The September equinox is the longest day of the year for people in the Northern Hemisphere.
Today’s Google Doodle is about the autumnal equinox; represented by an assortment of harvest vegetables and a squirrel. Equinox means “equal night” and is used to refer to the day upon which the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the Sun’s rays. Many people view the day on which this falls as the first day of autumn however, because the Southern Hemisphere has seasons that run opposite to the Northern Hemisphere, this could be also be viewed as the first day of spring depending on where you are in the world.
A druid recites an incantation during the winter solstice at Stonehenge on Salisbury plain in southern England December 22, 2010. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.
Druids are one of the oldest sects in the UK and one of the few native religions.
There are a huge number of different cultures and religion that place importance upon this date and there will be thousands of people celebrating festivals and holidays around the world today. Among other places, Stonehenge will be one of the biggest hotbeds for these revellers with the Sun lining up perfectly with the neolithic feature for, as yet, unknown reasons…
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