Michaelmas

   Tomorrow, the 29th, is the Feast of St Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas, a Quarter Day when farm rents were due, annual employment terms ended, local courts were held and children would finally go back to school after helping with the  harvests. In some places it was called Pack Rag Day because the poorest farm labourers would be packing their few possessions to move to a new job.

  Two weather sayings for tomorrow

As many days old as the moon is at Michaelmas Day, so many floods shall we have after.*

St Michael's rain doesn't stay long in the sky

No blackberries should be picked after Michaelmas Day - 

The Devil stands (or pees!) on blackberries at Michaelmas

 A roast "stubble" goose - fattened from the barley gleanings on the fields after harvest, used to be the traditional meal on this day and it was thought that eating goose on Michaelmas Day would bring financial prosperity in the year to come. The Michaelmas goose tradition was once more important  than eggs at Easter.

 Whoever eats goose on Michaelmas day, Shall never lack money for his debts to pay

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 

 Goose Fairs used to be held on this day and geese were walked to the famous fairs. There is a record dating from the C16, of over twenty thousand geese being walked to Nottingham goose fair from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Their feet were prepared for the long walk by being coated by with a mixture of tar and sand.

Picture from the Nottingham Hidden History website

The history of the Goose Fair in Nottingham  is HERE.

Most of this is a repeated post from 2019 - long enough ago for me, and hopefully everyone reading, to have forgotten it!

(*the last new moon was September 2nd so we are due 27 floods this winter - oh dear)

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Sue