This month…

October facts

Transitioning from summer into winter… October often provides pleasant weather here in Sussex. Clocks go back on October 24/25 for British Summer Time. An extra hour of sleep! Easily remembered by:- ‘Fall back, Spring forward’.

Autumnal colours:- The vibrant yellows and oranges are already inside the green leaves throughout the year. They stay hidden because green chlorophyll overpowers them until cooler temperatures and shorter days signal trees to stop producing chlorophyll.

While people often view "Fall" as an American word, it originated in 17th-century Britain as a short version of "the fall of the leaf".  British English later shifted to "autumn” whilst American English kept the word "fall".

Research shows that squirrels experience growth in their hippocampus—the brain region responsible for memory and spatial awareness—during autumn. This helps them remember where they hid thousands of individual seeds and nuts for the winter.… which is indeed ‘nuts!’

Pumpkins belong to the gourd and winter squash family (Cucurbitaceae), which also includes cucumbers and melons. They consist of about 90% water and come in over 45 distinct varieties.

In ancient Greek mythology, autumn was explained through the story of Persephone. When Persephone was taken by Hades to the underworld, her mother Demeter (the goddess of agriculture) grew so depressed and distressed that she let all the earth's crops wither until her daughter returned in the spring.

Surprisingly, apples float in water. This is because 25% of their volume is made up of air. This unique physical property makes popular fall traditions like bobbing for apples possible.

October comes from the Latin word "octo" meaning eight, as it was the eighth month in the Old Roman calendar ie before January and February were added. 

The Anglo-Saxons called October "Winterfylleth," meaning "fullness" of winter. 

The full moon closest to the autumn equinox is called the Harvest Moon. Historically, its bright light allowed farmers to continue harvesting their crops late into the evening before electric lights existed. This is why Autumn was known as "Harvest" during the 12th and 13th centuries in England. 

The birthstones for October are the opal and tourmaline and the birth flower is the calendula. 

31st October is Halloween. This originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark winter. The Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred on this night, allowing spirits to return to the mortal world. Traditions like dressing in costumes to ward off spirits, lighting bonfires, and carving pumpkins (originally turnips) evolved from this festival and are now central to the modern holiday, which also includes activities like trick-or-treating. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the cold, dark winter, a time when the world was thought to be more vulnerable. 

As Christianity spread, the church held its own festival on November 1st, All Hallows' Day (or All Saints' Day), to align with the pagan celebration, and October 31st became known as All Hallows' Eve.  The custom of "souling," saw people offering soul cakes at the doors in exchange for prayers for the deceased……the earliest form of trick-or-treating.