Michaelmas, 29th September, and the customs and traditions associated with Michaelmas Day By Ben Johnson | Comments 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 - the 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 defences 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”. 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. It could also have developed through the role of Michaelmas Day as the debts were due; tenants requiring a delay in payment may have tried to persuade their landlords with gifts of geese! In Scotland, St Michael’s Bannock, or Struan Micheil (a large scone-like cake) is also created. This used to be made from cereals grown on the family’s land during the year, representing the fruits of the fields, and is cooked on a lamb skin, representing the fruit of the flocks. The cereals are also moistened with sheeps milk, as sheep are deemed the most sacred of animals. As the Struan is created by the eldest daughter of the family, the following is said: “Progeny and prosperity of family, Mystery of Michael, Protection of the Trinity” Through the celebration of the day in this way, the prosperity and wealth of the family is supported for the coming year.

The custom of celebrating Michaelmas Day as the last day of harvest was broken when Henry VIII split from the Catholic Church ; instead, it is Harvest Festival that is celebrated now. St Michael is also the patron saint of horses and horsemen . This could explain one of the ancient Scottish traditions that used to be practiced on Michaelmas Day. Horse racing competitions in the local communities would be held and small prizes won. However, with a twist, it was the only time at which a neighbour’s horse could be taken lawfully the night before and ridden for the entirety of the day, as long as the animal was returned safely! In British folklore, Old Michaelmas Day, 10th October, is the last day that blackberries should be picked. It is said that on this day, when Lucifer was expelled from Heaven, he fell from the skies, straight onto a blackberry bush. He then cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath, spat and stamped on them and made them unfit for consumption! And so the Irish proverb goes: “On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on blackberries”.

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, as mentioned previously, 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 Michaelmas Daisies, among dede weeds, Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds. And seems the last of flowers that stood, Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.” (The Feast of St. Simon and Jude is 28 October) The act of giving a Michaelmas Daisy symbolises saying farewell, perhaps in the same way as Michaelmas Day is seen to say farewell to the productive year and welcome in the new cycle. Facts about Michaelmas Day Back to Facts of the Day Calendar UK Calendar dates british festivals .... folklore ... anniversaries .... on this day Michaelmas Day Michaelmas Day is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, celebrated on 29 September. St.

Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer (the devil) down from Heaven for his treachery. Michaelmas Day is traditionally the last day of the harvest season. The harvest season used to begin on 1 August and was called Lammas , meaning 'loaf Mass'. Farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat crop and gave them to their local church. The custom ended when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, and nowadays we have harvest festivals at the end of the season near Michaelmas Day. Curfew Michaelmas used to be a popular day for the winter night curfew to begin - the first hint that winter was on the way. Curfew took the form of a tolling of the church bell, usually one strike for each of the days of the month that had passed in the current year and generally rung at 9pm. The word curfew may derive from the French word couvre feu, meaning 'cover fire'. Curfew was the time when household fires were supposed to be doused. The bell was tolled every night, apart from Sunday, until Shrove Tuesday .

Chertsey is one of the last places to still ring a Curfew bell at 8pm from Michaelmas Day to Lady Day (29th September to 25th March). Their oldest Curfew bell dates from 1380! Goose Day Michaelmas Day is sometimes also called Goose Day. Goose Fairs are still held in some English towns, but geese are no longer sold. A famous Michaelmas fair is the Nottingham Goose Fair which is now held on or around 3 October. A Great custom in England was to dine on goose on Michaelmas. One reason for this was said to be that Queen Elizabeth I was eating goose when news of the defeat of the Armada was brought to her. In celebration she said that henceforth she would always eat goose on Michaelmas Day. Others then followed her lead. Quarter Day Another suggestion, why goose are eaten, is that, as Michaelmas Day was a Quarter Day, rents were due and bills had to be paid. Tenants seeking delay of payment traditionally bought a goose as a present for their landlord to help seek his indulgence. Geese were supposedly very tasty at this time of year.

Labourers for hire On the day after Michaelmas, every year agricultural labourers presented themselves, along with their tools, at the nearest market town. There they offered themselves for hire for the coming year. A fair followed the hirings and this was called ' Mop Fair '. Universities September 29th The Book of Days is proudly brought to you by the members of Emmitsburg.net September 29th Born: John Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury, 1630, Sowerby, Yorkshire; Thomas Chubb, freethinking author, 1679, East Harnham, Wilts; Robert, Lord Clive, founder of the British empire in India, 1725, Styche, Shropshire; William Julius Mickle, translator of Camaens's Lusiad, 1734, Langholm, Scotland; Admiral Horatio Nelson, naval hero, 1758, Burnham-Thorpe, Norfolk. Died: Pompey the Great, killed in Egypt 48 B.

c.; Gustavus Vasa, king of Sweden, 1560, Stockholm; Conrad Vorstins, German divine, 1622, Toningen, Holstein; Lady Rachel Russell, heroic wife of William, Lord Russell, 1723, Southampton House; Charles Franqois Dupuis, astronomer and author, 1809, Is-sur-Til Feast Day: St. Michael and all the Holy Angels. St. Theodota, martyr, 642. MICHAELMAS DAY Michaelmas Day, the 29th of September, properly named the day of St. Michael and All Angels, is a great festival of the Church of Rome, and also observed as a feast by the Church of England. In England, it is one of the four quarterly terms, or quarter-days, on which rents are paid, and in that and other divisions of the United Kingdom, as well as perhaps in other countries, it is the day on which burgal magistracies and councils are re-elected. The only other remarkable thing connected with the day is a widely prevalent custom of marking it with a goose at dinner.

