What comes to mind when you think of the month of September? Here in Pinole, things like colder weather or football would be anyone’s typical answer, but there are so many more things to discover about September. It would be a waste to ignore September’s special facts, from it being National Potato Month to learning that its month’s gemstone is the Sapphire. There are many silly certitudes to pick up on in this article! 

Interestingly enough, September is National Happy Cat Month, National Potato Month, National Chicken Month, National Piano Month, and National Biscuit Month. The titles Happy Cat and Piano were proclaimed by the CATalyst Council and the National Piano Foundation, but it’s unknown where the other three names originate from.

Additionally, every day in September is a holiday.  Hysterical Holidays Include:

• No Rhyme (Nor Reason) (Sept. 1)
• Blueberry Popsicle (Sept. 2)
• Hot Cross Buns Say (Sept. 11)
• Play-Doh (Sept. 16)
• Talk Like a Pirate (Sept. 19) 
• String Cheese (Sept. 20)
• Legwear (Sept. 22)
• Dogs in Politics (Sept. 23)
• Ghost-Hunting (Sept. 28)

Asters is the designated flower for this month. There are a couple of other sources that say Morning Glory, but for the most part, it’s Asters. These delicate flowers come in a variety of pink, purple, blue, and white. While each flower color represents a different meaning, Asters overall symbolize for patience.

Officially, the birthstone for September is the Sapphire, standing for purity and wisdom. While people traditionally think of the Sapphire as blue, it comes in a copious amount of considerable colors such as pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, black and is even colorless.

There’s at least one full moon every month, and this month’s full moon was on Friday, September 13. September’s moon is a splendid shade of orange and has 3 fantastic titles: Harvest Moon, Corn Moon, and Barley Moon. Take a pick of what you’d like to call it.

Certain constellations only appear during September. The stars in the sky tell a story, such as the one Greek’s myth about Cassiopeia’s vanity, where Cassiopeia had the guts to say that she was prettier than the sea nymphs. The sea nymphs get revenge by sending a sea monster, which leads to Cassiopeia chaining her daughter to the rocks as a sacrifice, but eventually, Cassiopeia and her husband, Cepheus, are punished, flailing upside down in the sea forever. 

Other constellations that appear in the night skies of September are Camelopardalis: the Giraffe, Draco: the Dragon, Hercules: A Major Greek/ Roman God, and Lacerta: the Lizard comes out. (By the way, Camelopardalis= camel and leopard. Who knows where the epithet Giraffe come from?)

Have you heard of the Mayan Snake of Sunlight? It appears in Chichen Itza, a Mayan pyramid, right when the fall equinox hits. This year it appears on September 23. 

Speaking of the autumn equinox, it has a few festivals surrounding it, such as Higan (or Higan-E) in Japan, the Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) in China, Navaratri by the Hindus, and Alban Elfed (The Light of the Water) for the Druidry. These festivals range from thanking the moon for a good harvest to marking the balance of day and night

The Romans named this month September because it was originally the seventh month of the year, hence “septum”= seven. However, it’s now the ninth due to July and August (Augustus Caesar and Julius Caesar) being added in there.

They decided to dedicate this month to Vulcan, the Roman God of Fire. Born to Jupiter and Juno, he was thrown into a volcano because Juno found him hideous. Imagine being the God of Fire because your mom decided chuck you into a volcano.  

September isn’t just a month of more colorful leaves. There’s so much to learn about the month itself, from its disconcerting dates to its special celebrations. It may be the end of September, but don’t forget about the one next year. Hopefully, this article is not only a way to expand your knowledge but inspires you to go find out all the small things in life.