The Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22nd, ushering in a new season. The equinoxes (both Autumnal in fall, and Vernal in spring) mark the points in the year when the sun crosses the equator, so that every place on earth experiences an equal amount of daylight and darkness. Equinoxes are also the days when the sun rises in the Northern Hemisphere exactly due east and it sets exactly due west.
The equinoxes have been observed and celebrated for thousands of years and have significance for many different cultures. Pagans call the fall equinox Mabon and they consider it a time for thanksgiving and for reflecting on the past season. In the Middle Ages, it was a time of great feasting. Christians celebrate Michaelmas, in honor of the Archangel Michael, shortly after the Autumnal Equinox. Autumnal Equinox Day is a Japanese national holiday, when people mark the change of the seasons and pay respects to deceased family members.
The Britons situated Stonehenge in relation to the spring and fall equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices, when their culture would gather and have religious ceremonies.
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