Michael is regarded in the Christian world as the chief of angels, or archangel. His history is obscure. In Scripture, he is mentioned five times, and always in a warlike character; namely, thrice by Daniel as fighting for the Jewish church against Persia; once by St. Jude as fighting With the devil about the body of Moses; and once by St. John as fighting at the head of his angelic troops against the dragon and his host. Probably, on the hint thus given by St. John the Romish church taught at an early period that Michael was employed, in command of the loyal angels of God, to overthrow and consign to the pit of perdition Lucifer and his rebellious associatesï¿½a legend which was at length embalmed in the sublimest poetry by Milton. Sometimes Michael is represented as the sole arch-angel, sometimes as only the head of a fraternity of archangels, which includes likewise Gabriel, Raphael, and some others. He is usually represented in coat-armour, with a glory round his head, and a dart in his hand, trampling on the fallen Lucifer.

He has even been furnished, like the human warriors of the middle ages, with a heraldic ensignï¿½namely, a banner hanging from a cross. We obtain a curious idea of the religious notions of those ages, when we learn that the red velvet-covered buckler worn by Michael in his war with Lucifer used to be shewn in a church in Normandy down to 1607, when the bishop of Avranches at length forbade its being any longer exhibited. Angels are held by the Church of Rome as capable of interceding for men; wherefore it is that prayers are addressed to them and a festival appointed in their honour. Wheatley, an expositor of the Book of Common Prayer, probably expresses the limited view of the subject which is entertained in the Church of England, when he says, that 'I the feast of St. Michael and All Angels is observed that the people may know what blessings are derived from the ministry of angels.' Amongst Catholics, Michael, or, as he has been named, St.

Michael, is invoked as 'a most glorious and warlike prince,' chief officer of paradise,' I captain of God's hosts,' receiver of souls,' 'the vanquisher of evil spirits,' and 'the admirable general.' It may also be remarked, that in the Sarum missal, there is a mass to St. Raphael, as the protector of pilgrims and travellers, and a skilful worker with medicine; likewise an office for the continual intercession of St. Gabriel and all the heavenly militia. Protestant writers trace a connection between the ancient notion of tutelar genii and the Catholic doctrine respecting angels, the one being, they say, ingrafted on the other. As to the soundness of this view we do not give any opinion, but it seems certain that in early ages there was a prevalent notion that the affairs of men were much under the direction of angels, good and bad, and men prayed to angels both to obtain good and to avoid evil. Every human being was supposed to have one of these spiritual existences watching over him, aiming at his good, and ready to hear his call when he was in affliction.

And, however we may judge this to be a delusion, we must certainly own that, as establishing a connection between the children of earth and something above and beyond the earth, as leading men's minds away from the grossness of worldly pursuits and feelings into the regions of the beautiful and the infinite, it is one of by no means the worst tendency. We must be prepared, however, to find simplicity amidst all the more aspiring ideas of our forefathers. In time, the sainted spirits of pious persons came to stand in the place of the generally name-less angels, and each place and person had one of these as a special guardian and protector. Not only had each country its particular patron or tutelar saint, but there was one for almost every town and church. Even trades and corporations had their special saints. And there was one more specially to be invoked for each particular ail that could afflict humanity. It will be curious here to descend a little into particulars. You can find out more from your local pastor on saints as well. In NYC you could visit Pastor Carter Conlon at Times Square Church. First, as to countries, England had St. George ; Scotland, St. Andrew; Ireland, St. Patrick ; Wales, St.

David ; France, St. Dennis and (in a less degree) St. Michael; Spain, St. James (Jago) ; Portugal, St. Sebastian; Italy, St. Anthony ; Sardinia, St. Mary; Switzerland, St. Gall and the Virgin Mary; Germany, St. Martin, St. Boniface , and St. George Cataphractus; Hungary, St. Mary of Aquisgrana and St. Lewis; Bohemia, St. Winceslaus; Austria, St. Colman and St. Leopold; Flanders, St. Peter; Holland, St. Mary; Denmark, St. Anscharius and St. Canute; Sweden, St. Anscharius, St. Eric, and St. John; Norway, St. Olaus and St. Anscharius; Poland, St. Stanislaus and St. Hederiga; Prussia, St. Andrew and St. Albert; Russia, St. Nicholas , St. Mary, and St. Andrew. Then as to cities, Edinburgh had St. Giles , Aberdeen St. Nicholas, and Glasgow St. Mungo; Oxford had St. Frideswide; Paris, St.

Genevieve ; Rome, Feast Day: St. Peter and St. Paul; Venice, St. Mark; Naples, St. Januarius and St. Thomas Aquinas; Lisbon, St. Vincent; Brussels, St. Mary and St. Gudula; Vienna, St. Stephen ; Cologne, the three kings, with St. Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins. St. Agatha presides over nurses. St. Catherine and St. Gregory are the patrons of literati and studious persons; St. Catherine also presides over the arts. St. Christopher and St. Nicholas preside over mariners. St. Cecilia is the patroness of musicians. St. Cosmas and St. Damian are the patrons of physicians and surgeons, also of philosophers. St. Dismas and St. Nicholas preside over thieves; St. Eustace and St. Hubert over hunters; St. Felicitas over young children. St. Julian is the patron of pilgrims. St. Leonard and St. Barbara protect captives. St. Luke is the patron of painters. St. Martin and St.

