“Fall Begins” History:
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Fall always begins on the day when the Sun is perpendicular to the equator. Due to the sun’s position, this day has equal hours of day and night. The first day of Fall is also called the Autumnal Equinox, and in many areas it coincides with harvests. The first day of Fall happens between each year between September 22 and 24.
Some additional “Fall begins” facts:
- The Harvest Moon is always the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.
- The Fall Equinox is also known as: Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, and Wine Harvest.
- The Earth take 365.25 days to make one complete revolution around the Sun. This results in the first day of Fall beginning 6 hours later each year, and moving a full day backward on Leap Years.
- As you know, during the “Fall,” the leaves on deciduous trees die and then fall to the ground. Around 500 years ago, expressions like “fall of the leaf” and “fall of the year” were common to hear in the English speaking world. The term “Fall” as the name for this season comes from these early expressions.
