The autumnal equinox marks the first day of autumn, when day and night are almost equal.

The phenomenon is spiritual to pagans as equal parts light and dark indicate the earth is balanced, but for most of us it is an excuse to embrace all of the best parts of autumn.

The weather may be turning dreary, but it is now time to forage for blackberries and sloe berries to make crumble and gin, wrap ourselves in woolly jumpers and get cozy in front of a crackling fire.

The equinox is the perfect excuse to dive into the hygge life, a Danish concept that embraces all things cozy and encourages time spent indoors with family during chilly, wet weather.

Read below to learn more about the start of autumn, the equinox, the equilux and how people celebrate the bi-annual occasion.

It is time to embrace the hygge life

What is the autumnal equinox?

The autumnal equinox is when the sun positions itself exactly above the equator between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

The phenomenon marks the arrival of autumn in the astronomical calendar and is when day and night are almost equal.

After the autumnal equinox, the night becomes longer than the day while the opposite happens after the spring or vernal equinox.

The name equinox originates from the Latin word equi, which means equal and nox, which means night.

When is the equinox?

The equinox in the northern hemisphere occurs twice a year. The spring equinox happens March 20 while the autumn event occurs around September 22, according to the Met Office.

They happen between the summer and winter solstices, which occur around June 21 and near December 21.

The equinox marks the point the sun crosses the equator's path and becomes positioned exactly above the equator between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, the Met Office said.

When does autumn start?

The answer to this question depends on whether you are referring to astronomical or meteorological autumn. The meteorological autumn began on September 1, 2018 and ends on November 30, 2018. These are fixed dates which are used by meteorologists for consistent spacing and lengths of the seasons, according to the Met Office.

The astronomical autumn begins around September 22, 2018 and ends around December 21, 2018. The astronomical calendar determines the seasons due to the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth's rotational axis in relation to its orbit around the sun. Both equinoxes and solstices are related to the Earth's orbit around the sun.

What is the equilux?




Pagan worshipers from all over the UK gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the equinox

How do people celebrate?

The equinox, which is known as Mabon, Second Harvest or Alban Elfed in pagan mythology, marks a time of thanksgiving for bounty of the recent harvest.

It is also an acknowledgement that the darkness will soon overtake the light, meaning the nights become longer than the days, according to The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

Neo-Druids and pagans, along with tourists, flock to ancient sites like Stonehenge to celebrate the occasion.

Michaelmas, the Catholic feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated near the equinox on September 29. It is said that the church introduced this holiday to encourage followers to move away from pagan rituals.

If ancient stones are not your thing, you can always have a conker fight, slurp a pumpkin spice latte and forage for berries along the hedges to celebrate the advent of autumn.

When does winter start?

Based on the meteorological definitions, autumn finishes on November 30.

That means December 1 is the beginning of winter from a weather forecaster's standpoint.

But using astronomical observations, winter 2018 begins on Friday, December 21 (Winter Solstice) and ends on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 (Spring Equinox).

Modern pagans believe the old Celtic festival of Samhain marked the start of winter. Samhain is from October 31 to November 1.
