Annie's Month of September Page

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth"
2 Timothy 2:15~KJV

It's already September!!!
Fall is almost here. The birds will soon fly south for the winter. Time to put up those bird feeders if you live down south that is. The children will go "Back to School". Families will take that last weekend get-away before the cold sets in. Labor Day weekend vacation is that last cook out. September is time to put away those "white shoes". Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. So put those summer clothes in the back of the closet and pull out your favorite sweater and sweats.

Christian & Family Related Events in September:
September 16th, 2007: See You at the Pole - The annual event where middle school,
junior high, and high school students across the country gather around their school
flagpolls to pray for their schools, fellow students and teachers.
September 22nd - 29th, 2007: "Scriptures In Schools Week" or SISW -- A Plan to
Return the Bible to America's Public Schools & Restore Biblical Literacy to America's
Children. They want each Child to bring a Bible to School that week.

September has 30 days; seventh month of early Roman republican calendar,
from Latin septem, or seven.

September is the ninth month of the year, according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in almost all the world today. It was the seventh month in the old Roman calendar, and its name comes from the Latin septem, meaning seven. September later became the ninth month when the ancient Romans moved the beginning of their year from March 1 to January 1. September has had 29 days, 31 days, and, since the time of the Roman emperor Augustus, 30 days.

Activities - Summer ends and autumn begins at the autumnal equinox, on September 22 or 23 in the northern half of the world. September is one of the warmest months in the Southern United States. States farther north have hot days during September, but nights are likely to be cool. September is harvesttime for many crops. It was called the harvest month in Switzerland.

Special days - Labor Day, the only legal public holiday in September, comes on the first Monday of the month in Canada and the United States. After Labor Day, most children return to school.

Many peoples have celebrated harvest festivals in September. In many European countries, the people held feasts and games. In America, the Harvest Home supper celebrated the end of harvest. The ancient Greeks honored Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, during this month, and the ancient Romans honored their goddess of agriculture, whom they called Ceres.

Five Jewish holidays are celebrated in September or early October. They are
Rosh Ha-Shanah, or New Year; Tzom Gedaliah, a fast day; Yom Kippur, the Day of
Atonement; Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles; and Simhat Torah, a day of rejoicing.

Hindus begin the 10-day celebration of Durga Puja, or the Festival of the Divine Mother,
in September.

Citizenship Day and Constitution Day are observed in the United States on September 17.
Mexicans and many Mexican Americans celebrate Mexico's Independence Days on
September 15 and 16.

September Symbols - September's flower is the morning-glory. Sapphire is the gem.

Quotations	The morrow was a bright September morn; The earth was beautiful as if newborn; There was nameless splendor everywhere, That wild exhilaration in the air, Which makes the passers in the city street Congratulate each other as they meet. Source: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Just after the death of the flowers, And before they are buried in snow, There comes a festival season When Nature is all aglow. Source: Author Unknown	By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer's best of weather And autumn's best of cheer. Source: Helen Hunt Jackson

September 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1 First Day of Spring in Australia and New Zealand
2 Father's Day (Australia & New Zealand)	3 Labor Day in USA & Labour Day in Canada	4	5	6	7 Brazil's Independence Day - link is at Irene's Site	8
9 Grandparents Day	10	11 Remembering the Pain of September 11th!	12	13	14	15
16 Mayflower Day & Independence Day (Mexico) & National Step Family Day & Sept 16th - 22nd is Flower Week	17 Citizenship Day & Thank You Day	18	19	20	21	22 Yom Kippur*
23 Autumn or Fall Begins Women's Friendship Day & Sept 23rd - 29th "Scriptures In Schools Week"	24	25 Jake's Birthday	26 See You at the Pole	27	28 Native American Day	29
30

SEPTEMBER MONTH EVENTS & FLOATING HOLIDAYS
*Labor Day-First Monday in September. This celebration began with a labor parade
in New York City on Sept 5, 1882
*National Grandparents Day. First Sunday after Labor Day.
*Native American Day. Fourth Friday in September. Formerly American Indian Day.
*Harvest festivals are held throughout most of the nation. Some communities honor special
crops with celebrations, such as the National Tobacco Festival at Richmond, Va.,
in September or October.
*National School Bus Safety Week is in --September
*National Farm Safety Week is in --September

FALL FEASTS of JUDIASM
Five Jewish holidays are celebrated in September or early October. They are Rosh Ha-Shanah, or New Year; Tzom Gedaliah, a fast day; Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles; and Simhat Torah, a day of rejoicing.

Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year's Day festival celebrated on the first or first and second days of Tishri (September or October)

Jewish Calendar - Tishri. 30 days; Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur fall during this month;
regarded as birth month of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
zodiacal sign is the scales, symbolizing the weighing
of one's deeds between New Year and Day of Atonement.

The Real Thanksgiving?? The date of the feast is not known. Bradford wrote in his history 'Of Plimoth Plantation' that on September 18 some men set out in a small boat for Massachusetts Bay to trade with the Indians. The harvest was gathered after they returned. The feast must have occurred before December 11. It was described in a letter written on that date by Edward Winslow.

Labor Day, a holiday celebrated in most industrialized nations to honor working men and women; devised mainly by trade unions and Socialists and first celebrated May 1, 1889, as sponsored by the Second Socialist International; observed in U.S. on first Monday in September to reject any identification with Socialists or Communists; legalized by Congress June 28, 1894; now a general holiday in North America, while Europe still devotes it to working class.

Mesopotamia
The earliest known record of a New Year festival dates from 2000 BC in Mesopotamia. In Babylonia the New Year began with the new moon closest to the spring equinox, usually mid-March. In Assyria it was near the autumnal equinox in September. For the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians the day was celebrated on the autumnal equinox, which now falls on about September 23. For the Greeks it was the winter solstice, which now falls on about December 21 or 22. During the early Roman republic March 1 began a new year, but after 153 BC the date was January 1. This date was kept by the Julian calendar of 46 BC.

During the early Middle Ages March 25 (the feast of the Annunciation) was celebrated as New Year's Day. January 1 was restored as New Year's Day by the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by the Roman Catholic church in 1582. Over the next 350 years other countries followed. Russia, in 1918, was the last major nation to adopt the practice. In countries that use the Julian calendar, New Year's Day is on January 14 of the Gregorian calendar.

Rosh Hashana
The Jewish New Year, called Rosh Hashana, is sometimes called the "feast of the trumpets." It starts on the first day of the month of Tishri, which may begin any time from September 6 to October 5. The celebration lasts for 48 hours but ushers in a ten-day period of penitence. The Chinese New Year is celebrated wherever there are sizable Chinese communities. The official celebration lasts one month and begins in late January or early February. There are outdoor parades and fireworks to mark the occasion.

In Japan the New Year festivities take place on January 1 to 3. In some rural areas the time of celebration corresponds more closely to the Chinese New Year, and the dates vary between January 20 and February 19. The house entrance is hung with a rope made of rice straw to keep out evil spirits. Decorations of ferns, bitter orange, and lobster promise good fortune, prosperity, and long life. In South India the Tamil New Year is a religious celebration that takes place on the winter solstice. It is marked by pilgrimages to holy places and the boiling of new rice.

The American celebration of the New Year marks the end of the Christmas holiday period. Many people go to church on New Year's Eve, and many attend parties. Street celebrations in large cities are televised. New Year's Day itself is often a time for receiving guests at home.

Months, Weeks, and Days
The word month is derived from the Old English word for moon. A month was originally the time between two new moons. Today astronomers refer to this period of time as a lunar month. Its average length is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. The moon travels around the Earth in 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, and 11.5 seconds. This is the sidereal month. Calendar months usually differ in length, and all except February are longer than 29 days in order to accommodate the solar year, which is almost 11 days longer than a lunar year.

The names for the months in the present Gregorian calendar are taken from the ancient Roman months of the Julian calendar. January is derived from Janus, a household god of beginnings. He was often depicted facing in two directions. February was the time of a feast of purification called Februa. March was named after Mars, the god of war. April is of uncertain origin. It may be named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite. May is probably derived from the goddess Maia. June was named after the goddess Juno. July and August were named, respectively, after Julius Caesar and his successor, Augustus. The last four months got their names from their original numerical placement in the year. Septem, for instance, is Latin for "seven."

The seven-day week has no astronomical basis. It may well have originated in the Middle East or in the Bible. By the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire was operating on a week of the same length. The days were named after the then known seven planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the sun (not distinguished from a planet at the time), Venus, Mercury, and the moon (also considered a planet). The names of days in Latin countries still point to these origins, as do Sunday, Monday, and Saturday in English. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, however, are named after the Scandinavian gods Tiw, Woden, Thor, and Frigga.

Generally here in the United States children return to school either the end of August or the first week of September.

What's happening in September?
Sports: Tennis is in focus in September with the U.S. Open tennis finals, featuring the world's best players.
Events: National Hispanic Heritage Month starts in September in the United States.
Special days: Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor all working people. In Australia, Labor Day is called Eight Hour Day.