Autumn equinox seems to be a little complicated in Latvian culture. Apjumības is the Latvian celebration of the god Jumis- -god of harvest and fertility, with various practises to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and ensure fertility for the year to come. Traditionally celebrated at the time of the Autumn Equinox September 22-24, and mingling and blurring at times with Mikeli Sept 29/Oct 01. The latter is conflated with the Christian Saint Day, Michaelmas, though it is noted that there are references to Mikeli as one of the minor Latvian gods, prior to the intrusion of Christianity, likely a nature spirit. That second date is considered the end of harvest, and the beginning of the Days of the Dead, and gateway to winter.
Since I am not a grain farmer, I won't be carrying out any of the rites around grain harvests and fields, I do have some potatoes and peas to harvest, but I will be watching weather forecasts, since the longer I can leave them, the better! I'll celebrate on behalf of the many local farmers that seem to be doing well this year with some recent dry weather allowing harvest to be fairly early, after a wet summer.
Beyond that, the idea of marking the Gateway to Winter and Days of the Dead resonates for me. First, at this time of year the beginning of preparation for winter is very much on my mind (need to start cutting wood, finishing mowing, wrapping up garden work etc). Then, the anniversary of my mother's death is September 23, so that is also something I'm thinking of. I like the idea of celebrating Mikeli as a nature spirit ushering in the seasonal change, since this is a glorious time of year in nature here, as the vegetation changes colour gradually and increasingly spectacularly (this is the time of Lapu Mate / Leaf Mother, who presides over the changing colour of leaves) before peaking and then sliding slowly to the sombre tones of late fall pre-winter.
I spent some time on the day of the Equinox (and it was a beautiful blue sky fall day, after days of smoke and clouds!) making an altar or offering, thinking of both the season change and my mother. I started with a wooden bench, one of a set built for me by my mother and grandfather (she asked for his help, he ended up mainly doing it) when I had a store years ago in Edmonton. Currently it is near a woodcutting area outdoors, and I use it at times to hold my camera/odds and ends tea/coffee bag when I'm working. It had accumulated a little pile of rocks picked up on the road or turned up in gardening etc, and pieces of wood that I thought were interesting in various ways. Seemed like a good start for the offering. (The following images show the gradual layering of items).
To me, this kind of activity is more about the process and less about the final product- the point is not to make it just a craft/art project but rather a time of reflection, honouring, remembering, celebrating. So, I wandered slowly around the acreage, enjoying the beautiful autumn day ( the first and only clear blue sky day in a while, between clouds and smoke), taking photos in the garden and wild areas, and collecting things. Some of the stems/leaves were mostly to lay the background and build the layers of colour -things like Saskatoon and Fireweed stems which are important parts of the landscape, here where Mom lived much of her life. Bunchberry, Clover, Dogwood, Mountain Ash continued the layering-- wild things, garden plants grown by both my mother and myself, showing the bounty and beauty of the land. Wild Lily of the Valley is a favourite and abundant wild plant here, with lovely berries in this season, the (not closely related) garden Lily of the Valley was Mom's birth flower. Late flowers were added too- wild Asters that colour the acreage for months, Pearly Everlastings (popped up in the rock garden- wild? forgotten planting from decades past?), Sow Thistles-- weeds, but I have a soft spot for them, I've left a patch to grow and they are a bright sunny spot amid the lengthening fall shadows. They also remind me of Mom- as children she and her siblings were paid for each one they pulled! My nod to harvest season- pea flowers and pods from the garden- Earth gives bountifully! Not the regular green peas Mom loved, these are my heritage faves, with colourful flowers, pods too, often, for edible pods and soup peas. Finally, apples and apple-crabs from trees Mom planted.
A beautiful, slow, poignant couple of hours! I hope your Equinox was peaceful, and you take a few moments as the season changes for gratitude and introspection. In the North we head through the riotous season of colour and change toward the season of death and loss, but also of reflection, of drawing in, a time perhaps to clear minds to match the muted winter palette. Those in the South head into Spring-- a very different set of moods and markers, but still a season of change. In tumultuous times, a grounding in the rhythm of the seasons, the richness of the Earth around us, can help to give us a place of balance from which to view humanity, help remind us of real priorities, refresh our minds and hearts.
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(see this post for musings on support sites: https://cohanmagazine.blogspot.com/2021/01/fiction-feedback-and-finances.html )
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