Spooky October Has Arrived – Really?

Of course I was going to write about Halloween this month but I wondered why the 31^st October was the chosen day?

The dates of many traditional festivals held during the year are set by the Sun and Moon. So should Halloween be half way between the autumn equinox and the winter Solstice?

With the equinox being on 22^nd September and the Solstice on 21^st December, that would make this year’s Halloween fall on the 5^th November and probably the same or very nearly the same date for most years.

What other dates fall between solstices and equinoxes?

Spring equinox 21^st April and summer solstice 21^st June = May 5^th

Perhaps that was the original “May day”.

Summer solstice and autumn equinox = August 5^th or thereabouts.

Winter solstice and spring equinox = February 5^th or thereabouts.

Hmm… these dates vaguely equate to the days of pagan festivals but being at the previous month’s end rather than the fifth, very vaguely indeed. Perhaps some clever people can answer this query on the “cross-quarter “days as they are known?

I'm baffled