On the Central Coast where we live, work, and play, Sunday night was one of the most beautiful nights ever. There was a slight breeze, and the air smelled of leaves and earth. On top of everything, a majestic Harvest Moon rose huge and golden over the hills surrounding San Luis Obispo, and later, coyotes cried beneath it in the wee hours of the morning.
As per tradition, the Harvest Moon – aka the Wine Moon, Singing Moon, or Elk Calling Moon – is always the full moon closest to the date of the Autumn Equinox. We were curious why the Harvest Moon always appears to be so large and golden. Of course, Wikipedia helped us out (warning: heavy scientific language ahead!):
Often, the Harvest Moon seems to be bigger or brighter or more colorful than other full moons. The warm color of the Moon shortly after it rises is caused by light from the Moon passing through a greater amount of atmospheric particles than when the moon is overhead. The atmosphere scatters the bluish component of moonlight which is really reflected white light from the sun, but allows the reddish component of the light to travel a straighter path to one’s eyes. Hence all celestial bodies look reddish when they are low in the sky.
It appears larger in size because the brain perceives a low-hanging moon to be larger than one that’s high in the sky. This is known as a Moon illusion, and it can be seen with any full Moon. It can also be seen with constellations; in other words, a constellation viewed low in the sky will appear bigger than when it is high in the sky.
This year, Autumn Equinox will occur on September 23rd. If you’re anything like us, you don’t know the first thing about an equinox. Feel free to benefit from our small bit of research.
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth‘s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth’s equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name “equinox” is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.
While the technical reasons behind the Autumn Equinox are interesting, we’re more fascinated by different cultures’ approach to celebrating this day of change. For instance:
- the September equinox marks the first day of Mehr or Libra in the Iranian calendar. It is one of the Iranian festivals called Jashne Mihragan, or the festival of sharing or love in Zoroastrianism. This is one of the few pre-Islamic festivals that continues to be celebrated in Iran.
- In Korea, Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday celebrated around the Autumn Equinox.
- The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, oftentimes near the autumnal equinox day, and is an official holiday in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and in many countries with a significant Chinese minority. Traditions include eating mooncakes (a round pastry), matchmaking, carrying brightly lit lanterns, burning incense, and fire dragon dances.
- The traditional harvest festival in the United Kingdom was celebrated on the Sunday of the full moon closest to the September equinox.
- The September equinox was “New Year’s Day” in the French Republican Calendar, which was in use from 1793 to 1805. The French First Republic was proclaimed and the French monarchywas abolished on September 21, 1792, making the following day (the equinox day that year) the first day of the “Republican Era” in France.
Here on the Central Coast, we have our own ways of celebrating the season. Several wineries across the area invite the public for traditional “grape stomps,” such as Vina Robles Winery’s “Stomp Til’ You Drop” in Paso Robles and “The Great Grape Stomp” at Kalyra Winery in Santa Ynez. And for the sweetest old-timey harvest festival around, check out the Arroyo Grande Valley Harvest Festival, which is in its 74th year (!) and features the produce of 20 local farms as well as old-fashioned activities like three-legged races, a mustache and beard contest, a diaper derby race for babies, a chili cook-off, bake-off, and outdoor film screening.