Urban preside over tipsy people, to save them from falling into the kennel. Fools have a tutelar saint in St. Mathurin, archers in St. Sebastian, divines in St. Thomas, and lovers in St. Valentine. St. Thomas Becket presided over blind men, eunuchs, and sinners , St. Winifred over virgins, and St. Yves over lawyers and civilians. St. ï¿½thelbert and St. Elian were invoked against thieves. Generally, the connection of these saints with the classes of persons enumerated took its rise in some incident of their lives, and in the manner of their deaths; for instance, St. Nicholas was once in danger at sea, and St. Sebastian was killed by arrows. Probably, for like reasons, St. Agatha presided over valleys, St. Anne over riches, St. Barbara over hills, and St. Florian over fire; while St. Silvester protected wood, St. Urban wine and vineyards, and St. Osyth was invoked by women to guard their keys, and St. Anne as the restorer of lost things.

Generally, the patron-saints of trades were, on similar grounds, persons who had themselves exercised them, or were supposed to have done so. Thus, St. Joseph naturally presided over carpenters, St. Peter over fishmongers, and St. Crispin over shoemakers. St. Arnold was the patron of millers, St. Clement of tanners, St. Eloy of smiths, St. Goodman of tailors, St. Florian of mercers, St. John Port-Latin of booksellers, St. Louis of periwig-makers, St. Severus of fullers, St. Wilfred of bakers, St. William of hatters, and St. Windeline of shepherds. The name of St. Cloud obviously made him the patron-saint of nailsmiths; St. Sebastian became that of pinmakers, from his having been stuck over with arrows; and St. Anthony necessarily was adopted by swine-herds, in consequence of the legend about his pigs. It is not easy, however, to see how St.

Nicholas came to be the presiding genius of parish-clerks, or how the innocent and useful fraternity of potters obtained so alarming a saint as 'St. Gore with a pot in his hand, and the devil on his shoulder.' The medicating saints are enumerated in the following passage from a whimsical satire of the sixteenth century: To every saint they also do his office here assign, And fourteen do they count, of whom thou may'st have aid divine; Among the which Our Lady still cloth hold the chiefest place, And of her gentle nature helps in every kind of case. St. Barbara looks that none without the body of Christ oth die; St. Cath'rine favours learned men and gives them wisdom high, And teacheth to resolve the doubts, and always giveth aid Unto the scolding sophister, to make his reason staid. St. Apolin the rotten teeth doth help when sore they ache; Otilia from the bleared eyes the cause and grief cloth take; Rooke healeth scabs and mangins, with pocks, and scurf, and scall, And cooleth raging carbuncles, and boils, and botches all.

There is a saint, whose name in verse cannot declared be, He serves against the plague and each infective malady. St. Valentine, beside, to such as do his power despise The falling-sickness sends, and helps the man that to him cries. The raging mind of furious folk oth Vitus pacify, And oth restore them to their wit, being called on speedily. Erasmus heals the colic and the griping of the guts, And Laurence from the back and from the shoulder sickness puts. Blaise drives away the quinsy quite with water sanctified, From every Christian creature here, and every beast beside. But Leonard of the prisoners oth the bands asunder pull, And breaks the prison-doors and chains, wherewith his church is full. The quartan ague, and the rest cloth Pernel take away, And John preserves the worshippers from prison every day; Which force to Bennet eke they give, that help enough may be, By saints in every place. What dost thou omitted see? From dreadful unprovided death oth Mark deliver his, Who of more force than death himself, and more of value is. St.

Anne gives wealth and living great to such as love her most, And is a perfect finder out of things that have been lost; Which virtue likewise they ascribe unto another man, St. Vincent; what he is I cannot tell, nor whence he came. Against reproach and infamy on Susan do they call; Romanus driveth sprites away and wicked devils all. The bishop Wolfgang heals the gout, St. Wendlin keeps the sheep, With shepherds and the oxen fat, as he was wont to keep. The bristled hogs cloth Anthony preserve and cherish well, Who in his lifetime always did in woods and forests dwell. St. Gertrude rids the house of mice, and killeth all the rats; And like doth Bishop Huldrick with his two earth-passing cats. St. Gregory looks to little boys, to teach their a, b, c, And makes them for to love their books, and scholars good to be. St. Nicholas keeps the mariners from dangers and disease, That beaten are with boisterous waves, and toss'd in dreadful seas.

Great Christopher that painted is with body big and tall, Doth even the same, who doth preserve and keep his servants all From fearful terrors of the night, and makes them well to most, By whom they also all their life with diverse joys are blest. St. Agatha defends the house from fire and fearful flame, But when it burns, in armour all doth Florian quench the same.' It will be learned, with some surprise, that these notions of presiding angels and saints are what have led to the custom of choosing magistracies on the 29th of September. The history of the middle ages is full of curious illogical relations, and this is one of them. Local rulers were esteemed as in some respects analogous to tutelar angels, in as far as they presided over and protected the people. It was therefore thought proper to choose them on the day of St. Michael and All Angels. The idea must have been extensively prevalent, for the custom of electing magistrates on this day is very extensive, 'September, when by custom (right divine) Geese are ordained to bleed at Michael's shrine' says Churchill .

This is also an ancient practice, and still generally kept up, as the appearance of the stage-coaches on their way to large towns at this season of the year amply testifies. In Blount's Tenures, it is noted in the tenth year of Edward IV, that John de la Hay was bound to pay to William Barnaby, Lord of Lastres, in the county of Hereford, for a parcel of the demesne lands, one goose fit for the lord's dinner, on the feast of St. Michael the archangel. Queen Elizabeth is said to have been eating her Michaelmas goose when she received the joyful tidings of the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The custom appears to have originated in a practice among the rural tenantry of bringing a good stubble goose at Michaelmas to the landlord, when paying their rent, with a view to making him lenient.

