THE 8 MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTUMN - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Some of the characteristics of autumn are the short duration of the days, the fall of leaves in the deciduous trees, the change of climate and temperatures, the crops or the migration of birds.

Fall is one of the four seasons of the year and occurs as a transition between summer and winter. In the northern hemisphere it begins at the end of September and ends at the end of December. That is, between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.

For its part, in the southern hemisphere, autumn occurs between the last week of March and the last week of June, as in Australia and New Zealand.

In East Asia, on the other hand, it starts in the second week of August and ends during the first week of November.

In Ireland something particular happens, although the national meteorological service ensures that autumn occurs during September, October and November, ancient Gaelic traditions dictate that it is actually during the months of August, September and October that the mentioned season is experienced.

It is a season of low temperatures and of short duration, compared to the duration of the other seasons.

Main characteristics of autumn

1. Etymology

According to some linguists, it is an Etruscan root word (autu) that refers to the passage of time, and was adopted by the Romans who transformed it into autumnus.

Over the years it came to France as an autompne. It became popular until it was very common in the 16th century. In the modern era it is automne (in French) and autumn (in English).

It was used in reference to the harvest season, but with the migration of land workers from the fields to the cities, it lost that connotation.

It is also used metaphorically to refer to old age. The alternative word to mean the same as autumn is fallen, a derivation of the Germanic voice that the English adopted to refer to the fall of the leaves of the trees during this period.

It passed to North America thanks to the trips of the English colonists to their colonies on American soil.

2. Hours of natural light and temperature

The first day of this time of year is known as the autumnal equinox and is characterized by having the same number of hours of daylight and darkness because the sun is aligned with the center of the Earth.

From then on, it is a period during which the days are shorter than the nights. That is, there are more hours of darkness than natural light.

At that time of year the temperatures drop considerably. Afternoons are usually accompanied by icy breezes.

3. Leaf fall

During autumn, the leaves of the trees are weakened by the decrease in chlorophyll until, already yellow or brown, they fall and cover the foot of the trees to become the energy that the roots will consume to maintain themselves during the winter months.

4. Colors

Autumn has a very particular and distinctive color palette: ocher, yellow, red, brown and violet, blend into the landscapes of most of the world.

The leaves of the trees have yellow and orange tones (with their variations), in their pigmentation, which are revealed during this time. While the red and purple leaves are due to the presence of sugars from the sap.

5. Crops

Autumn is the season for pomegranates and grapes, but also for oranges, pears, ripe bananas, mandarins, apples, avocados, grapefruits, nuts, etc.

As for the vegetables, they are mushrooms, cabbage, artichoke, cauliflower, squash, zucchini and eggplant, the vegetables of this season. While onion, lettuce, carrots and leeks are the vegetables that are most easily found at this time of year.

There are several crops suitable for this season of the year, but there are a couple that are common in the northern and southern hemispheres: corn and sunflower.

6. Celebrations

Because it is a time that is celebrated in different months of the year according to the location, it also coincides with different celebrations and / or events.

The Chinese celebrate the Moon Festival, an event in which they welcome a successful summer harvest.

Also in reference to the harvests, the most popular celebration in North America that takes place during the fall was born: Thanksgiving.

This is a family celebration that takes place on the last Thursday in November, to thank the good of each year accompanied by a great banquet in which the stuffed turkey is the protagonist.

Halloween also happens in the fall. It is a celebration whose origin is usually related to Celtic culture. People dress up and children wander from house to house asking for sweets and making jokes. It is a tradition criticized by some for considering it an ode to the supernatural.

Another event that occurs in the fall is the Northern Lights. That beautiful phenomenon that occurs by geomagnetic storms in the Earth's ionosphere.

7. Problems associated with fall

Given the changes in temperature and the few hours of sunlight that accompany this time of year, the human body must undergo some changes to adapt. One of them is higher energy consumption to maintain thermal regulation.

This energy expenditure results in a decrease in defenses against germs, viruses and bacteria, which increase the risk of infections, especially respiratory infections.

The hormones also get out of control, so it is normal to experience episodes of depression or some psychosomatic manifestations such as gastritis and / or stomach ulcers.

8. Migration of birds

There are some species of birds that undertake a journey away from their nest during the autumn season.

Among the causes of these migrations, several alternatives have been proposed: a flight from the demanding conditions of winter, a hormonal issue, an evolutionary issue or something else related to the biological clock of birds.

Precisely the theory that hormones are involved seems to be validated in the case of some mammals such as dogs, whose females go into heat twice a year and one of those times is in autumn.

References

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5. Educating (2002). The arrival of autumn. Recovered from: educando.edu.do
6. Hormones and cycles in mammals. Recovered from: www7.uc.cl
7. Richmond (2014). 12 fun facts about autumn. Recovered from: richmond.com
8. University of Arizona. Season character. Recovered from: u.arizona.edu.