Ever since I was young I have found it impossible not to get excited as the scorching summer heat gives way to the cool fall air.  The leaves change color and for me the best part of the year follows.

1. Oktoberfest(aka beerfest), coming from strong German ancestry, the beer is in my blood.
   
2. Halloween – Any excuse to dress in a  ridiculous costume and act like a different person is fine by me.
   
3. With halloween comes pumpkins and growing up it meant a trip to the pumpkin patch, hay rides and Stevenson’s Apple orchard.
4. My  birthday (turning 25 this year) and deer season follows. It is almost time to start breaking out the gear.
   
5. Finally, fall brings us to camp fires, the use of fireplaces, bonfires, and reasons to gather around a big flaming pile of wood, relax or share stories.
   

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Fall_brings_a_warm_feeling....zip (1.45 MB)

So what does it say about the cultural construct of America?

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OKTOBERFEST_Indiana.zip (2.8 MB)

Picturesque vision of Vermont as the season changes.  There is a mixed feeling for those living here — beauty and 60” of snow, tourism and village life.  There is a tradition that has emerged where this colorful change represents something serene. A tradition is a practice, custom, a story that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation. This landscape has become a type of visual folklore as much as it is a natural phenomenon.  Folklore serves to validate a culture, to romanticize aspects of it, and to transmit a culture's morals and values. The harsh realities of Vermont’s coming winter are forgotten and the bright foliage becomes the the backdrop for Americana.

Vermont

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Vermont.zip (388 KB)

While it may in fact be hotter than hell out, the thoughts evoked about the season exemplify the joy we seem to take in transition from one state to another.  Like a counterpoint to spring’s associations with rebirth, fall holds a deeply moving, symbolic space for populations that experience it. Death and decay lead to a period of reflection before rebirth.  

Kansas

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Idyllic_images_of_fall.zip (9.2 MB)

A celebration of death and fear transformed into creative acts.

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Costuming.zip (1.21 MB)

When I had children at home Autumn conjured up the excitement of Halloween - costumes, candy and fun. Taking out the Fall clothing - a few sweaters, heavy weight pants (not jeans) and searching for long sleeve shirts started the process - which would turn into a shopping spree as outgrown clothing was the norm. A certain sadness of summer - passing (living in Chicago) would decorate our thoughts - turning our attention to thinking of long, cold, snowy winters and wondering what's in store. Thinking of 'can we go away to sunny places' over Winter Break would take up a few brain cells. Looking forward to family Thanksgiving holiday - always a bright spot. Given our latitude - would enjoy being outside as long as possible w/o freezing our butts - given that 'early' Chicago snow!

With kids away at college - first year of that - kindof sad re no Halloween MO and the feeling of Fall taking on a different perspective. Now, it's 'when will parents day visiting' at college, and filling-in-the-blanks to try and get-out more without the kids. Yep, now an emptynester and it's an interesting path that takes some getting used to. At least the 'outgrown clothing' scene is over -- growth spurts no longer - and not good for the retail industry!

There are a few insights here -- will leave those up to you. Best, L
Posted by Lisa Radin

Greetings Citizen Anthropologists:

  Pumpkins, sweaters and the smell of burning leaves.  It is a cornerstone of Norman Rockwell paintings, but what does the change of seasons mean to different people? Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere on the 22nd and we’re looking for how the season manifests itself. It’s been too long since, but we have a new challenge.  How do people mark the change of seasons?

  If  you¹re submitting images, create a photo essay or a photo story. If you¹re submitting video, it needs to be at least 90 seconds and have a thesis. And this week we want comments - you need to tell us 1) what is going on 2) where it was taken and 3) why it matters. In other words, what insight can we draw from it. Email your results to: post@ethnosampro.posterous.com <mailto:post@ethnosampro.posterous.com> or embed a link from Vimeo/YouTube.

Go forth,

ESP

In places riddled with coffee shops, it’s difficult to stand out.  Each venue has to have it’s own sense of identity and place. Shops develop a sense of shared identity with the people who  venture into them.

Lawrence, KS

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Coffee_in_a_college_town.zip (296 KB)

Is it invention of tradition or something else?

London

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Local_space_defining_a_culture.zip (2.25 MB)

Coffee culture is emerging in Asia and it is fascinating. The socio-cultural role the coffee shop plays seems tied to a sense of modernity and international sophistication, not unlike the role of the sushi restaurant found in every town over 250,000 in the US.  Like all cultural transferences, it takes on new meaning and new elements of material culture.

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Coffee_Asia.zip (516 KB)