The Sky This Week, 2011 October 25 – November 1 — Naval Oceanography Portal
The highlight of the week occurs on October 31st. There’s nothing really special going on in the sky that night, but it is my favorite “cross-quarter” day celebration of the year. Halloween is probably the most widely observed of these mid-season markers here in the U.S., but most of the kids (and adults) who dress up and roam the neighborhoods in search of treats probably have little or no clue to the date’s astronomical origins. To the ancient Celts this was a time celebrated as Samhain, the feast of the departing Sun and the traditional beginning of winter in northern climes. Of all the seasonal markers this was the darkest, and it became associated with the spirits of the dead in many cultures. All Saints Day (November 1st), All Souls Day (November 2nd), and Dia de los Muertos (widely celebrated in Mexico and other Latin-American traditions on the 1st and/or the 2nd) all fall at this time of year.
The Sky This Week, 2011 October 25 – November 1 — Naval Oceanography Portal
Quarter days – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In British and Irish tradition, the quarter days were the four dates in each year on which servants were hired, and rents were due. They fell on four religious festivals roughly three months apart and close to the two solstices and two equinoxes.