Rabbit Rabbit
September 2021

Rabbit, rabbit!

Since at least 1909, a superstition has lived in North American and the United Kingdom that if a person says or repeats the word “rabbit” upon waking up on the first day of the month, good luck will follow for the remainder of that month.

Elements of the tradition exist in the United Kingdom, New England, and even in various First Nation cultures.

While I’m not necessarily endorsing the superstition, it provides a way to look in depth at each month of the year, from history and observances to miscellaneous trivia. The topic this month is September.

History

September, deriving from the Latin for “seven”, was originally the seventh month in the original ten-month Roman calendar. When the calendar was reformed to add January and February, September became the ninth month.

September is the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is also the start of the academic year in many countries of the northern hemisphere, marking the season when children return to school after the summer break.

Roman observances for September include the religious festival Ludi Romani, originally celebrated from September 12th to September 14th, but later extended to the window of September 5th to September 19th. In the 1st century BC, an extra day to the month in honor of the deified Julius Caesar on September 4th.

Additionally, Epulum Jovis was held on September 13th, Ludi Triumphales was held from September 18th to 22th, and the Septimontium was celebrated in September (and on December 11th on later calendars). None of the Roman dates correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.

September was called “harvest month” in Charlemagne’s calendar, and corresponds in part to the Fructidor and the Vendémiaire of the French Republican Calendar. It is called Herbstmonat (harvest month) in Switzerland and Gerstmonath (barley month) among the Anglo-Saxons.

On Usenet, it is said that September 1993 (the Eternal September) never ended. It’s the same month that America Online began offering Usenet access to its many users, a move that overwhelmed the existing culture for online forums. Before then, Usenet was largely restricted to colleges, universities, and other research institutions.

The British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752. In the British Empire that year, September 2nd was immediately followed by September 14th.

Observances

The September equinox takes place in this month with its associated observances. It is the Autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. On the astrological calendar, September is mostly in the sixth month and the first part of the seventh. That calendar begins at the end of March/Mars/Aries.

September’s observances include Amerindian Heritage Month (in Guyana), Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (in the United Kingdom), Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, and National Suicide Prevention Month.

The United States adds Turkish Heritage Month, Better Breakfast Month, Food Safety Education Month, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Hydrocephalus Awareness Month, Pain Awareness Month, National Preparedness Month, National Prostate Health Month, National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, and National Yoga Month. The country also adds a ton of food-based tributes, including National Bourbon Heritage Month, California Wine Month, National Chicken Month, National Honey Month, National Mushroom Month, National Italian Cheese Month, National Papaya Month, National Potato Month, National Rice Month, National Whole Grains Month, and National Wild Rice Month.

Trivia

• September’s birthstone is the sapphire, which is believed to bring gifts of fulfillment, joy, prosperity, inner peace, and beauty
• The western zodiac signs of September are Virgo (until September 22) and Libra (September 23 onwards).
• The month’s birth flowers are the forget-me-not, morning glory and aster.

Rabbit Rabbit is a project designed to look at each month of the year with respect to history, observances, and more.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.