Autumn Aura

Dixya Poudel

As the earth revolves around the sun, it also spins on its axis which is why the planet sees days and nights. It is also the reason why the seasons change as the year progresses. As such, now that September is nearing its end, it means that autumn season has clocked in. And with it the searing heat of the summer has subsided, the landscape has altered its colours and the weather has become pleasant. 

Autumn turns the nature into vibrant yellow, orange and red colours, usually in North America where this season is also called fall. 

The festival of Halloween takes place in October 31st each year, during the midst of fall. Halloween is celebrated with much enthusiasm in the US where it is a festival to dress up in costumes and party. Children go trick or treating, candies are distributed, horror movies are watched, and there is much fanfare when it comes to picking a costume.

 Meanwhile in Nepal, there are festivals of Dashain and Tihar which are celebrated with great flair, with traditional rites and rituals. 

The crispness in the air feels surreal this season. The weather is almost perfect, neither too warm nor too cold. It is the harbinger of the colder days to come. But for now, the mildness of the weather is peppered with golden and soft light. 

The sky is mostly clear, a zenith of light blue with occasional feathery clouds. This season is signaled with changes in the air, land and water as animals and birds prepare themselves for the cold that will soon set in. 

Artists have tried to reflect the serenity of the autumn season for centuries. They have painted orange, yellow, red and brown colours in oil, watercolour or acrylics. For such artists, autumn is their muse. Even in literature such as poetry, this season yields an inspiration to writers. 

It was John Keats who wrote the famous poem, “To Autumn” which is read widely even centuries later. It begins with the verse, “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness/Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun” that adeptly describes the “mellowness” of autumn.

In the West, this season is taken as a cosy one. Readers take to reading cosy mysteries with a cup of warm beverage such as coffee or cocoa. 

Cafes are filled with people enjoying the pastries and the pies of the season. The social media is flooded with warm aesthetics with a pop of autumnal colours of the nature. Even fall wardrobes are assigned its place in this season of cosiness.

 Closer to home in Nepal, Nepalis find themselves with festivals that greet them with zest. As said earlier, Dashain and Tihar bring cheer to Nepalis. Blessings are given and taken, cuisines are prepared, kites are flown, wins and losses are marked in card games, ‘deusi and bhailo’ are sung, lights are lit brightly and as the festivities wrap up, slowly the chill surges in preparation for the next season which is winter. 

Autumn season is thus all about transition, from summer to winter. And this transition has its own importance in the human world that this article has tried to elucidate. Nature has its moments of awe which is particularly found in autumn, with its many nods of hues, festivities, and of course mellowness.