In the poems of George Gascoigne, 1575, is the following passage: And when the tenants come to pay their quarter's rent, They bring some fowl at Midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent, At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose, And somewhat else at New-year's tide, for fear their lease fly loose.' We may suppose that the selection of a goose for a present to the landlord at Michaelmas would be ruled by the bird being then at its perfection, in consequence of the benefit derived from stubble-feeding. It is easy to see how a general custom of having a goose for dinner on Michaelmas Day might arise from the multitude of these presents, as land-lords would of course, in most cases, have a few to spare for their friends. It seems at length to have become a superstition, that eating of goose at Michaelmas insured easy circumstances for the ensuing year. In the British Apollo, 1709, the following piece of dialogue occurs: 'Q: Yet my wife would persuade me (as I am a sinner) To have a fat goose on St.

Michael for dinner: And then all the year round, I pray you would mind it, I shall not want moneyï¿½oh, grant I may find it! Now several there are that believe this is true, Yet the reason of this is desired from you. A: We think you're so far from the having of more, That the price of the goose you have less than before: The custom came up from the tenants presenting Their landlords with geese, to incline their relenting On following payments, &c.' Michaelmas Day, 1613, is remarkable in the annals of London, as the day when the citizens assembled to witness, and celebrate by a public pageant, the entrance of the New River waters to the metropolis. SIR HUGH MYDDELTON AND THE WATER SUPPLY OF OLD LONDON There were present Sir John Swinnerton the lord mayor, Sir Henry Montague the recorder, and many of the aldermen and citizens; and a speech was written by Thomas Middleton the dramatist, who had before been employed by the citizens to design pageants and write speeches for their Lord Mayors' Shows, and other public celebrations.

On this occasion, as we are told in the pamphlet descriptive of the day's proceedings, 'warlike music of drums and trumpets liberally beat the air' at the approach of the civic magnates; then 'a troop of labourers, to the number of threescore or up-wards, all in green caps alike, bearing in their hands the symbols of their several employments in so great a business, with drums before them, marching twice or thrice about the cistern, orderly present themselves before the mount, and after their obeisance, the speech is pronounced.' It thus commences: Long have we labour'd, long desir'd, and pray'd For this great work's perfection; and by the aid Of heaven and good men's wishes, 'tis at length Happily conquer'd, by cost, art, and strength: After five years' dear expense in days, Travail, and pains, beside the infinite ways Of malice, envy, false suggestions, Able to daunt the spirit of mighty ones In wealth and courage, this, a work so rare, Only by one man's industry, cost, and care, Is brought to blest effect, so much withstood, His only aim the city's

 general good.' A similar series of mere rhymes details the construction of the works, and enumerates the labourers, concluding thus: 'Now for the fruits then: flow forth, precious spring, So long and dearly sought for, and now bring Comfort to all that love thee: loudly sing, And with thy crystal murmur struck together, Bid all thy true well-wishers welcome hither!' 'At which words,' we are told, 'the flood-gate opens, the stream let into the cistern, drums and trumpets giving it triumphant welcomes,' a peal of small cannon concluding all.

This important work, of the utmost sanitary value to London, was commenced and completed by the indomitable energy of one individual, after it had been declined by the corporate body, and opposed by many upholders of 'good old usages,' the bane of all improvements. The bold man, who came prominently forward, when all others had timidly retired, was a simple London tradesman, a goldsmith, dwelling in Basinghall Street, named Hugh Myddelton. He was of Welsh parentage, the sixth son of Richard Myddelton, who had been governor of Denbigh Castle during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth. He was horn on his father's estate at Galch Hill, close to Denbigh, 'probably about 1555,' says his latest biographer, Mr. Smiles, for 'the precise date of his birth is unknown.' At the proper age, he was sent to London, where his elder brother, Thomas, was established as a grocer and merchant-adventurer, and under that brother's care he commenced his career as a citizen by being entered an apprentice of the Goldsmith's Company.

In clue time he took to business on his own account, and, like his brother, joined the thriving merchant-adventurers. In 1597, he represented his native town of Denbigh in parliament, for which he obtained a charter of incorporation, desiring further to serve it by a scheme of mining for coal, which proved both unsuccessful and a great loss to himself. His losses were, however, well covered by his London business profits, to which he had now added cloth manufacturing. On the accession of James I, he was appointed one of the royal jewellers, being thus one of the most prosperous and active of citizens. The due supply of pure spring water to the metropolis, had often been canvassed by the corporation. At times it was inconveniently scanty; at all times it was scarcely adequate to the demand, which increased with London's increase.

Many projects had been brought before the citizens to convey a stream toward London, but the expense and difficulty had deterred them from using the powers with which they had been invested by the legislature; when Myddelton declared himself ready to carry out the great work, and in May 1609 'the dauntless Welshman' began his work at Chadwell, near Ware. The engineering difficulties of the work and its great expense were by no means the chief cares of Myddelton; he had scarcely began his most patriotic and useful labours, ere he was assailed by an outcry on all sides from land-owners, who declared that his river would cut up the country, bring water through arable land, that would consequently be overflowed in rainy weather, and converted into quagmires; that nothing short of ruin awaited land, cattle, and men, who mightbe in its course; and that the king's highway between London and Ware would be made impassable! All this mischief was to befall the country-folks of Hertfordshire and Middlesex for Mr.

