Autumn Equinox and the Jewish New Year September 22nd

Autumn Equinox.

This is the second day of the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west. When the day and night are of equal length.  It is the beginning of the astronomical autumn.  It is determined by the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s rotation in relation to the orbit around the Sun.

In the Jewish Calendar, and the French Revolutionary Calendars it marks the new year. Many cultures preferred spring. But autumn is the end of harvest, when seeds are sown and the food stores are full of food. Similarly, the Celts started their new year at Halloween, half way between the equinox and the solstice.

For more about autumn, look at my post here. For my post on the Spring Equinox, see here. For the Celtic New Year see this post here and for the French Revolutionary Calendar, my post is here.

Rosh Hashanah, September 22nd to 25th.

Rosh Hashanah is the New Year in Judaism. There are other new years in the Jewish calendar.  But this is for the Civil Year and to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Adam.

The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah. One of the High Holy Days, as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25. Like most New Years it is a time to reflect on life and put in place changes. It is after all a celebration of the beginning of the world.

Here is an excellent BBC web site which will tell you more.

First Published on September 22nd 2025