Michaelmas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michaelmas (pronounced /'mɪkəlməs/; also the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael or the Feast of Michael and All Angels), is a day in the Christian calendar, taking place on 29 September. Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. St Michael, one of the principal angelic warriors, was seen as a protector against the dark of night. Michaelmas has also delineated time and seasons for secular purposes as well, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
During the Middle Ages, Michaelmas was celebrated as a holy day of obligation, but this tradition was abolished in the 18th century. It was also one of the English and Welsh and Irish quarter days when accounts had to be settled. On manors, it was the day when a reeve was elected from the peasants. Traditional meals for the day include goose (a "stubble-goose", i.e. one prepared around harvest time) and a special cake called a St Michael's bannock. On the Isle of Skye, Scotland, a procession was held.
Michaelmas is also used in the extended sense of "Autumn", used as the name of the first term of the academic year, which begins at this time, at various educational institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland (typically those with lengthy history and traditions): Abingdon School, King's College London, St Andrews, Cambridge, University of Wales, Lampeter, Durham, London School of Economics, Oxford, Lancaster, Trinity College, Dublin, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Eton, Gresham's, Norwich School, Worksop College and Royal Holloway, University of London.
The Inns of Court of the English bar also have a Michaelmas term as one of their dining terms. It begins in September and ends towards the end of December.
