Autumn Equinox
Image Credit: Jeremy Thomas
It may be warm and sunny or grey and rainy, but the Autumn, or Autumnal Equinox is the day that represents the first day of astronomical Autumn.
September 22nd or 23rd is the date of the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and March 19th or 20th in the Southern Hemisphere. But what exactly is an equinox, what does it mean and how do you celebrate it?
What Does Equinox Mean?
The word Equinox comes from Latin. It literally means “equal nights”, that it is one of the two days in the year where the day and night are both exactly 12 hours.
While in the Northern Hemisphere the Autumn Equinox occurs in September, in the Southern Hemisphere the Autumn Equinox is in March, with the Autumn Equinox being in March.
What Is The Autumn Equinox?
The Autumn Equinox represents the beginning of what is termed astronomical Autumn, which is based upon the position of the Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun.
Let’s be honest, here in the UK this could mean that we are still in the middle of a heatwave, it could be pouring with rain or we might just have the sort of perfect weather, not too hot and not too cool, to look at the autumn leaves.
How Do You Celebrate The Autumn Equinox?
Many cultures have celebrated Autumn festivals for millennia. September has been the time to celebrate the harvest being safely gathered in for centuries. For this reason, Harvest Festival has been the time to give thanks for having lots of food in store for the coming winter.
In pagan times you would celebrate the Autumnal Equinox by watching the sun rise on that morning, and many people still converge on sacred sites such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire to do this.
If you don’t want to get up quite that early, and if the weather allows, you can get out into the great outdoors and look for signs of autumn, such as the leaves turning to gold and brown.
If you like a little more whimsy, you may like to know that equinoxes are also supposed to be a good time to be able to see fairies too.
More Autumn Activities
- Celebrate Autumn with one of these Autumn Word Searches.
- Here are some fun autumn outdoor activities for all the family.
- Have a go at these free printable Autumn Colouring Pages.