Seasons
One year, four thresholds
Everywhere, the year turns at the same four kinds of moment: the first warmth, the longest light, the first harvest, the first cold. The dates change from place to place. The feeling doesn’t.
The first warmth
Spring
The light softens before the air does. The first snowdrops push up, the tools come back out of the shed, and somebody turns the first spade of soil of the year.
A way to mark it: bring the tools out and dig the first spadeful, whatever the weather says.
In Ireland · 1 February
The old Irish calendar starts spring on St Brigid’s Day, about seven weeks before the equinox. Households traditionally weave a cross from rushes for the day and hang it over the door. Since 2023 the day has had its own public holiday.
The longest light
Summer
Evenings go on long after dinner. Grass grows faster than you can cut it, and the garden fills with people. The year is at its fullest.
A way to mark it: tie a ribbon on a tree or by the door to welcome the summer in.
In Ireland · 1 May
Summer begins at Bealtaine. On May Eve or May Day, especially in the south-east, families put up a May bush: a branch of whitethorn hung with ribbons, flowers and painted eggshells. The custom is coming back.
The first harvest
Autumn
The first of the harvest comes in, the leaves come down, and bulbs go under for a spring you can’t see yet.
A way to mark it: pick the first of something you grew, and share it.
In Ireland · 1 August
Autumn begins at Lughnasa. On a Sunday around the start of August, people all over the country climbed hills together to pick bilberries, known as fraughans. Many places still keep the day, as Fraughan Sunday, Bilberry Sunday or Garland Sunday.
The first cold
Winter
The first frost silvers the step. The garden rests, the nights draw in, and the front door gets dressed for the season.
A way to mark it: put the garden to bed and light a lamp by the door.
Who comes to the window this winter →
In Ireland · 1 November
Winter begins at Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the start of the dark half of the year. It began on the evening of 31 October, the night that became Halloween. Later in the season, many Irish homes still put a candle in the window on Christmas Eve, as a welcome to anyone passing.
Wherever you are
We’re starting with Ireland because that’s where Untold Seasons began. The four thresholds belong to everyone, though. Wherever you live, your year has its own dates and its own customs for them, and we’d love to hear about them at hello@untoldseasons.com.