Many of the Christian Feast Days are linked to earlier pagan holidays, and Michaelmas is certainly no exception. Although the day officially celebrates the Feast of Michael the Archangel — and sometimes additionally the other archangels, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel — it falls so near the autumnal equinox that it was almost inevitable that it would be combined with various harvest festivals and rites.
The name Michael means “who is like God,” a question meant to be taken in the rhetorical sense, that is, no one is like God. He is considered one of the angelic warriors of God, and is especially associated with Lucifer’s banishment from Heaven — it is said that Michael was the one who fought him and cast him out. The Feast of St. Michael, or Michaelmas, as it was called, was celebrated as a Holy Day of Obligation in medieval Europe, when the faithful were required to attend Mass and refrain from worldly occupations.
In England, Wales, and Ireland, Michaelmas (which is pronounced “MICKlemus,” by the way) was also one of the four Quarter Days of the year, days on which rents were collected and debts paid. The other three Quarter Days were Lady Day on March 25th, coinciding with the Feast of the Annunciation, Midsummer Day on June 24, and Christmas. In areas where the Reeve (a magistrate or overseer) was elected, Michaelmas was also an election day.
Some foods were traditional for Michaelmas. The last of the carrots were dug, and Michaelmas feasts usually contained some type of carrot dish. A traditional bread was baked, containing, ideally, the grains of all the cereals, since it represented all the grains of the earth. The bread may have been baked on a lambskin, since the lamb was considered the most holy of all the animal meats. The main dish was likely to be a “stubble goose,” a goose that had grown fat on the gleanings of the harvested (“stubbled”) fields. The goose seems to have become traditional due to the practice of bringing the landlord one when coming to pay the rent. A sixteenth century poem says,
“And when the tenants come to pay their quarter’s rent,
They bring some fowl at Midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent,
At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose
And somewhat else at New Year’s tide, for fear their lease fly loose.”
Desserts might feature apples, since they were plentiful at that time, but would more likely be a dish containing blackberries. According to ancient lore, blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas. Apparently, when Michael cast Satan out of Heaven, he landed on a blackberry bush, and cursed the briars as he fell into them. Thereafter, every year on the same day, he would — depending on which version of the legend you believe — curse them, spit on them, or even do something worse.
On the eve before Michaelmas, while the women were busy baking the traditional breads and cakes, the men were busy, too — guarding the horses. Michaelmas Eve was the one night when it was lawful to take your neighbor’s horse. As long as you left your neighbor at least one horse — and it could be the worst of the lot — to ride to Mass the following day, you were allowed to keep and use whatever steeds you had taken for all of Michaelmas day.
Especially connected with this Feast Day is the Michaelmas Daisy, a flower that blooms late in the year, between late August and the first frost. Since St. Michael is known as an opponent of darkness and despair, it is fitting that this flower, fighting off the inevitable onslaught of winter, is his symbol.
The tradition of Michaelmas became embedded in both the educational and legal systems in Great Britain. The first term of the academic year was called the Michaelmas term, a tradition that is still observed by some of the older and more traditional universities. The legal year in England and Wales is also divided into four terms, with the beginning of the legal year being the Michaelmas term. Although the United States doesn’t use the phrase, you can see the same tradition in the Supreme Court, where the new term begins the first Monday in October, a date very close to Michaelmas.
Every year, on the day after Michaelmas, laborers would bring themselves and their tools to the nearest market to offer their services for the coming year. There, potential employers would meet with them and discuss terms of employment and qualifications. If satisfied, the employer would give the laborer a small amount of money and the worker would don some gaily colored ribbons to signify that they had been hired. A “Mop Fair” would follow, and the fortunate could celebrate by spending the money they had just received.
Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events, 2011 Edition: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Special Days, Weeks, and Months, Editors of Chase’s Calendar of Events; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September 29; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelmas; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_days; http://projectbritain.com/year/september.htm; http://www.shadowdrake.com/michaelmas.html; http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/saints/michaelmas_day.htm; http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1156; http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Michaelmas.htm.