Astronomical autumn starts tonight: this is the meaning of the equinox

Tonight is the night: at 8:19 PM sharp, astronomical autumn begins. During the autumnal equinox, day and night are almost equally long.

A special moment that is seen worldwide as a sign of balance and that you can celebrate in different ways.

The Earth rotates around the sun at a tilted axis of 23.5 degrees. This is why we have seasons . During the equinox, this axis is perfectly perpendicular to the sun, making day and night almost equal in length everywhere on Earth. In practice, we even get a few minutes of extra daylight because the sun's rays are deflected by the atmosphere.

Normally, the equinox falls on September 22nd or 23rd, very occasionally on September 24th. The last time this happened was in 1931, and it won't happen again until 2303.

The word equinox literally means equal night. In the Netherlands, it marks the beginning of autumn, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of spring.

For centuries, cultures have used this moment to celebrate the balance between light and dark, often with harvest festivals and rituals of gratitude.

Even now, you can still make the equinox meaningful. Vogue gathered a few ideas:

• Preserving and preserving: making jam together or preserving vegetables, just like in the old days, when the harvest was saved for the winter.

• Building an autumn altar: placing candles, leaves or nuts and adding personal intentions.

• Remembering ancestors: bringing flowers or a personal memento to a grave.

• Tarot cards: an evening of looking ahead and finding balance with friends.

• Star picnic or moon bath: get outside, share food and experience the night.

Whether you see it as a scientific phenomenon or a spiritual turning point, the autumnal equinox is a time for reflection. Nature demonstrates that light and dark alternate, making it a good time to consider what you want to let go of and what you want to carry with you into winter.