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In Christian mythology the Archangel Michael was the angel that finally defeated Lucifer in the war in heaven. He is therefore deemed to be the greatest of all the angels. In the fifth century, on 30th September, a basilica near Rome was dedicated to Archangel Michael. A feast was held the night before – and henceforth, on 29th September, Michael’s Mass (Michaelmas) was held in western churches.

As the festival takes place close to the Autumn equinox (21st September) it was often regarded as the beginning of autumn. In rural parts of the British Isles Michaelmas marked the end of harvest and was a time when bailiffs or reeves would demand all accounts were settled. It was also a time when hiring fairs would be held. The traditional meal of Michaelmas is a ‘stubble-goose’, one that has been fed on the stubble of the harvested cereal crops.

In Ireland the eating of geese at this time is associated with a legend that the son of an Irish king choked to death on a goose bone he had eaten during Michaelmas – and was miraculously brought back to life by St Patrick. The king therefore ordered the sacrifice of a goose every Michaelmas in recognition of this event.

In the Outer Hebrides a special bread was made to celebrate Michaelmas. This Bannock was made from equal quantities of barley, oats and rye.

In the British Isles, where the blackberry is a native fruit, there is a myth that when St Michael expelled Lucifer from heaven, he fell down to earth and landed in a blackberry bush. In his anger and pain, he cursed the berries, scorched them with his breath and urinated on them so that they would be unfit for eating. It is therefore regarded as bad luck to eat blackberries after 29th September – so Michaelmas is the last opportunity to eat them.

Recipes

Customs and rituals

Decorate the house with Michaelmas Daisies

These are rarely available in florists but if you grow them in your garden, pick some and put in vases or pots around the house.

Don’t pick blackberries!

Make sure you don’t pick any blackberries after this date as it will bring you bad luck – see above.

Stage a fight between St Michael and the Devil

This can be a simple ‘fake’ sword fight using home-made wooden swords or bought toy ones. Ideally the combatants should be suitably dressed to represent St Michael (angel’s wings) and the Devil (black horns and a forked tail). Just make sure that St Michael wins!