Friday 8 October 2010

It's autumn!



Why those gloomy faces? We know, we know, summer is gone, but, c'mon, autumn is equally awesome!!

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in March (Southern Hemisphere) or September (Northern Hemisphere,when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The word autumn comes from the old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalised to the original Latin word autumnus. There are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th century, but it only became common by the 16th century.

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 autumn began to replace it as a reference to the season.

In poetry, autumn has often been associated with melancholy. The possibilities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is on the horizon. Skies turn grey, and people turn inward, both physically and mentally.

Yes, yes, all that's true, but what about the magnificent colours of the landscape? and who hasn't enjoyed kicking and shuffling through the fallen leaves? and, of course, Hallowe'en!!

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