TheSeptember equinox (orsouthward equinox) is the moment when theSun appears to cross thecelestial equator, heading southward. Because of differences between thecalendar year and thetropical year, the Septemberequinox may occur from September 21 to 24.
At the equinox, the Sun as viewed from theequatorrises due east andsets due west. Before the Southward equinox, the Sun rises and sets more northerly, and afterwards, it rises and sets more southerly.
At the equinox, the Sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. However, because ofrefraction it will usually appear slightly above the horizon at the moment when its "true" middle is rising or setting. For viewers atthe north orsouth poles, it moves virtually horizontally on or above the horizon, not obviously rising or setting apart from the movement in "declination" (and hence altitude) of a little under a half (0.39) degree per day.
For observers in either hemisphere not at the poles, the Sun rises and sets more and more to the south during the 3 months following the September equinox. This period is the second half of a 6-month long southerly movement, beginning with theJune solstice when the Sun rises and sets at its most northern point.
In JapanAutumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日,Shūbun no hi) is a public holiday.[9]Higan (お彼岸) is a Buddhist holiday exclusively celebrated by Japanese sects during both the Spring and Autumnal Equinox.
In Korea,Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday celebrated around the Autumn Equinox.
TheMid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8thlunar month, often near the autumnal equinox day. It is an official holiday in both the PRC and Taiwan. The day after Mid-Autumn Festival is an official holiday in both Hong Kong and Macao. Singapore has no official holiday connected to Mid-Autumn Festival. As the lunar calendar is not synchronous with the Gregorian calendar, this date could be anywhere from mid-September to early October.
The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24solar terms (节气, literally "climatic segments"), and the autumnal equinox (Qiūfēn,Chinese andJapanese: 秋分; Korean:추분; Vietnamese:Thu phân) marks themiddle of the autumn season. In this context, theChinese character 分 means"(equal) division" (within a season).
The JewishSukkot usually falls on the firstfull moon after the northern hemisphere autumnal equinox, although occasionally (In the modern Jewish calendar, three times every 19 years) it will occur on the second full moon.
Rosh Hashanah falls on anew moon close to this equinox, although occasionally (In the modern Jewish calendar, three times every 19 years) it will occur on the second full moon.
Dożynki is a Slavic harvest festival. In pre-Christian times the feast usually fell on the autumn equinox.
The Southward equinox was "New Year's Day" in theFrench Republican Calendar, which was in use from 1793 to 1805. TheFrench First Republic was proclaimed and theFrench monarchy was abolished on September 21, 1792, making the following day (the equinox day that year) the first day of the "Republican Era" in France. The start of every year was to be determined by astronomical calculations following the real Sun and not the mean Sun.
The traditionalharvest festival in the United Kingdom was celebrated on the Sunday of the full moon closest to the September equinox.
Neopagans observe the September equinox as a cardinal point on theWheel of the Year. In the Northern Hemisphere some varieties of paganism adaptAutumn Equinox traditions. In the Southern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox corresponds withOstara.
The reconstructedCahokia Woodhenge, a largetimber circle located at theMississippian cultureCahokiaarchaeological site nearCollinsville, Illinois,[10] is the site of annual equinox and solstice sunrise observances. An announcement for the 2017 observance said "Out of respect for Native American beliefs, no rituals or ceremonies will be held at the free event. But visitors will stand in the same place where the Mississippian people once gathered to watch the sun rise."[11][12][13]
