Everything about Autumn totally explained
Autumn (also known as
fall in
North American English) is one of the four
temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from
summer usually in September (northern hemisphere) or March (southern hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier. Autumn starts on 21st September and ends on 20th December, in the northern hemisphere. Autumn starts on or around
7 August and ends on about
6 November in
solar term.
In
Ireland, autumn begins on
1 August and ends
31 October, due to the
Irish calendar.
Etymology
The word
autumn comes from the
Old French word
autompne (
automne in modern French), and was later normalized to the original
Latin word
autumnus. There are rare examples of its use as early as the 14th century, but it became common by the 16th century, around the same time as
fall, and the two words appear to have been used interchangeably.
Before the 16th century,
harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season. However as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word
harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and
fall and
autumn began to replace it as a reference to the season.
The alternative word
fall is now mostly a
North American English word for the season. It traces its origins to old
Germanic languages. The exact derivation is unclear, the
Old English fiæll or
feallan and the
Old Norse fall all being possible candidates. However, these words all have the meaning "to fall from a height" and are clearly derived either from a common root or from each other. The term came to denote the season in the 16th century, a contraction of
Middle English expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".
During the 17th century, English immigration to the colonies in
North America was at its peak, and the new settlers took their language with them. While the term
fall gradually became obsolescent in Britain, it became the more common term in North America, where
autumn is nonetheless preferred in scientific and often in literary contexts.
Historic usage
Many ancient civilizations (such as the
Amerindians and the ancient
Hebrews) computed the years by autumns, while the
Anglo-Saxons did so by winters.
Tacitus states that the ancient Germans were acquainted with all the other seasons of the year but had no notion of autumn — though this is likely to be wrong, especially as a blanket statement (Tacitus wrote about Germanic tribes without firsthand knowledge and thus promoted myths as well as actual information).
Linwood observed of the beginning of the several seasons of the year, that:
» "Dat Clemens Hyemem, dat Petrus Ver Cathedratus;
Aestuat Urbanus, Autumnat Bartholomaeus."
In
alchemy, autumn is the time or season when the operation of the
Philosopher's stone is brought to maturity and perfection.
Rainer Maria Rilke, a German poet, has expressed such sentiments in one of his most famous poems,
Herbsttag (
Autumn Day), which reads in part:
» Wer jetzt kein Haus hat, baut sich keines mehr.
Wer jetzt allein ist, wird es lange bleiben, » wird wachen, lesen, lange Briefe schreiben
und wird in den Alleen hin und her » unruhig wandern, wenn die Blätter treiben.
This translates roughly (there is no official translation) to:
» Who now has no house, won't build one (anymore).
Who now is alone, will remain so for long, » will wake, and read, and write long letters
and back and forth on the boulevards » will restlessly wander, while the leaves blow.
Similar examples may be found in
William Butler Yeats' poem
The Wild Swans at Coole where the maturing season that the poet observes symbolically represents his own aging self. Like the natural world that he observes he too has reached his prime and now must look forward to the inevitability of old age and death.
Paul Verlaine's "
Chanson d'automne" ("Autumn Song") is likewise characterized by strong, painful feelings of sorrow.
Other associations
In the U.S., autumn is also associated with the
Halloween season (which in turn was influenced by
Samhain, a Celtic autumn festival), and with it a widespread marketing campaign that promotes it. The television, film, book, costume, home decoration, and confectionery industries use this time of year to promote products closely associated with such holiday, with promotions going from early September to
31 October, since their themes rapidly lose strength once the holiday ends, and advertising starts concentrating on
Christmas.
Since 1997, Autumn has been one of the top 100 names for girls in the United States.
Tourism
Although
colour change in leaves occurs wherever
deciduous trees are found, coloured autumn
foliage is most famously noted in two regions of the world: most of
Canada and the
United States; and
Eastern Asia, including
China,
Korea, and
Japan. It can also be very significant in
Argentina,
Australia,
Chile and
New Zealand, but not to the same degree.
Eastern Canada and the
New England region of the United States are famous for the brilliance of their fall foliage, and a seasonal tourist industry has grown up around the few weeks in autumn when the leaves are at their peak.
Gallery
Image:Autumn-slovakia.JPG|Autumn with a rainbow on the background in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Image:autumn.westonbirt.750pix.jpg|Autumn leaves at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England.
Image:Ginkgo Riverside, Illinois.JPG|Ginkgos along Harlem Avenue in Riverside, Illinois.
Image:Autumn colors.jpg|Brilliant orange of sunlight autumn trees.
Image:P1020020.JPG|Autumn in Pennsylvania.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Autumn'.
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