September 23 - Autumn Begins with the Equinox in Eastern Asia

                           Posted on September 23, 2021

This post is an updated version of my post published on September 23, 2010:

Equinox means “equal night,” and this is the date when day and night are equal lengths. (Depending on where you live, the day and night aren't quite equal.) In the Northern Hemisphere, fall begins on the September Equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere, spring begins on that day.

This year the Equinox occurs at 19:21 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) - on September 22! (That translates to 7:21 p.m. UTC.) Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard that can be referred to worldwide. It is based on International Atomic Time and is roughly the same time as Greenwich Mean Time, which is the time kept at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England.

Notice: today is September 23. And I just said that this year the September Equinox is September 22. What - what - what?

Well, any part of the world that has a time zone far enough ahead of UTC will have its Equinox early in the morning on the 23rd instead of in the afternoon or evening of the 22nd. So we say that the September Equinox occurs a day later in such locations as Eastern Russia, Japan, Korea, etc.

Fall falls...

Again speaking from the perspective of the Northern Hemisphere, the days have been getting shorter, and the nights longer, ever since the first day of summer. The days will continue to get shorter and shorter until mid-December. Today is the mid-point in the process.

The shorter days are the main reason that winter is colder than summer. This seasonal change is caused by the Earth's tilt.

Balance an egg on its end...

 

...or not...

Even though it has been disproved over and over (and over!), there persists a myth that you can balance an egg on its end only during an equinox, when everything is balanced and equal.

Some people might say that it's impossible to balance an egg - but it's not. It's really hard to do it—it takes a lot of practice—and it takes a lot of patience—AND you have to have the right egg, one that has a yolk centered in its shell—but you most definitely can balance an egg on its end.

However, with the right egg, with all that practice and patience, you can stand an egg on its end any day of the year! The idea that it is only possible on an equinox is pure myth! 

Also on this date:

Grito de Lares

National Day in Saudi Arabia

Anniversary of Lewis and Clark's return from the Corps of Discovery

Physicist Fizeau's birthday

 Patterson-Greenfield's First Automobile

Anniversary of the predicted end of the world (spoiler alert - it didn't happen!)

Anniversary of the discovery of Neptune

Birthday of activist / educator / journalist / speaker Mary Church Terrell

National Great American Pot Pie Day

National Snack Stick Day

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September
  
  

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• October holidays
• October birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in October

September 23 – Mabon in the Northern Hemisphere

Posted on September 23, 2015

In Wicca (a Pagan religion), Mabon is the name of the Autumnal equinox.

Mabon is a mid-harvest festival that, in the past, Celtic people celebrated by dressing up in their best clothes, feasting, and making offerings. It is named after the Welsh God of Youth, Mabon ap Modron (the son of the Earth Mother goddess, Modron).

Some modern-day Wiccans celebrate the day by taking walks in the woods; gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds, and seed pods; and decorating graves with leaves, acorns, and pine cones. Some more mystical activities include offering libations to trees (pouring out liquids on them), scattering offerings in already-harvested fields, and making an altar using symbols of Mabon.

Speaking of the symbols of Mabon, here they are: (You may recognize them as symbols of fall, autumn, and harvest generally, not just in Wicca!)

acorns

apples 

dried beans and seeds 

corn 

gourds

grains

horns of plenty

pinecones

pomegranates

vines

wine

Here are some fall crafts that are associated with Mabon:

• apple dolls 

• horns of plenty 

(I found easier, kid-friendly cornucopia crafts here.)

• grapevine wreaths 

• scented pinecones 

• witch's brooms 

Mmm....

Mmm, baked apples with salted caramel sauce!

I read one account that said that Mabon is the Witch's Thanksgiving. It suggested that nut breads, roasted squash and other vegetables, a hearty multi-bean soup, and spiced hot apple cider are great suggestions for the Mabon feast. 

Rubbing chicken with sage, basil and thyme before roasting, and sprinkling buttered acorn squash with cinnamon and honey fall in with traditional flavors. 

Anything apple and anything pumpkin is appropriate, as well.

Also on this date:

Grito de Lares 

Autumn begins with the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere

National Day in Saudi Arabia

Anniversary of Lewis and Clark's return from the Corps of Discovery

Physicist Fizeau's birthday

National Voter Registration Day

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• October holidays
• October birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in October

September 23, 2010

Autumn Begins with the Equinox (Northern Hemisphere)

Equinox means “equal night,” and this is supposed to be the date when day and night are equal lengths. (Depending on where you live, the day and night aren't quite equal.) In the Northern Hemisphere, fall begins on this day, and in the Southern Hemisphere, spring begins.

The Equinox occurs at 3:09 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). For people in the U.S., that is yesterday evening. Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard that can be referred to worldwide. It is based on International Atomic Time and is roughly the same time as Greenwich Mean Time, which is the time kept at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England.

Again speaking from the perspective of the Northern Hemisphere, the days have been getting shorter, and the nights longer, ever since the first day of summer. They will continue to get shorter and shorter until mid-December. Today is the mid-point in the process.

The shorter days are the main reason that winter is colder than summer. This seasonal change is caused by the Earth's tilt.

Balance an egg on its end...

...or not...

Even though it has been disproved over and over (and over!), there persists a myth that you can balance an egg on its end only during an equinox, when everything is balanced and equal.

It's not a myth because it is impossible to balance an egg. It's really hard to do it—it takes a lot of patience—but you most definitely can balance an egg on its end.

However, you can balance an egg on its end any day of the year. The myth is that it can only be done during an equinox.

Check out the Moon and Jupiter!

If you have clear skies tonight, be sure to check out the full harvest moon! Also, Jupiter is closer than usual, and so Jupiter is probably brighter than you've ever seen it. (It hasn't been this close to Earth since 1963, and it won't be again until 2022.)

I've sighted Jupiter for two nights, now. It has been rising in the east at about sunset, a little later than Moonrise. Once Venus sets, it seems to be the brightest “star” in the sky. Of course, it isn't a star at all; it's the solar system's biggest planet. With a really good pair of binoculars, and if the sky is really dark, you might be able to see one or more of Jupiter's moons, maybe even a dark band across its disk, and maybe even Uranus looking like a blue-colored star near Jupiter.