In America, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, unofficially marks the end of Summer and beginning of Fall. Though we find ourselves in a sort of in-between period when it doesn’t completely feel like Summer but it’s not exactly Autumn feeling yet, we end our Summer leisure with a bang. And we begin looking forward to the slower cooler days of Fall.
The official 1st day of Fall happens on the Autumnal Equinox on September 22 or 23 (and most often on the 22nd) depending on the year. But in history, even that day was up for debate.
“…[Many] reckon Autumn to begin at the Æquinoctium, about the twelfth of September and to the end at the Solstice of shortest day, about the eleventh of December.” — Thomas Blount in Glossographia, year 1656
We all experience the Fall Equinox when the sun passes over the equator.
The word equinox derives from the Latin aequus meaning equal and nox meaning night. The number of day and night hours are roughly equal.
But whether you live in the Northern or Southern hemisphere the Fall Equinox takes place at the same moment worldwide. For Northern hemisphere inhabitants it’s the 1st day of Fall. And for Southern hemisphere inhabitants it’s the first day of Spring and Vernal Equinox.
The Autumnal Equinox first day of Fall occasionally falls outside the 22nd and 23rd. This is because the Fall Equinox happens on the say the sun moves into Libra. A September 21 Fall Equinox last occurred more than 1,000 years ago. But it’s slated to happen again later this century — in both 2092 and 2096.
When is the 1st day of Fall 2024?
In 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere, the 1st day of Fall 2024 happens on the Fall Equinox, Sunday, September 22 at 08:44 A.M. EDT.
As it does every year the 1st day of Fall 2024 calls on us to trade light for dark. And though days become shorter, we still rejoice. It ushers in an energy that encourages us to give thanks, meditate more often and go within ourselves for important introspection.
Partake of the mystique of quantum energetic formulated plant-based skincare for your exalted natural beauty and well-being. Subscribe for a discount promo code, plus get truly unique beauty tips and offers.
When is the 1st day of Fall in other understandings?
The Autumnal Equinox 1st day of Fall is one of four astronomical observation focal points of they year that mark each of our four seasons.
The Autumnal Equinox marks the 1st day of fall when we base that calculation on the astronomical definition of seasons. We calculate astronomical seasons based on the sun’s position in the sky.
But meteorology(1) also defines and calculates seasons. These are founded on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar.
In a meteorological understanding, the first day of Fall is usually considered September 1 in the Northern hemisphere.
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) honors this calendar.
Energetic Fall is the thirteenth solar term of the year and begins August 7 approximately.
We say energetic because we begin feeling the energy of the season and its corresponding element (out of five)—Metal at this time. These energies of Fall are inward drawing, introspective and slower movement.
PHYTO5’s quantum energetic five element skincare and in the case of Fall, the Metal line, is formulated to bring balance to any of the five sets of skin conditions and corresponding emotions most people experience. Each of these five sets of skin conditions and emotions aligns with a TCM season and element.
The Metal line eliminates impurities, decongests and brightens dull skin and plumps fine lines. It balances emotion because it’s quantum energetic. Metal’s emotion is worry, regret and grief. This line helps you gain a sense that all is well.
In TCM, the start of energetic Fall occurs just after an 18-day transition period (Earth element) bridging energetic Summer (Fire) to energetic Fall.
The Fall Equinox of course also happens on September 21, 22 or 23 in TCM. But TCM considers this date the midpoint of Autumn and not the 1st day of Fall.
The Harvest Moon marks the 1st day of Fall.
The Fall Equinox and 1st day of Fall enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the full Moon. We call the full Moon nearest the Autumnal Equinox the Harvest Moon.
This name came to be because farmers of long ago observed the full moon rose around sunset for several nights in a row.
Around the Fall Equinox 1st day of Fall, the angle of the Moon’s orbit and the tilt of the Earth line up so the moon rises about 20 to 30 minutes later each night for a number of nights.
The extra light of the moon helped farmers get all their harvesting done before the onset of frost.
This Harvest full Moon will be either September or October’s full Moon—whichever full moon is nearest the Equinox.
It is the summer’s great last heat,
It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt (aka Sallie M. Bryan, American Poet, August 11, 1836 – December 22, 1919)
…
Endnotes:
(1) Meteorology is the branch of science concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.
…
Sources:
Aveni, Anthony F.. The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays. United Kingdom, OUP USA, 2004.
Anderson, Earl R.. Folk-taxonomies in early English. London, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2003.