Every September there is a day that marks the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn or Fall. This is the third season of the year. The leaves change color and fall from the trees and crops are harvested marking the end of the growing season. Wait a minute that is not exactly true. Basically, everything seasonally that happens in the Northern Hemisphere is the exact opposite of the Southern Hemisphere. So if you live north of the equator autumn begins in September. If you live south of the equator, autumn begins in March. That may be a little confusing so let's see how this works.

What exactly is an equinox? The Earth is divided into two halves by an imaginary line called the Equator. These halves are called hemispheres, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. The Earth does not rotate around the sun straight up and down. It is tilted just a little bit so the two hemispheres don’t get the same amount of sun most of the time. There are two days every year where the amount of sunlight that hits the earth is pretty much equal. Meaning 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night in both hemispheres. This happens in March and in September. Since the Earth is not straight up and down the seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are exactly the opposite.

Humans have marked this time of year as being very important even before there was written language. Some archeological finds show amazing technology related to the calendar and marking the equinox as a special time of the year. El Castillo is a stepped pyramid built by the  people of Mexico. As the sun sets on the day of the equinox a shadow appears making it look like a giant snake is slithering down the side of the pyramid. In the southwestern United States at about the same time the Mayan people built their pyramid, a great city was built, now known as Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon. At the top of a butte overlooking Chaco Canyon is a solar calendar, the Chaco Sun Dagger.  The dagger marks the changing of the seasons by the way the sun shines on the rock.

Many of the equinox celebrations center around the fall harvest and have been handed down for centuries. Most of them marked having a good harvest in the fall. Grocery stores and modern ways to store food did not exist. People stored their food in cellars and pantries. This food was needed to last through the winter months. People gathered together to feast, give thanks for the crops and share with others that were not so lucky. Happy Fall Y’all.