September, the ninth month of the Gregorian calendar, has come. It is one of the four months of the year, consisting of 30 days. September is the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere. It was originally the seventh month of the ancient Roman calendar and was called ‘Septem’, which is translated as ‘seventh’. It was not until 451 BC, that January and February were added to the calendar, making September the ninth month from the beginning of the year.

The main folk festival of September was ‘The early fall or harvest festival’. In different provinces of Russia this holiday was called in its own way. The holiday was celebrated three times – on September 14, 21 and 27. It symbolized the farewell to summer, the meeting with autumn and preparation for winter. Until September 14, peasants finished work in the field: reaping, harvesting flax, taking wheat to the barns, drying sheaves before threshing.

September is the ‘evening of the year’ – a time when everything is fading away, slipping towards sunset, on the one hand, and on the other one – a time of abundance, the completion of the invested labor and the receipt of a well-deserved reward. That is why the first autumn month is simultaneously filled with light sadness, joy and calmness. And while the beginning of September was still spent in the worries associated with the harvest, the end of September was the time of harvest festivals and the beginning of the wedding season. The theme of treats (gifts to gods, guardian ancestors, meals for beggars) runs through all the rituals and festivals of the month like a golden thread.

September is associated with concepts of transition or change in different cultures, beliefs and doctrines, especially since it marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The cold weather typical of late autumn has not yet set in. The earth retains its summer warmth and dryness, the sun is still shining and birds are chirping merrily. ‘Indian summer’ comes in September. This is the period when warm autumn days are sunny and fine. The average duration of Indian Summer is two weeks.

September is rich in secular and church holidays, including those celebrated all over the world. The month begins with the well-known Knowledge Day, the start of the new school year. The full list of state, calendar, professional, national, international and other holidays, important events and memorable dates in Russia and the world totals several hundred events.

September is also the day of the autumnal equinox (September 22nd), which marks the beginning of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and the beginning of spring – in the Southern Hemisphere. It is on this day that day and night are equal, the Sun rises exactly in the east at all latitudes and sets exactly in the west. In bygone days, it was around this time that field works were finished – the peasants finished harvesting. As far back as the pre-Christian era at this time period, pagans thanked nature and asked it for fertility. In the time of ancient Slavs, the day of the autumnal equinox was dedicated to women and expectant mothers in particular. The holiday eventually merged with the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the 21st September).

Another folk name for September is curious – ‘seeing off the summer’. Today, saying farewell to summer and welcoming the generous beauty of autumn, we offer everyone to listen to a musical selection ‘Autumn Romances’.

On the cover: Flower vase with yarrow (milfoil) and mountain-ash branches. Manfred Wild, Emile Becker firm. Germany, Idar-Oberstein. The 20^th century