Contents
What is an equinox
The sun crosses the celestial equator and moves from the northern hemisphere to the southern. In the first, astronomical autumn begins in this way, and in the second, spring, respectively. The Earth occupies a vertical position relative to its star (that is, the Sun). The North Pole hides in the shadow, and the South Pole, on the contrary, “turns to the bright side.” That’s what the autumn equinox is from the point of view of science. Actually, everything is clear from the name – on the entire planet, both day and night last about 12 hours. Why about? The fact is that the day is still a little longer (by several minutes), this is due to the peculiarities of the refraction of light rays in the atmosphere. But why should we delve into the complex astronomical wilds – we are talking about a few minutes, so we will assume that both times of the day are equalized.
When is the autumnal equinox in 2022
Many are sure that the autumn equinox has a clear date – September 22. This is not so – the “solar transition” occurs every time at a different time, and the spread is three days. It will happen in 2022 23 September 01: 03 (UTC) or at 04:03 (Moscow time). After daylight hours will begin to gradually decrease until it reaches its minimum on December 22. And the reverse process will begin – the sun will shine longer and longer, and on the 20th of March everything will equalize again – this time already on the Day of the vernal equinox.
By the way, the inhabitants of our country, one might say, were lucky. In the northern hemisphere, the astronomical autumn-winter season (179 days) is exactly one week shorter than in the southern. However, you can’t really say this in the winter.
Celebration traditions in antiquity and today
With astronomy, it seems clear, let’s move on to a completely unscientific, but much more interesting component of this holiday. The day of the equinox in almost all peoples has always been associated with mysticism and various magical rituals designed to appease higher powers.
For example, Mabon. So the pagan Celts called the holiday of the second harvest and the ripening of apples, which was celebrated just in the fall on the day of the equinox. It was included in the list of eight holidays of the Wheel of the Year – an ancient calendar in which the key dates are just based on changes in the position of the Earth relative to the Sun.
As is often the case with pagan holidays, the ancient traditions are not completely forgotten. Moreover, the end of the harvest is honored not only on the land of the ancient Celts. Even the famous German Oktoberfest is considered by many researchers to be a distant relative of Mabon.
Well, how can one not remember about Stonehenge – according to one version, the legendary megaliths were built specifically for rituals in honor of astronomical changes – the days of the equinox and solstice. Modern “druids” come to Stonehenge on these dates even today. The authorities allow neo-pagans to hold their festivals there, and in return they undertake to behave decently and not to spoil the cultural heritage site.
But in Japan, the Equinox Day is generally an official holiday. Here, too, a direct reference to religious customs, but not pagan, but Buddhist. In Buddhism, this day is called Higan, and it is associated with the veneration of dead ancestors. The Japanese visit their graves and also cook exclusively vegetarian food (mainly rice cakes and beans) at home as a tribute to the prohibition against killing living beings.
Light of the Feathered Serpent: Miracles on the Equinox
On the territory of modern Mexico there is a structure left over from the time of the ancient Maya. The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent (Kukulkan) in the city of Chechen Itza, on the Yucatan Peninsula, is designed so that on the days of the equinox the Sun creates bizarre patterns of light and shadow on its stairs. These sun glare eventually add up to an image – that’s right, that same snake. It is believed that if during the three hours that the light illusion lasts, you get to the top of the pyramid and make a wish, it will surely come true. Therefore, twice a year, crowds of tourists and some locals who still believe in feathered kites tend to Kukulkan.
However, a similar miraculous phenomenon can be seen closer – in French Strasbourg. Twice a year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, a green beam from the stained-glass window of the local Cathedral falls strictly on the Gothic statue of Christ. The stained-glass window with the image of Judas appeared on the building in the 70s of the XIX century. And the unique light phenomenon was noticed only after almost a hundred years, and not by the clergy, but by a mathematician. The scientist immediately concluded that there was some “da Vinci code” here, and the creators of the window thus specially encrypted an important message for posterity. So far, no one has figured out the essence of this message, which does not prevent tourists thirsty for a miracle from striving for the cathedral every spring and autumn.
Rowan will protect from evil spirits: the day of the autumn equinox among the Slavs
We also did not ignore the day of the equinox. From this date, the ancestors of the Slavs began a month dedicated to the pagan god Veles, he was called Radogoshch or Tausen. In honor of the equinox, they walked for two weeks – seven days before and seven after. And they believed that water at this time had a special power – it gives health to children, and gives beauty to girls, so they tried to wash themselves more often.
During the time of baptized Our Country, the day of the equinox was replaced by the Christian holiday of the Nativity of the Virgin. But superstition has not gone away. For example, the people believed that the rowan plucked at that time would protect the house from insomnia and, in general, from the misfortunes that evil spirits send. Rowan brushes, along with leaves, were laid out between window frames as a talisman against evil spirits. And by the number of berries in the bunches, they looked to see if a harsh winter was to come. The more of them – the stronger the frosts are wrapped. Also, according to the weather on that day, they determined what the next autumn would be like – if the sun, it means that rain and cold will not come soon.
In the houses for the holiday they always baked pies with cabbage and lingonberries and treated them to guests.