We are characterizing Autumn by painting the landscape in reddish, yellow, and gold tones. It is also an indication that daylight begins to lose strength after the brilliance of summer, and for many, it is the time of year when the cold that heralds winter in all its harshness and majesty begins to be perceived.
In the northern hemisphere, the autumnal equinox of 2021 will take place on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 9:21 p.m. EDT (19:21 GMT). The season will last 89 days and will end on December 21 with the arrival of winter.
The autumnal equinox marked the time of harvest in ancient cultures. Also, it represents the fall of the leaves, the migration of birds, the harvest, and in the year, it is the beginning of the coldest season. However, the vernal equinox happened in the southern hemisphere and filled the environment with light and fertility.
The Characteristics Of The Autumnal Equinox
The term equinox comes from the Latin “aequinoctium,” which means “equal night” because the Sun crosses the Earth’s celestial equator. It is achieving that its rays strike the same way in the northern, southern hemispheres. And therefore, the duration of the day has the same as the night in all places on the planet.
In the northern hemisphere, when the autumnal equinox occurs, day and night last almost the same, so ancient times believed that the arrival of this season marked a period of balance in the world.
This phenomenon can occur between September 21 and 23 of each year; similarly, the autumnal equinox of 2021 will also occur. But, the official date of the equinox changes because the Earth’s orbital period is not exact. It takes 365.24 days to make a complete revolution of the Sun. Therefore, its rotation has some variations in time and a lag that adjusts in leap years.
The Mysticism Of Autumn
But Autumn, like all seasons of the year, has a very special load of mysticism from ancient cultures. It is related to the harvest time and preparation for winter, in a transition period that seeks balance and tranquility.
In the past, it was also the last period to take advantage of sunlight in field activities before moving on to winter. In this season, everything was scarce and cold, complicated people’s lives. Therefore, Autumn played a fundamental role in this transition from the luminosity and radiance of summer to constancy. The last months of the year represented, waiting again for the resurgence of life with the arrival of spring.
