While nobody was looking, we moved into an entirely new season. Halloween, you see, is one of those “cross-quarter” days. It falls mid-way between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice. The Celts called it Samhain, and it joined Imbolc (we call it Groundhog Day, February 2-6), Beltane (May Day, May 1), and Lughnasadh (The Day We Go To Michigan, August 5-8) as season-starters. The elder cultures didn’t have TV weathermen to tell them that Winter starts at 12:22 AM on December 22, but, boy did they have astronomers! With no Internet, these folks had nothing but time on their hands when the sun went down. And good, clean, non-light polluted skies. But that’s for another blog entry. The point is, our ancestors started their seasons on cross-quarter days. Thus, Midsummer Night, of Shakespeare fame, would have been the middle of Summer, at the Summer Solstice. After that date, the nights started lasting longer. Our ancestors equated that with the death of the Sun, so that’s when they would sacrifice people and do that tear-the-heart-out thing. Mister Shakespeare cleaned it up a bit. The Bleak Midwinter, on the other hand, was the Winter Solstice, after which the Sun was reborn. A family website prevents me from going into what the Romans did to celebrate Saturnalia, but Mister Fellini would have approved. So, welcome to Winter. Enjoy!

I’m serious. Now is the time to celebrate, in a family-friendly, non-human sacrificing, Old Takoma way. Like cleaning up Main Street, for instance. So think about joining the Design Committee, its neighbors, friends and families, for a general cleanup, weeding, planting and mulching day on Saturday, November 18, from 11 AM to 3 PM. You can let us know you’re coming by writing us at: designcommittee@mainstreettakoma.org. Groups will start at Takoma Junction and Triangle Park (4th Street, NW) and converge at the Clock Tower. There is no rain date on this one, but I’ve got it on good authority that it’ll be a beautiful day. And being beautiful is what it’s all about. Beautiful Main Street Takoma.

John Hume
Design Chair