Say Hello to Fall, Goodbye Summer…
Come On Boomers, The Autumnal Equinox is Upon Us and We Are All
Grateful for the New Season of Hope and Prosperity
Boomers, stay positive and relevant! Enjoy the history of this glorious season—next week is all about decorating.
“And, all the lives we ever lived and all the lives
to be are full of trees and changing leaves…”
Virginia Woolf
The Autumnal Equinox
Twice a year, everyone on Earth is seemingly on equal footing — at least when it comes to the distribution of sunlight and darkness.
On Wednesday, September 22, we entered our second and final equinox of 2021. If you reside in the Northern Hemisphere, you know it as the fall equinox (or autumnal equinox). For people south of the equator, this equinox actually signals the coming of spring.
Folks really close to the equator have roughly 12-hour days and 12-hour nights all year long, so they won’t really notice a thing. But people close to the poles, in destinations such as the northern parts of Canada, Norway and Russia, go through wild swings in the day/night ratio each year. They have long, dark winters and then have summers where night barely intrudes.
Where does the word ‘equinox’ originate?
From CNN Fast Facts file: The term equinox comes from the Latin word equinoxium, meaning “equality between day and night.”
“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye”
Unknown
Why Does the Fall Equinox Happen?
I love this stuff, I hope you do too. My BoomerGuy actually understands it so he explains it to me and all our friends, and now to you. We can all learn more and give ourselves a refresher course. The Earth rotates along an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. It’s called the axis, and this rotation is what gives us day and night.
However, the axis tilts at 23.5 degrees, as NASA explains. That positions one hemisphere of the planet to get more sunlight than the other for half of the year’s orbit around the sun. This discrepancy in sunlight is what triggers the seasons.
The effect is at its maximum in late June and late December. Those are the solstices, ala the summer and winter solstices, respectively, and they have the most extreme differences between day and night, especially near the poles. (That’s why it stays light for so long each day during the summer in places such as Scandinavia and Alaska.)
Here is the U.S. and Northern Hemisphere, since the summer solstice three months ago in June, you’ve noticed that our days have been progressively becoming shorter and the nights longer. And now here we are at the fall equinox!
Long before the age of clocks, satellites and modern technology, our ancient ancestors knew a lot about the movement of the sun across the sky — enough to build massive monuments and temples that, among other purposes, served as giant calendars to mark the seasons.
Here are just a few of the sites associated with the equinox and the annual passage of the sun, and perhaps you have had the unique opportunity to visit one or more of these famed archeological locations while vacationing:
— Stonehenge (United Kingdom): Many mysteries about these giant slabs remain, but we do know they were designed to mark the yearly passage of the sun. While aligned to highlight the summer and winter solstices, Stonehenge garners attention this time of year, too. For more information on Stonehenge–The likely source of Stonehenge’s giant Sarsen Stones.
— Megalithic Temples of Malta: These seven temples on the Mediterranean island are some of the earliest free-standing stone buildings in the world, going back 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. At Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples, the semicircular chambers are aligned so that the rising sun on an equinox is framed between the stones.
— Chichén Itzá (Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico): El Castillo, the famous pyramid at Chichén Itzá, puts on a striking show on the equinoxes. Constructed by the Toltec-Maya people between 1050 and 1300, the pyramid was built to cast a shadow during equinoxes on the northern balustrade of El Castillo. It looks like the form of a snake slithering down the stairs, and the ancient special effect is heightened by the heads of sculpted beasts at the base.
Yes. Fall officially begins on the autumnal equinox, so let’s welcome it with open arms, vibrant colors, and cooler temperatures. Hopefully. Residing here in southern California the heat is still with us, and with a little luck abating by the end of September. But that little fact doesn’t deter me from sharing fall happiness and a variety of design changes you can begin making to your home with little to no effort and cost.
I call it ‘Fall With Grace.” Because that’s precisely what it is. The design and decorating ideas that present themselves at this time of year signify not only a new season but also the beauty and elegance of style.
Join me next week for a few fall decorating tips.
Credits for superb editorial content by CNN News and Travel,
contributing editor, Forrest Brown