on autumn

Small thoughts

The other day I got involved in one of those animated pub discussions fuelled by one or two bevvies. This one centred on a topical question. ‘When does Autumn begin?’

We all know this is one of those questions for which there are many points of view. Of course location plays a key role. In the USA many believe that autumn or Fall as they call it, starts on Labor Day or the first Monday in September. Whilst in Ireland it starts in August. The Australians and New Zealanders get theirs over with as early as March.

In the UK, autumn happens between Michaelmas and Christmas. However, the actual start date is hotly debated. Meteorologists for example, start their autumn on the 1st of September, whilst those whose sights extend beyond this planet insist that the equinox is on, or around the 21st. According to this version, autumn will arrive (or arrived, depending on when you are reading this) at 14.21 UCT on the 22nd of September. Unless of course it is coming by train, in which case it might arrive sometime in October.

Arguments about when a season starts and finishes have been going on for a very long time. The ancient Greeks had to make do with just three seasons or hora (poor things). Hora or Horai means ‘the correct moment’, evidence that our ancestors also had in-depth discussions over the timing of the equinox. Our Palaeolithic forebears were so concerned to answer this knotty question, they used great big stone circles to predict when the time would arrive.

However, after in-depth research I have concluded that an important clue comes from the humble apple. When Julius Caesar came to Britain for a short holiday in 55BC he came across a fermented drink called cider. Cider is made from apples and apples ripen in…well, autumn. Ergo it is autumn when the first hangover comes from drinking too much cider. There, argument settled.

Cheers.