Category Archives: Equinox

Sep 22 2021
2 Comments
Autumn, Equinox

September Equinox

I had a whole other chapter written for today’s Convivio Book of Days and this first day of autumn by the almanac, but then my niece, Isabella, and I were chatting (the same niece who had a flying lesson for her 15th birthday in the most recent Convivio Dispatch), about autumn and the equinox and she sent me a link to one of her favorite songs, one that reminds her of autumn. It’s Astor Piazzolla’s “Café 1930,” performed by Alexandra Whittingham and Esther Abrami. She and I wondered what is it, exactly, that can make a collection of sounds epitomize a season. We decided that we didn’t know what it was, but being unable to unlock that particular mystery makes it even better. I listened to her song myself, and she’s right: there is a hint of autumn about it. Then I decided all you need to know about today’s equinox is depicted in the photograph above, showing this old earth at its moment of equinox, which happens to be 3:40 PM here in Lake Worth. That’s Eastern Daylight Time. An equal share of day and night, of light and dark, across the planet: balance. That’s what the equinox is all about. Tomorrow things will begin to shift slightly as the Northern Hemisphere enters its darker half of the year and the Southern its lighter half.

With the academic stuff out of the way, we can listen instead to Isabella’s song of autumn, Astor Piazzolla’s “Café 1930:”

Do you have songs that remind you of autumn? I do, and I’m glad to know that my niece does, too. Feel free to share (please do, actually) your songs in the comments below.

NEW! BIG AUTUMN SALE
It’s looking good for us to return this autumn to the Dia de Los Muertos celebration in Lake Worth and maybe even Fort Lauderdale. But we’re still bringing back the big autumn Street Fair Sale this year!

Now through Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos), use discount code STREETFAIR at checkout for $10 off your purchase of $75 on everything in the shop, and get free domestic shipping, too! What’s new? A big bevy of brand new advent calendars from Germany. Lots of great new hand embroidered tea towels by my mom (Millie’s Tea Towels––Mom’s been embroidering every day!) plus more tea towels hand printed by the folks at Kei & Molly Textiles in New Mexico (as well as eco-friendly reusable cloth bags and compostable sponges, all with fun Kei & Molly prints). And of course lots of great new artesanías méxicanas for Dia de Los Muertos: Day of the Dead. New Christmas goods from Sweden and Germany arriving soon, too. Shop here!

Image: Earth daylight distribution on the September Equinox (Northern Autumn; Southern Spring) as seen on w:SpaceEngine. Creative Commons, 2021, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Mar 20 2021
2 Comments
Equinox, Spring

Spring’s Arrival

It is a time of balance today as all parts of the planet receive equal measure of day and night: it is the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox in the Southern, with a 5:37 AM arrival time here in Lake Worth, which is currently in Eastern Daylight Time. Tomorrow––since change is the only thing that stays the same––things shift yet again, and day will be just a bit longer than night here in the North, while night will be just a bit longer than day in the South. And on it goes, until the next moment of extreme in June, when the Midsummer solstice brings the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day, and the Southern Hemisphere’s longest night.

With the spring equinox comes Nowruz, the Persian new year, celebrated by people in Iran and many other places throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Balkans. Nowruz preparations revolve around a thorough cleaning of the home: a spring cleaning, you might say. Families calculate the equinox moment and then begin their celebrations, which involve an abundance of good food and go on for several days.

Other springtide holidays are fast approaching: Passover will begin in the Jewish calendar on the 27th at sunset, and in the Hindu calendar, Holi, the Festival of Colors, comes the next day. That same day in the Christian calendar brings Palm Sunday, setting off the events of Holy Week on the approach to Easter. But not before we celebrate Lady Day, or the Feast of the Annunciation, on the 25th… and that is a day for eating waffles, thanks to a bit of linguistic confusion in Sweden. Every one of these celebrations is tied, in one way or another, to the start of spring and this balance of day and night. This old earth, meanwhile, just does what it does: it spins around each day and spends a year circling around the sun on its tilted axis, giving us our seasons and all the love and celebration we place in them.

Image: March Equinox 2021, a projected Earth daylight distribution on the March Equinox (Northern Spring; Southern Autumn) as seen on SpaceEngine [Creative Commons, via Wikimedia Commons].

 

Sep 22 2020
3 Comments
Autumn, Equinox

Giving Balance its Due

And now autumn comes to the Northern Hemisphere. It is, by nature, a time of balance: balance of day and night, balance of light and dark. Across the planet. No extremes. Pure balance. Look for the sunrise due east. Look for the sunset due west. Straight and true.

I had a long essay written about balance and how so many things in recent months, weeks, days, feel completely out of that state of equilibrium. I feel it, and I think many of you do, too. Place it where you wish: within, without, in your home, in your nation. I get it. I ditched the long essay because you know exactly what I’m talking about and I think you know that for me, balance is along the lines of kindness, integrity, respect. I hope we can reclaim these things and know again that we are well.

The Autumnal Equinox comes to Lake Worth and the rest of the US Eastern Time Zone this morning at 9:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time. Image: Justice Holding Scales by Parmigianino. Pen and ink on paper, early 16th century. [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

 

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