The term “equinox” is derived from the Latin words “aequus”
(meaning equal) and “nox” (meaning “night”) because when an equinox occurs, the
length of the day and night becomes almost equal.
The sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward in
the northern hemisphere during the September equinox. The location on the earth
where the sun is directly overhead at solar noon is known as the subsolar
point. The subsolar point occurs on the equator during the September equinox
and March equinox. At that time, the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular
to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun.
Harvest Festivals
The Fall Equinox has been known by many other names over the
centuries. Cultures from around the world call it: Alban Elfed, Autumn Equinox,
Autumnal Equinox, Cornucopia, Higan or koreisai, Feast of Avilon, Festival of
Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second
Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch’s Thanksgiving, and of course the first
day of autumn.
The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact,
people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient
Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting
of grapes for wine. In the 1700's, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest,
which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great
feasting and merriment, still in existence today. China's Mid-Autumn festival
is celebrated on the night of the Harvest Moon, and is a festival of honoring
family unity.
Common themes found worldwide are balance, harvesting and
abundance, remembrance of the dead and life’s fragility and the return of
weather that favors slowing down, introspection, conservation, and reflection
on the meaning of life. We also begin noticing the shortening of the days as we
head towards the Winter Solstice.
The celebration of the seasons is thought of mostly as an
ancient practice, but more people are beginning to honor the equinox and
solstice days. Equinox celebrations or Harvest Parties are popping up
everywhere, regardless of religion, belief, or location in the world. The
seasons change for everyone, so everyone can celebrate them!
Magic and Mythology
Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of
the year focus on the themes of life, death, and rebirth. Not much of a
surprise, when you consider that this is the time at which the earth begins to
die before winter sets in!
Demeter and Her Daughter - Perhaps the best known of all the
harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a
goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter,
Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted
Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter's grief caused the
crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her
daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to
spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time
when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox.
Inanna Takes on the Underworld - The Sumerian goddess Inanna
is the incarnation of fertility and abundance. Inanna descended into the
underworld where her sister, Ereshkigal, ruled. Erishkigal decreed that Inanna
could only enter her world in the traditional ways -- stripping herself of her
clothing and earthly posessions. By the time Inanna got there, Erishkigal had
unleashed a series of plagues upon her sister, killing Inanna. While Inanna was
visiting the underworld, the earth ceased to grow and produce. A vizier
restored Inanna to life, and sent her back to earth. As she journeyed home, the
earth was restored to its former glory.
Modern Celebrations
For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban
Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru
groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to Freyr.
For most Wiccans and NeoPagans, this is a time of community
and kinship. It's not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in
with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the
festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less
fortunate.
