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Page 3 • Tuesday, September 22, 1998
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-Dr. D. Bruce Dickson,
professor of anthropolosy
BY MARIUM MOHIUDDIN
The Battalion
T he Autumnal Equinox marks
the death of the pagan god and
a celebration of the cyclical
year beginning again.
This is the belief many pagan re
ligions hold for this holiday. The
equiniox is a symbol of the change
of the season and the beginning of
the year
The god is associated with the
sun, and the goddess is associated
with the moon. Winter is when the
god is born from the goddess.
From February through the
spring it is growing and maturing.
On May 1, he marries her and they
mate. This is when May solstice is
celebrated. The god is at his might
iest at this time.
Aug. 1 is the time of harvest. He
is preparing to die and go to the un
derworld. The autumn equinox is
the death of the god and an
nouncement of winter. In the win
ter the goddess gives birth to the
god and the cycle repeats.
Carrisa Brown, president of the
Pagan Student Association and a
senior animal science major, said
there are many theories about the
birth of this holiday.
“Some scholars say Celts were
interested in astronomy, and they
may have known what was hap
pening with the sun and the
moon,” she said. “They began cel
ebrating this time because it was a
change in their season.”
Dr. D. Bruce Dickson, professor
of anthropology, said the origins of
the celebration of the autumnal
equinox may have begun with the
Celtic or Druid religions and their
interest in tracking the movement
of the heavens.
“There is a close connection be
tween astronomy and the passage
of time,” he said. “People began
keeping track of the celestial bod
ies because of the relationship be
tween agriculture events and the
movement of animals and plants.”
Dr. George Kattawar, a physics
professor, said there are many reli
gious explanations for this event
but the scientific definition for the
autumnal equinox is the seasonal
change of the year.
“It is the point on the celestial
sphere where the sun crosses the
celestial equator going south
ward,” he said. “Also, when the
sun reaches this point, autumn be
gins in the Northern Hemisphere.”
The autumnal equinox marks
the beginning of the major harvest
time and the end of the pagan year.
It is the end of the summer and
the beginning of the fall.
Brown said pagans are aware of
the importance of nature and life.
“Our roots are with the people
who lived with the land. It is a con
nection with nature and the world
outside the city,” she said. “Be
cause of this, the ceremonies and
rituals are based around nature
and harvest.”
Brown said many religions fall
under the category of paganism. Not
all observe the Autumnal Equinox.
Graphic By Robert Hynecek/The Battalion
However, those who do, cele
brate with a gift from nature.
“Some students make fresh
loaves of bread,” she said. “They
use some kind of grain product,
fruits, vegetable or meat. They use
the things they would be harvesting.
“They may give a gift of meat
because the farmers begin to
slaughter their animals as prepara
tion for the winter.”
Brown said many take this time
to contemplate nature.
“Many modern day pagans live
in big cities,” she said. “So the
equinox marks a time for us to
think about nature and to get back
to our roots.
“It is a time for us to plan
ahead for the fall season. Nature
and life are important for all pa
gans and the autumnal equinox is
another mark of the cycle of life
and death.”
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