times he rides a white steed, and carries a three-pronged spear in his right hand and a three-cornered shield in his left. He cast Lucifer and the other evil angels out of Paradise. Thus, in the Middle Ages was invoked as the patron of knights and warriors. He's been honored since ancient times as a protector. Most of his churches are on high places, for instance, Mont St. Michel in Brittany, the church on the tor at Glastonbury, the church on the tumulus at Carnac. They were often built on the sites where Lugh, the Celtic God of Light, was worshipped earlier. Although all angels are sent as messengers from on high, Michael has a special task. He's sent to fetch the souls of those who have died for judgement. For this reason he is also considered the patron saint of all trades that use scales which mean he looks after pastry chefs and weighers of grain. My friend Carolee Colter translated this Litany of Saint Michael from the French prayer card she purchased while visiting Mont St Michel in Brittany: Saint Michael, archangel, pray for us. Saint Michael, chief of all the angels, pray for us. Saint Michael, filled with the wisdom of God, pray for us. Saint Michael, very glorious prince, pray for us. Saint Michael, strong in combat, pray for us. Saint Michael, terror of demons, pray for us. Saint Michael, vanquisher of Satan, pray for us. Saint Michael, our support in the fight against evil, pray for us. Saint Michael, prince of the celestial militia, pray for us. Saint Michael, faithful servant of God, pray for us. Saint Michael, messenger of God, pray for us. Saint Michael, angel of peace, pray for us. Saint Michael, guardian of Paradise, pray for us. Saint Michael, support of the people of God, pray for us. Saint Michael, guardian and patron of the church, pray for us. Saint Michael, benefactor of people who honor you, pray for us. Saint Michael, whose prayers reach to heaven, pray for us. Saint Michael, who introduces souls to the eternal light, pray for us. Pray for us, Saint Michael, archangel. For more information about St Michael, see the images and information at this Patricia Banks' great site Saints Preserved. Elegba: In the voodoo tradition, Michael is equated with Elegba, the messenger god. All ceremonies begin and end with petitions to Elegba, the god of the crossroads, whose shrine is behind the door. Cosman, Madeleine Pelner, Medieval Holidays and Festivals: A Calendar of Celebrations, Scribners Field, Carol, Celebrating Italy, William Morrow 1990 Kightly, Charles, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, Thames and Hudson 1987 Spicer, Dorothy Gladys, Yearbook of English Festivals, H W Wilson 1954 Teish, Luisah, Jambalaya, Harper San Francisco 1979 |
 St Michael sculpture by Patricia Banks of www.patriarts.com. Used with permission. |
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