Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Autumn Equinox Observances from the Ancient Past

The ancient Egyptians, Phonecians and Persians celebrated the New Year with the autumn equinox, when the hours of daylight and darkness reached an equilibrium. On this date, the first day of autumn, the location of the Sun reaches one of the four corners of the zodiac cross.

Autumn Equinox

The ancient sky-watchers used the stars above to form the constellation of the cardinal zodiac sign Libra–the Balance–to signify the time when daylight and darkness were balanced. This astronomical event held great importance to ancient agrarian societies, because it marked the location when the Sun and ecliptic traversed over the equator–an important event for timing the harvest.

Why Did Ancient People Celebrate the Autumn Equinox?

The importance of such a seasonal time marker as the autumn equinox was heightened in ancient agrarian society due to the nature of activities at this time of year. At this time, the harvest was in full bloom and the bountiful return after long summer hours of laboring under the heat of the sun revealed the promise of ripened, life-sustaining crops. To many people of ancient agrarian civilization, the harvest season was a time to count your blessings in the form of fruits that grow from the earth.

Harvest_moon

What Types of Traditions Are Observed on the Autumn Equinox?

In China, the autumn equinox is described as a day of balance between yin (darkness) and yang (light). Yet the autumn season in turn welcomes the winter, as yin takes hold and the light of the Sun disappears with each passing day. For this reason, the autumn equinox enters with an air of serious reflection and marks a time of preparation before the challenge of winter ahead.

It is thought that at this time, the festival sacrifice to the Moon or Harvest Moon took place in contrast to the sacrifice to the Sun, which was held on the spring equinox. The Taoist philosophers used the element metal to characterize the season of fall with solemnity and courage for the trials ahead.

Reap What You've SownHow Did the Harvest Determine the Nature of the Observance?

The autumn season of falling leaves offered a period of relaxation for ancient agrarian people, just before the chill of winter set in. It was a fortunate time if the crop yield was abundant, but also sobering if the harvest was bad. For this meant the abundance of living things would soon return to the earth, and food would be scarce if they weren’t already prepared. The darkness would soon creep across the land with the turn of each day. If there was abundance now, it was time to celebrate–for soon, the cold would force them to ration all resources for the coming winter.

–Thus, the harvest and autumn equinox is a time of reaping what you’ve sown.

⚕Home⚕

Photo by Paul Bica