It’s still hot in Montreal, and summer stretches into September – with, unfortunately, the wasps as well. Even though influencers and capitalist brands pretend we’re already deep into autumn, it’s still warm outside.
In the ancestral calendars (Mesopotamian, Celtic, Mayan) of the northern hemisphere, the year is always divided in two. The year is divided into light and dark seasons. The division is made twice a year, when the axis of the sun and earth create an equivalence between day and night. Twice a year, there is an equinox.
The autumn equinox, which occurs every year between September 21 and 24 in the northern hemisphere, is this year on September 22, 2025 in Montreal.
Equinox
The word “equinox” comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). It’s a day and a night, each lasting 12 hours. The light and dark hours are equal.
On the celestial side, it’s a time when the sun is perfectly aligned with the earth. Our planet’s axis of rotation is aligned with the sun without tilting to either side of the equator.
During the equinox, the northern and southern hemispheres receive the same amount of light – and the same amount of shadow.
There are two equinoxes a year, in autumn and spring. In 2025 (in the Northern Hemisphere), the autumn equinox is on September 22 and the spring equinox is on March 20.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the dates of the equinoxes are the same (obviously), but announce spring on September 22 and autumn on March 20.
Sunsets and dark days in Montreal
On September 22, the sun will set over Montreal at 6:51 pm. The last sunset after 7pm this year was on September 17, 2025 at 7:01pm.
Without despairing of the days getting shorter and shorter, we know that between the equinox and the winter solstice (the longest night of the year) on December 21, the sun will set earlier and earlier.
After the solstice, the days will get longer – but for now, we’re going to enjoy the dark season…
Celebrating the autumnal equinox and the return of the dark days
Throughout the world and across all cultures, the return of the dark days is celebrated with feasts and festivals that express gratitude for the last harvests of summer (apples, squash, corn).
Even today, Wiccans celebrate Mabon, thousands gather at Stonehenge at sunrise and people gather in the Yucatàn to see the visual effect of the “descent of the serpent” on the Mayan pyramid of Chichén Itzà.
Celebrating the autumn equinox in Montreal
To celebrate the autumn equinox, we’re embracing the dark side of Montreal.
