It’s Fall, Ya’ll!

Welcome to fall! I hope you all had a restful summer and a smooth back to school transition this year. As the weather starts to cool off and the leaves begin to change, I wanted to talk a bit about the history of September, the holidays we celebrate, and the activities we enjoy

We kick off the month celebrating Labor Day on September 1, 2025. The holiday dates back to 1882, around the time of the labor movement in the United States which brought safer working conditions, mandated days off, and limited working hours. It originated as an opportunity to honor the American workers who were behind the most productive economy in the world at the time of its conception. We celebrate Labor Day in September simply because it’s about halfway from Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day.

International Day of Peace follows on September 21. Annually recognized, this day is observed with a moment of silence at noon, peace walks, concerts, and volunteering in the community.

The autumn equinox falls on September 22, 2025 (aka the first official day of fall). On this day we experience approximate equal hours of light and darkness, preparing us for the shorter days that follow into the winter months.

The final harvest occurs at the end of the month, September 29, 2025, and is known as Michaelmas, one of the “quarter days” in the Celtic calendar. Originally, it was tradition for the people to consume goose at Michaelmas to manifest prosperity for the year ahead.

Additionally, different cultures uniquely celebrate similar holidays throughout the month of September. In addition to the first day of fall, September 22, 2025 also marks the start of Rosh Hashanah at sundown. Literally translating from Hebrew to “Head of the Year”, this day marks the start of the Jewish New Year. This two day festival celebrates the anniversary of human creation and includes sweet foods such as apples and honey to encourage a sweet year ahead, as well as traditions like blowing the shofar (ram’s horn) on both mornings during synagogue, and more!

Chinese culture celebrates the Moon Festival in late September (or early October depending on the Chinese lunar calendar). This holiday has been celebrated for over 3,000 years and is said to be the second largest festival in China! The festival occurs during the full moon nearest the autumn equinox and includes brightly colored lanterns, dances, games, and more designed to give thanks for the harvest and for being together.

Some sillier “holidays” or notable days to celebrate in September include:

September 7th is September’s Full Moon (aka the Corn Moon)
September 13th is Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day
September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Finally, the fall season brings us an abundance of apples, changing leaves, and flowers of red and purple. Songs such as “Shine on Harvest Moon”, “Dancing in the Moonlight”, “September”, and “Autumn Leaves” echo faintly in the distance. There’s a chill in the air and we begin to settle in for the long winter ahead. I hope you can find time for fall activities like apple picking and leaf peeping or preparing the garden so it’s ready for the growing season while sipping on an apple cider and listening to your favorite fall tunes!

P.S. Hug your kitties extra tight, it’s National Happy Cat Month!