September – Michaelmas Gander from George Cruikshank's Steel Etchings to The Comic Almanacks: 1835-1853 (top left) c. 1838 - 1880

This is a steel etching from George Cruikshank’s Comic Almanacks, depicting a Michaelmas Gander feast in September. Central is the roasted goose, a symbol deeply rooted in seasonal celebrations, especially linked to Michaelmas, or the Feast of the Archangel Michael on September 29th. The goose, beyond its culinary appeal, embodies notions of abundance and the harvest, and it appears here as a communal ritual. This ritual consumption hearkens back to pagan traditions where animal sacrifice and feasting were integral to marking the seasons and ensuring prosperity. Consider the symbolic weight of the goose through time. In ancient Egypt, geese were associated with the sun god Ra and the creation myth, while in other cultures, they symbolize vigilance and fidelity. Its presence here transforms a simple meal into a profound cultural statement, resonating with cyclical themes of harvest and renewal deeply embedded in our collective unconscious.