10 great ways to celebrate the Autumn Equinox in Cambridge
How do you plan on celebrating the Autumnal Equinox on Wednesday 22 September this year?
The equinox is a time when the equator passes through the centre of the Sun. This results in both day and night being of equal length (or ‘balanced’). The word ‘equinox’ itself translates from Latin as ‘equal night.’ After this date, the nights become longer than the days and we tend to stay huddled up indoors for longer.
In astrology terms, the equinox is a pretty big deal as it’s the start of a new phase, and time for the sign of Libra to take centre stage. Pagans too are big at this time of year, hosting a festival which they call Mabon Second Harvest. Some also refer to it as Pagan Thanksgiving.
Nell Regan of @rhythmsofplay says: “For the soul, the autumnal equinox is also a time of harvest.
“Celebrate autumn equinox, or Mabon, by harvesting your inner fruits of awareness and finding gratitude for the seeds that you have both reaped and sown… The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
So, if you’re not attending Mabon or hiking up to Stonehenge en-masse, then here are ways to celebrate the equinox right here in Cambridge:
Favourite equinox activities
1. Go for a walk through beautiful Brampton Wood and appreciate the turning orange and russet colours of the leaves.
2. Host a dinner party with plenty of pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie. Really get into the spirit by having an orange theme for your guests.
3. Take an arts and crafts course to help make seasonal décor for the forthcoming winter season, and Christmas.
4. Ward off evil by lighting a white candle on the eve of the Equinox. That way you and your loved ones will be fine for the rest of the year…
5. Forage for blackberries and sloe berries in the hedges and woods of Cambridge then return home with them to make gin and crumble.
6. Make yourself a delicious spiced pumpkin latte – or two.
7. Dig around for some conkers, dry them out, put a hole in them then thread some string through. Next, have a conker fight with your mates. Watch your knuckles though.
8. Visit a local harvest festival or even a local farm and start picking up pumpkins or other seasonal fruits and veg to make delicious soups etc.
9. Restore balance in your home by doing a huge clear out and clean (the type of thing you’d do in April with the spring equinox – only this time you’re getting ready for winter).
10. Make a gratitude list. We should all do this now and again – not just at the equinox to learn to appreciate what we have and become more content with life in general.