The autumn equinox was, of course, a harvest festival, called after ‘Mabon’ the god of youth. Bonfires were lit on hilltops and it was probably a time for rest after the intense labour needed to bring in the harvests before the approaching winter. Like the other important dates in the Celtic year, Mabon was a time when it was considered that spirits were able to roam more freely.
Some sources believe that Michaelmas Day, the feast of St Michael the Archangel, was deliberately placed close to the date of the equinox to encourage the pagan Celts to convert. This feast has been celebrated on the 29th of September since the Middle Ages.
Harvest celebrations, fairs and markets were held in all cities and towns. These festivities included parades and plays and in some areas of northern Europe and England the drinking of a special wine known as ‘St Michael’s Love’. In Denmark the drinking of Saint Michael's wine on September 29 has been preserved as a popular custom to the present day.
Michaelmas was one of the traditional days when three-monthly rents were due and when contracts were made or renewed. It was a very popular feast day in England and even in present times, the autumn term English universities and schools is called the ‘Michaelmas Term’.
Relative Links: St Michael the Archangel
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