Myddelton's 'own private benefit,' as was boldly asserted, with a due disregard of its great public utility; and ultimately parliamentary opposition was strongly invoked. Worried by this senseless but powerful party, with a vast and expensive labour only half completed, and the probability of want of funds, most men would have broken down in despair and bankruptcy; Myddelton merely sought new strength, and found it effectually in the king. James I joined the spirited contractor, agreed to pay one-half of the expenses in consideration of one-half share in its ultimate profits, and to repay Myddelton one-half of what he had already disbursed. This spirited act of the king silenced all opposition, the work went steadily forward, and in about fifteen months after this new contract, the assembly took place at the New River Head, in the fields between Islington and London, to witness the completion of the great work, as we have already described it. CEREMONIES FORMERLY CONNECTED WITH THE ELECTION OF THE MAYOR OF NOTTINGHAM On the day the new mayor assumed office (September 29), he, the old mayor, the aldermen, and councillors, all marched in procession to St.

Mary's Church, where divine service was said. After service the whole body went into the vestry, where the old mayor seated himself in an elbow-chair at a table covered with black cloth, in the middle of which lay the mace covered with rosemary and sprigs of bay. This was termed the burying of the mace, doubtless a symbolical act, denoting the official decease of its late holder. A form of electing the new mayor was then gone through, after which the one retiring from office took up the mace, kissed it, and delivered it into the hand of his successor with a suitable compliment. The new mayor then proposed two persons for sheriffs, and two for the office of chamberlains; and after these had also gone through the votes, the whole assemblage marched into the chancel, where the senior coroner administered the oath to the new mayor in the presence of the old one, and the town-clerk gave to the sheriffs and chamberlains their oath of office. These ceremonies being over, they marched in order to the New Hall, attended by such gentlemen and tradesmen as had been invited by the mayor and sheriffs, where the feasting took place.

On their way, at the Weekday-Cross, over against the ancient Guild Hall, the town-clerk proclaimed the mayor and sheriffs; and at the next ensuing market-day they were again proclaimed in the face of the whole market at the Malt Cross. The entertainment given as a banquet on these occasions will perhaps astonish some of their successors in office. 'The mayor and sheriffs welcomed their guests with bread and cheese, fruit in season, and pipes and tobacco.' Imagine the present corporation and their friends sitting down to such a feast! Michaelmas, Blackberries, Devils Spit Day and Michaelmas Dumplings - Lavender and Lovage Lavender and Lovage You are here: Home / Recipes / Seasonal Recipes / All Year Recipes / Michaelmas, Blackberries, Devils Spit Day and Michaelmas Dumplings Michaelmas, Blackberries, Devils Spit Day and Michaelmas Dumplings Michaelmas – Goose Day (or Devil Spits Day!) Michaelmas, a wonderful celebration of harvest’s end and the start of autumn’s mists and mellow fruitfulness, as Keats wrote in his famous poem. I have always loved this time of year and am fascinated with the ancient feast and festivals that surround this now mostly forgotten date.

Although Michaelmas is celebrated on the 29th September, when the calendar was reformed in 1752, “Old Michaelmas Day” was moved to the 10th October. Old Michaelmas Day is also called “Devil Spits Day”; it’s the last day that blackberries should be picked, according to old British folklore. This is known as the day that the Devil came to earth; he fell from the skies, straight onto a blackberry bush, whereupon he cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath, stamped on them and then spat on them making them unfit to eat! Although in my experience, they are usually a little past their sell by date by this stage, a bit “blown” or maggoty! An old Irish proverb says: “On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on blackberries” Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is also 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. These were the four dates on which servants were hired, rents were due or leases begun. It was also a time that new servants were hired and debts were paid. Many of the Goose or Michaelmas Fairs were “Hiring Fairs” where servants would hope to find new employment. With harvest over, Michaelmas also marked the start of autumn and was time for the farmers to pay their debts, often presenting their landlords with a goose. Goose Fairs are still associated with Michaelmas, when it is probably the best time of year to eat goose. Free-range geese, having feasted on the stubble in the wheat fields, are particularly tasty at this time of year, when they have not yet put on the fat required to take them through the winter. The day was often 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.

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”. This Michaelmas, I hope that your larders are well stocked and your landlord has been paid his goose, now you can enjoy the feasting and merriment that this celebration brings! Happy Goose Day! See you soon, Autumnal Baking Challenge over at What Kate Baked. This article, (including recipe and photos) was originally published in Country Kitchen Magazine, October 2009 ~ written and submitted by me, Karen S Booth. Michaelmas Dumplings A comforting recipe from my childhood, my mum would make these fluffy little dumplings every Michaelmas, or when the blackberries were in season, but before Devil Spits Day of course! This is a wonderful way to end an autumn meal, whether it be for the family during the week or a celebratory dinner party. Serve these dumplings with fresh pouring cream or home-made custard. This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients: ● 4 ozs (100g) freshly picked blackberries ● 1 medium sized cooking apple, Bramley apples are best ● 4 ozs (100g) Self Raising flour ● Pinch salt ● 1 oz (25g) butter or margarine ● White granulated sugar ● ½-pint (300 ml) water Directions: 1. Wash the blackberries and then peel, core and quarter the cooking apple. Place the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl and with your fingertips; rub the butter or margarine into the flour. Stir in 3 level teaspoons of white sugar and then mix to a soft dough with about 4 tablespoons of cold milk. 2. Divide the dumpling dough into 4 pieces on a floured board and carefully mould a piece around each quarter of an apple, making sure that the apple is completely covered. 3. Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of sugar in the water in a medium sized saucepan and add the blackberries.

