Episode 9: Fall is Back - Part 1

This episode is the first part of a two-part series dedicated to the language of Autumn. In this episode, we will learn about the American calendar. In other words - what happens in the United States during this season?

Walking Through Dead Leaves by maiasnowdrop -- https://freesound.org/s/609331/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Transcript

Welcome to Donald’s English Corner podcast. This podcast is dedicated to helping people express themselves in English in a relaxed and fun environment. Together, we will learn more about what the language has to offer: by expanding your vocabulary, strengthening your grammar, and sometimes investigating American culture. 

Welcome to Episode 9:  Fall is Back - Part 1

This episode is the first part of a two-part series dedicated to the language of Autumn. In this episode, we will learn about the American calendar. In other words - what happens in the United States during this season? In Part 2, we will practice some interesting and commonly used vocabulary for Fall.  


Oh, wait. Which word is the right one: Autumn or Fall? I get this question a lot. The answer is… both! Americans use both Autumn and Fall to describe this time of year so feel free to use whichever one you prefer. Everyone will know exactly what you’re talking about. 


Part 1: Official vs Unofficial

Officially, Autumn began on September 22nd. On that day, the number of daylight hours was the same as the number of nighttime hours. The scientists have a special word for that day: the Equinox. I made a video on social media about the Equinox which you can check out if you’d like to learn more. 

Unofficially, Autumn began after the American holiday called Labor Day. Labor Day always falls on the first weekend of September. You can tell that Summer has ended and Autumn has begun because there are some signs: young people are back in their classrooms. The City of Chicago closes the public pools and lifeguard stations at Lake Michigan. All across America, Starbucks begins to sell their ridiculously popular Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 

Part 2: The Weather

What kind of weather comes to mind when you think about Autumn? We often think about mild temperatures in the teens or twenties. There is less sunlight or daylight. The winds blow a little stronger and knock the leaves off of the trees. All of that happens in Autumn. This year has been different. Here in Chicago, the temperature in September was often above 30C. I kept the air conditioner on at the house for nearly two weeks straight. 


But, now at the end of October, the weather changes have arrived. Temperatures have begun to fall to near 0C at night. They jump during the day to between 15 and 18. We turned on the furnace for the first time about two weeks ago — in the middle of the month. While I was down in the basement making changes to the settings of the furnace, I found a box of winter clothes. It was filled with gloves, hats, hoodies, and sweaters. I really did not want to carry the box upstairs. It wasn’t heavy. Not at all. It was… well, a very big sign that Winter was coming. I didn’t want to accept it. But I did. I carried it up the stairs.


Part 3: Important events on the calendar

A lot happens here in the US during the Autumn. The first kind of big event is Halloween. Halloween always falls on October 31st. I have to say: Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s different from all of the others, in that it is not a religious holiday like Easter or Christmas (for Christians) nor is it a national holiday or patriotic holiday like the Fourth of July or Veterans Day. Halloween is a day about dressing up, eating lots of candy, having fun with kids — and, most importantly — it’s the only holiday in America that requires us to leave our house. We have to knock on the doors of our neighbors. I honestly can’t think of any other holiday that asks us to go say hi to the people in our neighborhood. 

Right after Halloween is the Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that has become incredibly popular both in the US and throughout the world thanks to Mexican immigration to the US. When I was young, I had never heard of Day of the Dead. I didn’t really understand it until I was a university student studying Spanish and going to Mexico. Now, the Day of the Dead is recognized globally thanks to the popularity of the film “Coco.” 

The last holiday that we celebrate in Autumn is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving — people often think of Thanksgiving as an American holiday. And it is! But, it’s also a Canadian holiday. Canadians celebrate their own Thanksgiving although it’s on a different day. Americans celebrate this holiday on the last Thursday of November. This holiday — is — well, a controversial one for some people. But at its most basic, Thanksgiving is a holiday for spending time and food with people whom you love. Traditionally, it was family. Now, we have something called “Friendsgiving” where people celebrate the holiday with their friends. Maybe it’s because some people don’t feel comfortable going back to where their family lives. They don’t want to feel left out, so they gather with their friends to celebrate. I love it. I still like Halloween more, but Thanksgiving is important for Americans. I have to check the data here, but I believe that Thanksgiving is still the holiday on which the highest number of Americans travel. 

There are two other events on the American calendar in Autumn. They’re not holidays but we definitely know that they’re there. They are important. The first one is Daylight Savings Time. This year, 2024, DST will end on November 3rd. Our clocks move backwards an hour. If you watch American TV or movies you may hear this expression: Spring Forward, Fall Back. Spring Forward reminds us that our clocks move forward one hour in the Spring; then, the clocks move back one hour during the Fall. 

The other big event that happens in Autumn is elections. This year 2024 we have a significant — a very important presidential election. Election Day always happens on the first Tuesday of November. This year, I voted early. I did make two videos about voting early on social media. 

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of the ninth episode of Donald’s English Corner podcast: Fall is Back, Part 1 Please check out my website at donaldinchicago.com, or any of my social media sites if you’d like to learn more about the English language and American culture. Thanks everybody, and see you next time in next second part of this episode: Fall is Back.