WHAT IS THE EQUINOX?

We're living in the 21st century. Those in western civilization are far removed from the jungles, the plains and the tundra. So why is the equinox important to us today? Called the first day of autumn, the equinox—when day and night are equal in length all over the world—occurs this year on September 22 and marks the autumnal equinox.

At equinox, the sun crosses directly over the equator and as the Earth orbits, it tilts neither away from the sun nor towards it. Because the equinox is based on the Earth's movement around the sun, there's a three-day window in which it can occur—as early as September 2o and as late as September 23.

HOW IT RELATES TODAY

But why do we take an interest in the equinox? Could be because we humans, going back to the Egyptians, the Maya, and Polynesians for starters, have always been stargazers. Early on in our coming of age, the ancients made up the constellations and stories about the night sky. Today we still gaze at the same sky but with more oomph—we send out advanced satellites, telescopes, and Rovers to retrieve information from the stars, the planets and far-away galaxies. And we're writing scientific documents, basically new stories, extolling what lies outside our atmosphere.

Nectarine blossoms (photo John Kitchel)

Even though we live in a sophisticated high-tech world, we still celebrate the importance of the relationship between our sun and planet Earth. In agrarian times, spring was ushered in by the equinox which meant it was time to plant, and at the autumnal equinox it was time to harvest. That may not be so important to us today, but have you ever wondered why Easter is also a floating date rather than fixed?

EASTER

Easter today, as in pagan times, is the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. This year that full moon is March 28 and Easter falls on April 4. As sophisticated as we are with technology at our fingertips, we still follow some traditions that originated when humans were still hunter-gatherers. Though we may think the equinox has no influence on us, we're still rooted in a pagan cycle of historic events due to the date of that celestial occurrence. 

Because the spring equinox has ties to Christianity's most important event, Easter, many believe it centers on not only the Earth's waking call from a dark winter, but also the theme of resurrection.

CHICHEN ITZA AND THE EQUINOX

One of the most famous equinox ceremonies in North America takes place at the Maya pyramid site at Chichen Itza in Mexico. Around 4 p.m. the sun casts a remarkable shadow onto the most prestigious of the pyramids there, Temple of Kukulkan (Feathered Serpent). Due to the sun's position in the sky and the building's position thanks to precise mathematical calculations prefigured more than a millennia ago for the event, a shadow slithers down the staircase, ending at the tip of a serpent's mouth at the bottom. This feat was made possible by the Maya's ability to calculate the sun's effects on the earth at equinox.

In the Maya world many buildings are built to specifications that coincide with the equinox. Some scholars believe the importance placed on it relays to the resurrection of the Maize God, Hunahpu, and the turning from winter's darkness towards the light of spring, ushering in planting time. The fall equinox no doubt pays homage to the harvest.

The Hero Twins Consult with God (University of Virginia)

WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION

On the other side of the globe in Egypt, the equinox also represents a time of resurrection for the god Osiris. Because of this it's said the Great Sphinx of Giza is positioned to look directly at the rising sun on spring equinox. In Cambodia, scholars say the equinox represents the winning of forces of light over darkness, so the main temple at Angkor Wat also aligns with the equinox sun. 

Angkor Wat (photo the Ultimate Guide)

A certain theme continues to be played out with the equinox in the myths of the world—rebirth, awakening, and light overcoming darkness—exactly what takes place as Earth tilts into spring. 

So even though we're entrenched in this modern world, uber-connected through smart phones, computers and all forms of social media, it's important to remember there's a bigger picture out there and it affects all humanity on our green Earth. It is a thing as simple as how the sun and Earth relate, two days a year, on the equinox.

For more info on Mexico, the Maya and the Yucatán, subscribe to my bi-monthly blog above or check out my website, www.jeaninekitchel.com. I'm also author of a travel memoir Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, that tells about my expat experience in buying land and building a house in a fishing village on the Mexican Caribbean coast. It's available on Amazon, as are books one and two in m crime thriller trilogy, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, along with Tulum Takedown.