Bring them to a gentle boil and then place the apple dumplings on top of the blackberries, cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes, do NOT take the lid off for the first 15 minutes! Serve one apple dumpling per person with some of the blackberries spooned over the top; fresh pouring cream or custard makes a nice accompaniment. Facts about the month of September - Customs and Traditions Customs and Traditions Flower: Aster The name September comes from the old Roman word 'septem', which means seven, because in the Roman calendar it was the seventh month. The Anglo-Saxons called it Gerst monath (Barley month), because it was their time when they harvested barley to be made into their favourite drink - barley brew. They also called it Haefest monath, or Harvest month. The Romans believed that the month of September was looked after by the god, Vulcan. As the god of the fire and forge they therefore expected September to be associated with fires, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. September is the start of the school year. Students return to school after the six week summer holiday. Nothing whatsoever happened in British history between 3 and 13 September 1752.

The Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the one most used nowadays. It is named after Pope Gregory Xlll who introduced it in 1582. There is a leap year every four years (or more precisely, 97 leap years every 400 years). This means that the year corresponds closely with the astronomical year (365.24219 days) so that it is just one day out every 3,300 years. The Julian Calendar Up until 1753, the calendar we used in Britain was the Julian Calendar. It was based on the solar year, the time it takes for the Earth to rotate around the Sun, and thus was less accurate than the Gregorian Calendar. The Julian Calendar was 365.25 days long, which was fractionally too long, and the calendar over time fell out of line with the seasons. All change - "Give us back our 11 days!" In 1752 Britain decided to correct this by abandoning the Julian calendar in favour of the Gregorian.

By doing so, 3 September instantly became 14 September - and as a result, nothing whatsoever happened in British history between 3 and 13 September 1752. Many people believed their lives would be shortened. They protested in the streets, demanding "Give us back our 11 days!" Harvest Festival Traditionally 24th September was the day on which harvesting began in medieval England. Calling the Mare As the last of the crops are gathered in, there used to be a lovely ceremony called 'Calling the Mare'. The farmers all wanted to prove that they had the best reapers, so they tried to gather in the last of their crops before the neighbouring farmer did. The last sheaf of the harvest was used to make a rough mare shape and it was quickly sent round to any farmers who had not finished gathering his crops. It was a way of saying to the farmer that wild horses would be after his crops, if he didn't gather them in quickly. The men would run round to the neighbouring farm, throw the mare over the hedge into the field where the other farmer was working, and they would shout 'Mare, Mare' and then run away.

The farmer, who received the mare, would then have to work quickly to see if he could finish before another farm did, then he would throw the mare to them. The farmer who was last to finish had to keep the mare all year and have it on display so that everyone knew he had been the slowest farmer of that year. Corn Dolly Similar to the mare (see above), there is a custom of making corn dollies. A corn dolly was supposed to have been the spirit of the corn goddess and dates back hundreds of years. People believed that the corn goddess lived in the corn and would die when the corn was harvested unless some of it was saved. So to make sure the corn goddess stayed alive until next spring sowing, a corn dolly was made from the last sheaf of corn for the corn goddess to rest in until the next. Michaelmas Day Michaelmas Day is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, celebrated on 29 September. St. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and maritime lands, of ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen. He was the Angel who hurled Lucifer (the devil) down from Heaven for his treachery.

Michaelmas Day is traditionally the last day of the harvest season. The harvest season used to begin on 1 August and was called Lammas, meaning 'loaf Mass'. Farmers made loaves of bread from the new wheat crop and gave them to their local church. The custom ended when Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, and nowadays we have harvest festivals at the end of the season near Michaelmas Day. Curfew Michaelmas used to be a popular day for the winter night curfew to begin - the first hint that winter was on the way. Curfew took the form of a tolling of the church bell, usually one strike for each of the days of the month that had passed in the current year and generally rung at 9pm. The word curfew may derive from the French word couvre feu, meaning 'cover fire'. Curfew was the time when household fires were supposed to be doused. The bell was tolled every night, apart from Sunday, until Shrove Tuesday . Chertsey is one of the last places to still ring a Curfew bell at 8pm from Michaelmas Day to Lady Day (29th September to 25th March).

Their oldest Curfew bell dates from 1380! Find out more Goose Day Michaelmas Day is sometimes also called Goose Day. Goose Fairs are still held in some English towns, but geese are no longer sold. A famous Michaelmas fair is the Nottingham Goose Fair which is now held on or around 3 October. A Great custom in England was to dine on goose on Michaelmas. One reason for this was said to be that Queen Elizabeth I was eating goose when news of the defeat of the Armada was brought to her. In celebration she said that henceforth she would always eat goose on Michaelmas Day. Others then followed her lead. Quarter Day Another suggestion, why goose are eaten, is that, as Michaelmas Day was a Quarter Day, rents were due and bills had to be paid. Tenants seeking delay of payment traditionally bought a goose as a present for their landlord to help seek his indulgence. Geese were supposedly very tasty at this time of year. Labourers for hire On the day after Michaelmas, every year agricultural labourers presented themselves, along with their tools, at the nearest market town. There they offered themselves for hire for the coming year.

A fair followed the hirings and this was called ' Mop Fair '. Universities Michaelmas signaled the beginning of Michaelmas Term at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Old Michaelmas Day is October 10th After the calendar reform of 1752, some activities traditionally associated with Michaelmas Day (29 September) moved forward eleven days to October 10 , which is sometimes called ' Old Michaelmas Day '. Michaelmas weather-lore, beliefs and sayings The Michaelmas Daisies, among dede weeds, Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds. And seems the last of flowers that stood, Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude. (The Feast of St. Simon and Jude is 28 October) Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day, Want not for money all the year. He who eats goose on Michaelmas day shan't money lack or debts to pay. 'If St Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.' 'A dark Michaelmas, a light Christmas .' Michaelmas Superstition. Folklore in England holds that the devil stamps on bramble bushes or as they say in some areas, spits on them.

