5 ways to welcome the Autumn Equinox

and live the best out of this season

Fall is that time of the year when Mother Nature puts up her magical dress made of warm colors, spicy scents and flavors. It’s also the moment when the temperatures start to drop, and the days get shorter. Mornings are misty and foggy, and nights are cold and dark. Every year the Autumn Equinox falls on one of the three days towards the end of September, usually between the 21st and the 24th. This year it’s happening on September 23rd during the first hours of the morning. But what does that exactly mean?

The Autumn Equinox day is the day when the Sun passes over the Earth’s Equator. It happens twice a year, once during March for the Spring Equinox, and once during September for the Autumn Equinox. As specified on the NASA website “Equinox means "equal night" in Latin, capturing the idea that daytime and nighttime are equal lengths everywhere on the planet. That is true of the Sun's presence above the horizon, though it does not account for twilight, when the Sun's rays extend from beyond the horizon to illuminate our gas-filled atmosphere.”

So, it’s the day when daytime and nighttime have the same length, and in the case of tomorrow’s Equinox, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of a new Spring. But if you are in the Northern Hemisphere like me, Fall is officially here! Leaves are changing color, the weather is getting colder and everything smells like pumpkin spice.

Here's a list of 5 suggestions to spend this day and celebrate the beginning of Autumn.

1. Decorate your home

Take this day as an opportunity to turn your home into a Fall haven. You can choose to decorate your entire house, one or two rooms or even just a tiny spot, like a shelf, a mantelpiece or a coffee table. Light some scented candles, sprinkle some fake leaves all over, hang a Fall garland. You can even use real fruits and vegetables: get a nice rustic basket and fill it with pumpkins, chestnuts, mushrooms, apples, herbs and spices and place it in your kitchen. Switch your usual curtains, pillow cases and blankets with some new one: choose colors such as burgundy, mustard yellow, dark green and orange to create a cozy Fall atmosphere. Use candles to bring more lights in your home as the days will start to get shorter from now on. My personal favorites when it comes to Fall decorations are candles, fake leaves and pumpkins and fairy lights. I love to be surrounded by things that make me feel cozy and relaxed: every evening, during the Fall season, I light a minimum of four candles in my bedroom and the string of lights that I hung on my bed. I like to keep my candle jars where I can see them, usually next to some fake little pumpkins or candle holders.

2. Fall is usually the time of the year when we prefer to spend much more time indoor instead of choosing some outdoor activities like during the Summer time. Take the Autumn Equinox day as a day of meditation for your body and mind: spend as much time as you can outside, walk and observe how the world around you is changing. Meditate on what you have achieved and learnt during the last months, be proud of your success but don’t stress over your failures: take this time to plan your next activities and to be positive about your future goals. Be grateful to yourself and to the people around you for the time you have dedicated to each other and start planning some funny ideas to spend more time together during Fall. I love having a nice walk throughout the year, but I think the best time is when it’s colder outside. To me the Autumn Equinox day means I can go out early in the morning and feel the freshness of a new season, of a new adventure. I think walking can be so relaxing, especially if you have a nice park, or a forest or any other nature spot where you can go and enjoy some time away from everything.

3. Prepare an autumnal meal

Fall has a huge variety of flavors and what could be better to celebrate this special day than spend some time in the kitchen to prepare a lovely meal that smells like Autumn? Pick your favorite fall vegetables, fruits and spices like pumpkins, apples, chestnuts, cinnamon, pears, grape, mushrooms and get creative! You can invite your friends and family at your place, set a nice cozy atmosphere with candles, decor your table with Fall inspired cloth, napkins, glasses and place cards and enjoy a comforting autumnal meal together. I love baking. Every year on the first day of Autumn I use to bake one of my favorite treat, cinnamon rolls and pumpkin spice muffins or cupcakes. I also like to make a special dinner for my family, like pumpkin pasta, baked potatoes with melted cheese or a soup.

4. Have a pamper night

Autumn means the colder months are coming and it’s important to prepare our body and mind for this particular time of the year. Take this day all for yourself, for the things you enjoy the most and to take care of yourself. Have a nice relaxing bath, use your favorite products, make yourself a lovely dinner and dedicate some time to your favorite activities like reading, watching a movie, painting, anything that makes you feel calm and relaxed. Wear your favorite pj, have a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate and enjoy the time your spending with yourself. Restoring the body with a pamper session is one of my favorite things to do when the temperatures start to get colder and I feel the need to treat myself a little bit more. My first step is to create a cozy atmosphere in my bedroom with candles and fairy lights. Having a shower in the evening is super relaxing, especially because I like to take my time to scrub my body, shave, have a hair mask. After the shower I love to dedicate some time to my skincare routine and I would usually exfoliate, have a sheet mask then serum and cream. My perfect pamper night would end up snuggling in bed with my cats, a hot cup of chamomile and a good movie. The best way to get ready for the months to come.

5. Start a new project

Every season represents a new beginning for the world. You can take the Autumn Equinox as a day to start something new that you have never done before or something that you have planned for so long but never had the opportunity or the time to start. It might be a sport, a new hobby, a diary or bullet journal or even just a list of things you want to have ready for Winter or for the new year. Take your time, make a breath and give yourself the chance to learn and improve yourself with a new journey, even if it’s a small thing. Enjoy your new project in any aspect of it, have fun and don’t stress over it! Remember to give things the right time and results will come by themselves and even if they don’t, be kind to yourself and appreciate your achievements. I decided to start a new recipe book tomorrow, with more details and just more organized in general. My handwriting sucks, but I don’t want to worry about it. My only purpose is to enjoy the time I’m going to spend writing and organizing all my recipes and maybe remember that day when I baked those delicious Fall treats last year.