Michaelmas reflection

We have passed the equinox; now the hours of night are gradually longer than the hours of daylight. This has always been a time for feasting and celebrating, combined with the most intensive work of the agricultural year, culminating in harvest. Rural Britain used Michaelmas as a time for harvest suppers and feasts, which most churches still observe; for the hiring of servants and the paying of rents, which few still do, and for the celebration of the dedication of churches and chapels. This last was one of the statutes of the English Reformation, passed by King Henry VIII, who wanted to prevent people celebrating on saints days throughout the year, and instead insisted that they should all observe the first Sunday of October as the feast of dedication.

Of all the laws passed during that period, this one was almost universally ignored, which gives great cause for hope, as we still live in a time when both church and state seem to feel the need to legislate their way towards desired outcomes, to form society through telling people what to do, or what to believe. Knowing when to turn a blind eye to such attempts at regulation is a necessary skill in these times.

Here Michaelmas (celebrated according to the equinox, not the Church festival on the 29th) was warm and sunny, and our fair was a good hearted occasion, with music, dancing, lots of food and beer. The main street was closed for two days. Many re-emerged on Monday slightly the worse for wear, and enquiring of their neighbours as to whether or not they had had a good time.