Autumn

Autumn is the moment when the world starts changing clothes. Into copper, smoke, mist, ripe fruit, old stories — and jewelry that looks as if it remembers something. But autumn is not one universal orange template for the whole planet.

While grapes, grain or apples are being harvested in one place, herds are coming down from the mountains somewhere else, rainy seasons are beginning, ancestors are being remembered — or, according to an entirely different seasonal calendar, spring is waking up. And through all of it, people wear, make, give and keep objects that capture the season in their own way: beads, amulets, talismans, ornaments, textiles, flowers, metals, stones and things whose meaning you would never guess from a Pinterest photo.

Here you’ll find autumn traditions across cultures, equinoxes, harvest celebrations, wine festivals, remembrance of the dead, Día de Muertos, Samhain, seasonal folklore, jewelry, symbols, colors, materials and modern rituals. And, occasionally, a supposedly ancient tradition that turns out to be suspiciously young once someone checks its ID.

Not sure where to begin? Start with the equinox, wander into harvest traditions, or click on the thing that sounds slightly strange. The best detours usually begin there.

→ Browse the autumn stories below and let yourself end up somewhere you never meant to click.