Anytime Traditions

Today is the official first day of fall, or the fall equinox. If you noticed, the amount of daylight and darkness were almost exactly the same - about 12 hours of each.

While we look forward to cooler temperatures and brightly colored leaves on the mountains, the equinox has historically been a day of celebration for many different peoples. Stonehenge is probably one of the best-known sites that incorporates a way to determine the equinoxes (spring and fall) and solstices (summer and winter) into the alignment of the stones. How or why exactly, no one knows for sure. Ireland has megalithic cairns that are placed to capture the sunlight on specific days each year, and the Mayans and Native Americans also built temples to display patterns of triangles of light during these times, as well as other stone structures.

The early Christian church, in an effort to shift pagan celebrations into religious observances, replaced the fall equinox with Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael. This was a kind of thanksgiving celebration, since it took place just after the harvest.

One tradition my family and I enjoy at this time of year is taking a drive through the nearby mountains for a look at the autumn leaves. There are spots where the brilliant reds and yellows transform entire valleys into a riot of color, so beautiful it almost aches. We also try and fit in the last warm-weather hike of the year, though with a 2-year-old we might have to modify that tradition a bit to meet the needs of short little legs.

What are your favorite autumn traditions?

As the welcome three-day weekend approached this September, I started to think about traditions centered around the Labor Day holiday. I realized that I know very little about this particular holiday, and so decided to post a brief bit of history from my research.

According to the US Department of Labor website (www.dol.gov), Labor Day is "a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers." (Hmmm. That's me!) "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City in 1882, but it didn't become a national holiday until Congress passed an act declaring it a legal holiday in 1894. The original proposal outlines how we should celebrate Labor Day: a street parade dedicated to the trade and labor organizations, followed by a festival "for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families."

Today, Labor Day has become less about trade and labor organizations and more about that last "fling" of the summer. For many, the Labor Day weekend is the last camping trip of the year. Others schedule the first hunt of the season. Sports fans anticipate the beginning of the college football season. And, for the rest of us, there are still parades, flags, speeches, barbecues, picnics, and that one last trip to the beach or water park.

In short, the form the Labor Day celebration takes is as unique as the community celebrating it.

If you've got a fun Labor Day tradition, please share! As for me and my family, I think we're going to fire up the grill, slather on the sunscreen, and spend a little free time in the great out-of-doors!