Is It Fall Yet???

 Some of my calendars say that Tuesday, September 22nd is the first day of fall, and others say the Autumnal Equinox doesn't arrive until Wednesday, September 23rd. Which is it???  So I looked it up online and this is what I discovered...The Farmer's Almanac says this:

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Fall Equinox 2026: When Is the First Day of Fall?

Quick Reference: Fall Equinox 2026First day of fall 2026: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 8:05 p.m. EDT (5:05 p.m. PDT, 00:05 UTC on September 23)
Also called: Autumnal equinox, September equinox
The rule: The Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south
What it means: Day and night sit roughly equal across the globe
Word origin: Latin aequus (equal) plus nox (night)
Next milestone: Winter solstice on Monday, December 21, 2026

When Is the Fall Equinox 2026?

The 2026 fall equinox lands on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 8:05 p.m. EDT. In other US and Canadian zones that is 7:05 p.m. CDT, 6:05 p.m. MDT, 5:05 p.m. PDT, 9:05 p.m. ADT (Atlantic Canada), and 2:05 p.m. HST. In Coordinated Universal Time the equinox falls at 00:05 UTC on Wednesday, September 23, which is why some international tables list the September equinox under the 23rd rather than the 22nd.

What Is UTC?

UTC—Coordinated Universal Time—is the 24-hour time standard used as a basis for civil time today. All time zones are defined by their offset from UTC. The offset is expressed as either UTC- or UTC+ and the number of hours and minutes.

Primarily, UTC is based on mean solar time at the prime meridian running through Greenwich, UK. For every 15 degrees of longitude east or west, mean solar time changes by 1 hour. Two time components are added together to translate mean solar time to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): International Atomic Time (TAI) measured by atomic clocks and Universal Time (UT1), the actual length of a day on Earth.

In theory, the UTC offsets countries use should reflect the local mean solar time. However, many time zone boundaries are distorted by geographical and political factors.

No Daylight Saving Time in UTC

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is not used for UTC as it is a time standard for all time zones.

So I hope this explains it for everyone! I know I was confused...but now I guess we can start celebrating the beginning of Fall today, and keep celebrating all night until tomorrow! LOL.  What do you do to celebrate the beginning of Autumn?  Well, maybe it's time for something made with pumpkins or apples or both... 

This was seen on Facebook, which started the conversation with my sister about what day was truly the beginning of Autumn...and now you know!

So, even though we are here in Florida where we still have to wait a while for those cool rainy days,  changing leaves and cozy evenings, we can pretend it's here while we sit inside our air conditioned houses and light some candles and sip our pumpkin latte's or hot apple cider while we eat pumpkin muffins or apple pies...

Enjoy!

1. Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:

Great is thy faithfulness,

Great is thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hast provided;

Great is thy faithfulness,

Lord unto me.

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain]

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside. [Refrain]

Great is thy faithfulness,

Great is thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hast provided;

Great is thy faithfulness,

Lord unto me.