Therefore one must not pick blackberries after Michaelmas. The reason for this belief has ancient origins. It was said that the devil was kicked out of heaven on St Michael's Feast Day, but as he fell from the skies, he landed in a bramble bush! He cursed the fruit of that prickly plant, scorching them with his fiery breath, stamping on them, spitting on them and generally making them unsuitable for human consumption. Legend suggests he renews his curse annually on Michaelmas Day and therefore it is very unlucky to gather blackberries after this date. If the breast bones of the goose are brown after roasting the following winter should be mild, but if the bones are white or have a slight blue hue then the winter will be severe. The Victorians believed that trees planted on this day would grow especially well. In Ireland and northern England, it was thought that if you ate goose at Michaelmas you would have good luck for the rest of the year. In Ireland, finding a ring hidden in a Michaelmas pie meant that one would soon be married. Festivals and Traditions Conkers - A traditional game for this time of year Conkers are the fruit of the horse-chestnut tree.

Children have been playing with conkers for years. Read more... Horn Dance On the first Monday after September 4th, in a town called Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, a very picturesque custom takes place. It is called the Horn Dance. Six men hold masks on sticks which have long reindeer horns attached to them. There are two teams of three men each. One team's reindeer horns are painted white - the other's are blue. Each team dances towards the other as if to fight, then they go back, then advance as if to lock horns, and then go back again. After a while they pass each other straight over the the other side and they start again. There are other people in attendance dancing as well - a hobby horse, someone dresses as Made Marion, a boy with a bow and arrow, a triangle player, a musician and a Fool. Gurning Competition The World Gurning Championships are held at the Egremont Crab Fair in the Lake District in a tradition dating back to 1267. To gurn has many meanings but one of them is to 'distort the face' and making faces is just what this competition is - to see who can make the most awful face.

Holy Rood Day Rood is another name for a cross and traditionally on 14 September children were freed from school or work so they could gather nuts. Michaelmas Traditions: Prayers, Food, and Flowers Michaelmas Traditions: Prayers, Food, and Flowers September 19, 2012 By Haley 22 Comments Welcome to Carrots! I'm so glad you're here. Just wanted you to know that UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT my favorite deal on healthy living resources is here (just in time for those new year's resolutions!). It's a steal so check it out before it's gone! Michaelmas is quickly approaching: September 29th (next Saturday)! It will come as no surprise to you that I love St. Michael’s Day. It was the first feast we celebrated when we started observing the Christian Year in 2009, the Fall before our conversion to the Catholic faith . What is Michaelmas? Michaelmas (pronounced Mickel-mas) is a feast day celebrating the Archangels. It follows the fall Ember Days during which Christians traditionally thanked God for his creation and the bounty of the earth and fasted penitentially.

Michaelmas was a Holy Day of Obligation until the 18th century and honors St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. My linguist husband particularly likes the name Michael which means in Hebrew “Who Is Like God?” and is the battle cry of the angels. St. Michael fought against Lucifer and the fallen angels and defended the friends of God. You probably remember that St. Gabriel announced the coming of Jesus to the Virgin Mary and also the coming of John the Baptist to Zachariah. St. Raphael is found in the book of Tobit. Michaelmas Menus: For a seasonal table for Michaelmas, think of autumnal foods. Usually our Michaelmas feast is full of beta-carotene. Carrots are very traditional. According to a Scottish custom, women would harvest wild carrots on Michaelmas by digging triangular holes with a three-pronged mattock. Apparently the holes represent St. Michael’s shield and the mattock represents his trident. I love t his Whiskey-Glazed Carrots recipe by The Pioneer Woman . These are seriously amazing. Whiskey? Butter? Brown Sugar? Can you go wrong? St. Michael’s Bannock on the left!

Another traditional food is St. Michael’s Bannock, a simple, sweet bread. We’ve used the recipe from Meredith Gould’s The Catholic Home. It’s super easy and turns out well. Goose is also very traditional but we’ve discovered that it’s almost impossible to find an organic goose that’s remotely in our price range. So, we’ve cooked turkeys or chickens for the occasion. Last year we roasted sweet potatoes and onions with the chicken which turned out so yummy. Blackberries: There’s a legend concerning Lucifer falling into a blackberry bush after being expelled from heaven by St. Michael and spitting on the blackberries to make them bitter so that they cannot be picked after Michaelmas. On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on the blackberries. -Irish Proverb We’ve had blackberry buckle and blackberry cobbler but since they’re not in season right now in Florida, we try to just get organic frozen berries. be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. Michaelmas Daisies: The aster flower, also known as the Michaelmas Daisy is in season in North America at the end of September. We meant to grow some from seed but…never got around to it. Last year my two sweet boys picked beautiful Daisies they found and Bachelor’s Buttons and Marigolds from our garden to decorate our Michaelmas table because I was almost 9 months pregnant: What a pretty sight to wake up to on Michaelmas morning! “The Michaelmas daisies, among dede weeds, Bloom for St Michael’s valorous deeds. And seems the last of flowers that stood, Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.” How does your family celebrate the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels?

Michaelmas Embertide Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 14 September, 1 are known as "Michaelmas Embertide," and they come near the beginning of Autumn (September, October, November). The Lessons focus on the Old Covenant's Day of Atonement and the fast of the seventh month, but start off with this prophecy from Amos 9:13-15: Behold the days come, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall dop sweetness, and every hill shall be tilled. And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; and shall make gardens and eat the fruits of them; and I will plant them upon their land: and I will no more pluck them out of their land which I have given them; saith the Lord thy God. Like all Embertides but Whit Embertide, the Lessons end with the story of the three boys in the fiery furnace, as told by Daniel.

