The Fall Harvest

   Mark your Calendars! According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, autumn begins on September 22 at 11:09 PM EDT;   it’s just about official, summer 2010 is over. The Autumnal equinox is coming, and you can feel it in the onset of that brisk autumn air, as well as with the number of home sales hitting the streets!

 September marks the official kick-off of the fall real estate market, and in Richmond, Virginia we are beginning to see the signs of the new housing inventory offering purchasers and sellers a second chance to reap the benefits of the second gathering. Like the change of seasons influencing harvest time, these annual cycles also influence home sales. September, October and into November is the second hottest time of year to buy and sell following the robust and often frenzied spring housing market.

 Historically, the Autumnal Equinox becomes synonymous with not only the completion of the harvest, but also the end of summer. The full moon associated with the fall equinox is known as the Harvest Moon and sometimes as the “Wine Moon” because this is also the time of year when grapes are harvested and the process of making wine begins. In past times, many farmers would harvest their crops by the full moon, using the light from the moon to extend their gathering time. This final gathering of the crops and the beginning of preparations for the long winter that lay ahead marked a time of thanksgiving for all that Nature has given her children and for the completion of another turn of the Great Wheel of life. Although the Autumnal Equinox falls in September and not November, the connection to the harvest and the fall highlight similarities to our modern Thanksgiving.

 If is interesting to see how these seasonal cycles are often mirrored in our modern lives. The change of seasons that influence our life styles and purchasing trends today are somewhat similar to the way we all used to live when the change of seasons actually dictated how we live. It makes one wonder if the two are somehow linked?

For more info about the Autumnal Equinox:   The time of year when night and day are of equal length in all parts of the Earth is known as the “equinox”. The word equinox comes from a Latin words meaning “equal night.” Autumnal equinox is the beginning of autumn. It occurs on September 22nd or 23rd.

  If you are interested in exploring more, here are some sites with more detailed explanations of the equinox:

 http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/AutumnalEquinox.html

 http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-autumnal-equinox-of-2010

 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/equinox1.html

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