Article and chosen photos

By Annemarie Eveland  

Yesterday, a friend and I were discussing the Autumn Equinox. Because our Arizona weather felt like summer, I expected October for the true start of fall. But I was wrong. It turns out that for our Northern Hemisphere, it actually happened on September 22nd at 2:19 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. That was when the sun was directly above the equator, causing the length of day and night to be the same. Farmers used this information to help with their planting times of crops. Esoteric groups used the Equinox to plan their ceremonies. Personally, I use it to be pleased that our cooling weather and colorful autumn are coming.

Autumn is my favorite season, painting the landscape with its garments of shimmering golds, old rust, fiery crimson reds, splashy yellows and deep earth browns. For those of us who are not graced with a scientific mind, it is enough to enjoy the artistic colors of this season. But there is a more pragmatic point to the changing of the leaves. It is because their green leaves are decreasing in chlorophyll, which gives them the traditional green leaves. And in the shorter days of fall, there is not as much warm sunlight, temperatures drop and the chlorophyll breaks down. The stunning array of oranges, yellows and reds, my favorites — is what remains. 

And it depends upon what kind of tree it is for the colors it turns into. For example, our oak trees become browner. The maple trees may become showy with their bright reds or oranges. This symmetry of cascading colors makes incredible landscapes, and this beauty is often captured in photographic splendor or in artistic paintings.

       And autumn brings not just our foliage changing colors, but celebrations in many cultures. We celebrate Thanksgiving as our traditional fall festival. Historically, it was a time when the early settlers would bring in their crops, express thanks and celebrate the harvest. I also attended Oktoberfest with German friends, and they were well known for enjoying a variety of beers, food, and lively dancing during their musical festivities for weeks. And I attended Diwali, which is from the India part of our world, called the Festival of Lights. It focused on joy-filled reflection time, floating lanterns on the water, and the “light” of colorful fireworks.

       The animals also sense the changes of this season. The birds and other animals may migrate to other places. I’m impressed with the tiny hummingbirds that fly south — way south to Argentina — over 3,000 miles for the coming winter.

The surrounding trees shed their leaves, a little at a time, appearing like a gentle showering of bits of them floating down softly to rest on the earth. They can effortlessly then conserve their energy for the colder, harsher months that winter will bring them. That’s when we get out our winter coats to protect our limbs too!

I always think of pumpkins as a symbol of autumn too. For centuries, this sturdy gourd-like food source has been a staple in the fall. In my family, my brother, who was born on October 31st, Halloween, always asked for his birthday cake to be pumpkin pie with marshmallows holding his birthday candles. He loved letting the candles burn down before blowing them all out.

I also loved the yummy pumpkin pies that were served at our family Thanksgiving Day dinner. And in mentioning Thanksgiving, it has traditionally been a time for gathering loved ones, sharing bountiful food with them and prayerful intentions of appreciation for the goodness that we have been fortunate to receive in our lives.

At our family dinner, at our settings, we each had little white paper cups with three kernels of “candy corn.” I think an enterprising businessperson made candy corn to sell as dessert candy from corn grown during the early farm days. Mom would have us go around the table, and each kid would pick up one at a time and say three things they were thankful for. The sentiments shared were varied, depending on the age of the child!

I recently learned that the month’s word “November” actually comes from the Latin root word “Novem” which means “nine.” Puzzling, huh? But not when you learn that the early Roman calendar had ten months and began in March, making November the ninth month. The calendar went through several changes until finally it became the Gregorian calendar we use today, and November became the 11th month, even though it kept its “Novem.”



And finally, what about the words fall and autumn? Why does this season have two names? In brief, Fall is the considered usage in our United States, and Autumn is more of a British usage. But whichever name you choose to use, enjoy the colors of this season’s magic!