The equinox sun marks the movement from summer to autumn or winter to spring, in March and September. Why is this event special in Malta?
With our modern technology, we have somewhat lost touch with the natural cycles of nature. We perceive the calendar through the concept of measured time. But those who came before us were much more in tune with the movements of our earth through space and the respective influences of the moon and the sun on our earth, as well as on ourselves. Back then, time was experienced in terms of the natural flux that comes with the change of the seasons.
What is the equinox?
The equinox marks the movement from summer to autumn or winter to spring, in March and September. During the equinox days, the sun shines directly on the equator and day and night are of equal duration. The autumn equinox augurs a time when days progressively become shorter and nights are longer, while the opposite is true for the spring or vernal equinox. In the northern hemisphere, we'll be experiencing the autumn equinox today, on the 22nd and tomorrow, the 23rd September 2018.
The symbolism of the equinox
So what’s the big deal about the equinox anyway? Well, our ancestors all over the world gave much importance to this change of light to darkness and darkness to light, symbolically and practically, both on a personal spiritual level and also in terms of the annual cycles of agriculture.
The inner world and the outer world
The autumn equinox is a period of increasing darkness and a time of inward journeying and self-nurture in preparation for spring, a little like seeds germinating in the darkness of the soil. The spring or vernal equinox augurs a time of budding life and vitality, as the period of light enters the annual sun cycle.
The megalithic temples of Malta
The ancient inhabitants of Malta have built some extraordinary structures to keep track of these occasions. Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and among the most ancient man-made free-standing structures existing in the world today, Mnajdra and Hagar Qim megalithic temples are verily 5,000-year-old seasonal calendars that are still precise to this day. They also mark the solstices, which are the longest and shortest days, in June and December respectively.
An extraordinary phenomena
People from all over the world flock to Stonehenge in Glastonbury, UK, for the special events of the Equinox. Lesser known is the gathering of people at the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples during this time to witness an extraordinary phenomena unseen anywhere else in the world. During an event by Heritage Malta with limited tickets available, people from all kinds of backgrounds and with various intentions - archaeologists, scientists, pagans and energy workers - are awestruck by an experience that the ancients have captured in an inconceivable way.
Learn more about the experience of the amazing equinox phenomena at the Mnajdra Temples in Malta. Book your space at the Heritage Malta autumnal equinox event and witness it for yourself. This is one of those things that must be experienced to be comprehended. So we’ll leave it at that.