Announcing Dr. Phillips’ new book:

Living Well After Diagnosis: Practical Strategies to Cope, Move Forward, and Reclaim Your Life with Chronic Illness

(Click on title for more information)

Autumn 2026

Autumn Traditions From Around the World – 2026

Different cultures in the United States celebrate autumn by blending time-honored heritage traditions with classic American fall customs.

The following are just a few interesting examples of how people from around the world celebrate the coming of autumn, bringing their seasonal traditions to our country.

• East Asian American Communities:

Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival)

Chinese and other East Asian communities celebrate the autumn harvest moon by eating round mooncakes that symbolize family unity, lighting paper lanterns, and hosting cultural gatherings.

• Mexican and Latin American Communities:

Dia de los Muertos

(Day of the Dead) honoring the dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, this deeply spiritual Mexican tradition is widely observed across the U.S. Traditional treats like pan de muerto (bread of the dead) incorporate the fresh harvest of the season into family offerings.

• Korean American Communities:

Thanksgiving: Chusek

Korean-Americans celebrate this three-day autumn harvest festival by preparing traditional foods like songpyeong (half-moon-shaped rice cakes) and honoring ancestors through memorial services (charye).

• South Asian American Communities:

Diwali (Festival of Lights)

Thousands of Hindu, Jain, and Sikh Americans celebrate Diwali in autumn by lighting oil lamps (diyas), setting off fireworks, and sharing sweets. Families host dinners, draw colorful rangoli patterns at their doorsteps, and gather at local temples or community centers.

• Jewish American Communities:

Sukkot

Feast of Tabernacles:

Celebrated in the fall, families build temporary outdoor booths (sukkah) decorated with autumn foliage and harvest fruit.

Meals in the Sukkah

Communities eat meals and spend time inside these structures to commemorate the historic shelter of the Israelites and celebrate the agricultural harvest.

• European and General American Communities:

Halloween and Oktoberfest

Rooted in European heritage (like Celtic Samhain and German harvest celebrations), these have grown into mainstream American staples featuring costume parties, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, and German-style beer and food festivals.

Thanksgiving

Adopted across nearly all cultures in the U.S. as a secular national holiday, families gather on the fourth Thursday of November for a large feast giving thanks for the Harvest and the year’s blessings.

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, sharing and blending these traditions with American customs for autumn, and all seasons, is what makes this beautiful country of ours so special.

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Coping Quote Corner

This section of E-Cope is dedicated to all the famous, or not-so-famous people who have been quoted all through history and in present times, giving us little tidbits of life that move us, inspire us, and make us ponder about ourselves, our lives, our relationships, or life in general.

Sometimes, it’s just one little sentence that can make us stop and think and give us the wisdom to find ways to cope with whatever life throws our way. Whether these words are serious or humorous, they have withstood the test of time.

We hope you will find just the right quote to help you cope with whatever you are going through on your journey.

The quotes below are specific to autumn, and we hope you will find just the right one to help you embrace the beauty of the autumn season and warm your heart and soul with all the beauty nature has to offer for each and every season.

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“Summer specializes in time, slows it down almost to a dream” —Jennifer Grotz,

“For me, ‘Dog Days’ symbolizes apocalyptic euphoria, chaotic freedom and running really, really fast with your eyes closed.” —Florence Welch

“The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer… the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after.” —Natalie Babbitt (from Tuck Everlasting

“’Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about.” —John Mayer

“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” —Jenny Han (from The Summer I Turned Pretty

“Yellow butterflies look like flowers flying through the warm summer air.” —A. Andrea Willis

“If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.” —Bern Williams

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.” —L. M. Montgomery

“Often used the hazy, suspended feel of the dog days to invoke deep introspection and mid-summer melancholy.” —Robert Frost

“The summer night is like a perfection of thought.” —Wallace Stevens

“Embrace the dog days of summer with your furry best friend!” —Unknown

“I love summertime more than anything else in the world. That is the only thing that gets me through the winter, knowing that summer is going to be there.” —Jack McBrayer

“It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.” —Walter Winchell

“A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp.” —Raymond Duncan

“A man says a lot of things in summer he doesn’t mean in winter.” —Patricia Briggs

“The tans will fade but the memories will last forever.” —Unknown

“Summer is a promissory note signed in June, its long days spent and gone before you know it, and due to be repaid next January.” —Hal Borland

* Our popular Coping Course…

Have you been diagnosed with a medical condition? Are you feeling overwhelmed and not sure what to do next? Our new free course can help!

• The course is called, “Newly Diagnosed With A Medical Illness? What To Do Right Now!” and it’s presented by our director, Dr. Phillips.
• It contains tips and strategies that you can implement to begin the process of helping yourself to move forward.
• You’ll also learn information about a premium course containing even more tips and strategies.

For information or to sign up for the free mini-course, click here.

* Our helpful Coping Questionnaires…

• Our free Coping Questionnaires are an easy way to discover more about yourself and what aspects of your life you might like to improve.
• We currently offer free questionnaires about stress, parenting, and living with illness.

 

* Resources

• Check out the latest resources (articles, books, questionnaires, and more) on our Resources page

* Special COVID alert!…

• Despite the ending of the COVID-19 public health emergency, there’s still a lot of Covid going around. The Coping Counselors at the Center for Coping are all continuing to provide telephone and video sessions, in addition to face-to-face appointments.
• Our Coping Counselors are also available to do free, initial consultations with any new individuals who could benefit from coping strategies during this difficult time.

For information, call us at (516) 822-3131, or email us at info@coping.com

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* Dr. Phillips’ latest books:

“Newly Diagnosed? Now What? 153 Strategies to Help You Take Action and Cope After Your Medical Diagnosis“
Coping Press

“Coping With Lupus, 4th Edition“
Penguin Putnam/Avery

“Lupus Q & A: Everything You Need To Know, 3rd Edition” (with Robert Lahita, MD)
Penguin Putnam/Avery

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