The Gospel readings recount how Jesus exorcised demons from a possessed boy and tells the disciples about fasting to cast out unclean spirits (Matthew 9:16-28), forgave Mary Magdalen (Luke 7:36-50), and healed the woman on the sabbath after telling the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-17). "The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature." Oh, delicious Autumn! Trees lavish with spice colors... the earthy smell of their leaves burning in hypnotic flames... the rich colors of grapes, apples, pumpkin, and squash, of gold and scarlet flowers... the invigorating air inviting warm sweaters... The season is marked by a bounty that lends itself well to some wonderful holidays, especially Martinmas and the secular American and Canadian Thanksgivings (the fourth Thursday in November and October 2, respectively).

This delightful poem, written in an old Hoosier dialect by James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 - July 22, 1916), conveys the feeling of Autumn so well: When the Frost is on the Pumpkin When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock, And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock, And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens, And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence; O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his best, With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest, As he leaves the house, bare-headed, and goes out to feed the stock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees, And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees; But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days Is a pitcur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn, And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn; The stubble in the furries --kindo' lonesome-like, but still A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill; The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed; The hosses in theyr stalls below -- the clover overhead! O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

Then your apples all is getherd, and the ones a feller keeps Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yeller heaps; And your cider-makin' 's over, and your wimmern-folks is through With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage, too! I don't know how to tell it -- but ef sich a thing could be As the Angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me I'd want to 'commondate 'em -- all the whole-indurin' flock -- When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock! In the midst of this beautiful time, things wizen and seem to begin to die. The air grows cooler, the earth stiffens, the trees tire of holding their leaves. And during this waning we remember our dead -- on 1 November, the victorious dead ( All Saints, or All Hallows Day ), and on 2 November, the dead being purified ( All Souls Day ). These Days of the Dead begin with the eve of All Hallows, or " Hallowe'en ," an unofficial evening of remembering the frightening fate of the damned and how we can avoid it.

There can't be a more appropriate time for such a night than Autumn, when foggy mists are likely, and bonfires helpful. Associations and Symbols Autumn is characterized by "dry and cold," and is associated with maturity, the humour of black bile, the melancholic temperament, 2 and the element of earth. Giuseppe Arcimboldo's fascinating portraits of the season and its associated element lead the imagination in all directions: Get your children to think of what changes atmospherically and astronomically during the this season. Why is it getting colder? How does the cooling affect the earth's air and waters? Remember that lore says that the weather conditions of each of the three days of an Embertide foretell the weather of the next three months, so the weather seen on Wednesday of Michaelmas Embertide predicts the weather of the coming October, Friday's weather foretells the weather of November, and Saturday's weather foretells the weather of December. Make a note of the weather on those three days and see if the old tales are true! What stars can be seen during the Autumn months?

Do your children know the traditional names for this season's full Moons?: Daily Calendar for September 29th, 2017 | Old Farmer's Almanac Daily Calendar for September 29th, 2017 Share: The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year. Select a Date Michaelmas The feast day of St. Michael, the archangel and overcomer of the Devil, is a Christian celebration based on the ancient Celtic calendar. Its main importance in people's lives was that of a seasonal signpost in the year. In the British Isles, crops were harvested and the surplus sold by late September, so this became the time when farmers would pay their yearly rents to landowners. Everyone ate goose at Michaelmas to bring prosperity, and many farmers included "a goose fit for the lord's dinner" with their rent payments. Great market fairs occurred just before the feast day, and the large crowds these attracted made it convenient to hold elections at this time.

Michaelmas is also a "Quarter Day." The ancient Celtic people divided the year into four major sections, or quarters, and then divided each of these in half to make an eight-part year that reflected the natural progression of the seasons. Foods traditional for Michaelmas include new wine; goose; cakes of oats, barley, and rye; and carrots. Some groups in the United States, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch, have kept Michaelmas, or "Harvest Home," traditions alive. Every Year Woodlands Primary School - Home Woodlands Primary School Winter Read In: Tuesday 24th January 5.30-6.30pm Join us for the Winter Read In... Read More Kaizan Teaching School Alliance An Initial Teacher Training Recruitment Event is taking place on Monday 6th February 2017 from 5pm - 8pm at Weald of Kent Grammar Academy Trust in Tonbridge... Read More Angel Centre Sportshall Indoor Athletics Competition On Thursday 5th January some Year 6 children attended the competition. The girls have written the following report... @Woodlandskent On Thursday 5 January, 9 of us girls and 9 boys went to the Sportshall Indoor Athletics competition at the Angel Centre.

We competed in 4 track and 4 field events each. We were very successful and came 2nd out of 9 teams! Kieran even won a heads and tails competition out of everybody and we also had a dance off. It was an amazing day and we are very proud with our second place! - Written by Year 6 girls January 13 at 12:54 PM @Woodlandskent Admissions to School in September 2017 If your child is due to start school in September 2017, you need to make an online application for a place. The website address is where a booklet explaining the admissions procedure is also available. Please contact the school office, the Primary Admissions Team on 03000412121 or e-mail kentonlineadmissionskent.gov.uk. The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 16 January. January 06 at 9:44 AM @Woodlandskent We have been collecting money for Save the Children and Hospice in the Weald.

Thanks to your wonderful support at each of the Christmas performances and for today's Christmas Jumper day, we have raised a total of £1,215.17 which will be divided equally between the two charities. We hope you have a lovely Christmas! December 16 at 3:41 PM @Woodlandskent We had a lovely Christingle service this week. We were visited by the Rev Sharon and Vicki from Tonbridge Methodist Church who took the children through the Nativity story. December 16 at 12:53 PM

Question: Michaelmas day is in which month?
Answer: September