We are seeing cooler temperatures, at least for a while, as we go into the autumn, or fall, season and that got me thinking – why is this time of year called autumn or fall?

According to dictionary.com, the word autumn comes from the French automne from the Latin autumnus. It was first recorded in English as early as the late 1300s; notably both Chaucer and Shakespeare used it in their works. Shakespeare used autumn more as a metaphor for aging than the season.

“Chaucer may have been the first (Middle) English author to use ‘autumn.’ In his translation of Boethius’ ‘Consolation of Philosophy’ (c. 1380) the Latin ‘autumnus’ morphs into Old-French ‘autumne’ in a line about Boreas, the Greek God of the North Wind. Boreas is said to be blowing out leaves that Zephyrus (the West Wind) had blown in during the spring,” according to vaultofthoughts.com.

Fall, being used as a description of this season, appears in the early 1500s. The name is thought to come from the fall of the leaves, which happens at this time.

According to the astronomical definition, fall begins with the autumnal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the September equinox; south of the equator, it is the equinox in March.

What exactly is the equinox?

According to NOAA, “There are only two times of the year when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun resulting in a ‘nearly’ equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes. These events are referred to as equinoxes. The word equinox is derived from two Latin words – aequus (equal) and nox (night). At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on these two equinoxes. The ‘nearly’ equal hours of day and night are due to refraction of sunlight or a bending of the light’s rays that causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon. Additionally, the days become a little longer at the higher latitudes (those at a distance from the equator) because it takes the sun longer to rise and set. Therefore, on the equinox and for several days before and after the equinox, the length of day will range from about 12 hours and six and one-half minutes at the equator to 12 hours and 8 minutes at 30 degrees latitude to 12 hours and 16 minutes at 60 degrees latitude.”

In Greek mythology the autumn equinox was the return of the goddess Persephone to the darkness of the underworld, where she is reunited with her husband Hades.

The Celtic goddess of the autumn equinox is Banbha. She is an Earth Mother and queen. In Irish mythology she is the founding mother of Ireland. Mabon is the Celtic harvest festival observed on or around the autumn equinox. It is the time when harvest is ending.

The Celts looked at Mabon as a time of reflection, gratitude and balance, which is a great tradition to continue. When societies used to be more in balance with the Earth I think this time of Mabon meant more. Now most of us can go into a heated home when it gets cold, we are not constrained by seasonal foods and most of us don’t live on farms so we don’t see barren fields.

Mabon is usually celebrated in September and Samhain (Halloween) is actually today and tomorrow. This is the season to slow down and to reflect. Samhain tells us this is the time the veil between this world and the next is thinnest. It is a time to think of the souls who have passed and to honor them with our memories. So this is the time I talk to my grandkids about their great and great-great grandparents. We look at old photos of loved ones and I share stories with them that my grandparents shared with me.

So while enjoying this day of trick-and-treating and of dressing in costumes for Halloween parties, also take time for Samhain to remember loved ones who have passed. And thank the Earth for the harvest as the autumn equinox brings us back into balance.

Autumn has arrived with cooler temperatures and even some rain in the future. Halloween, today, will see a high of 67 and a low in the 40s. Friday will be more of the same as far as temperatures go but on Saturday the clouds will roll in and there is some rain expected. (As of Wednesday night there is a 60% chance of rain after 11 a.m. on Saturday.) The rain may continue to Sunday but then warmer temperatures are expected on Monday and Tuesday as we climb back to the 70s.