When Is The First Day Of Fall 2020? Events In Vienna

Emily Leayman
·5 min read

Perhaps you’ve seen the meme on social media about when the fall begins. The 2020 punch line: "I thought you were talking was about the fall of civilization until I realized you meant autumn."

Fall is coming in Vienna, and even in the middle of a pandemic, there are plenty of things you can do to celebrate the season, which begins on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The fall equinox officially ushers in the new season and its promise of crisp air, show-stopping leaf displays, and cool evenings just perfect for sitting around a fire pit and spinning stories about previous fall days spent at football stadiums and fall festivals.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of our fall rituals. Football season is underway for professional teams and many colleges, but many of the stadiums are empty. High school sports aren't slated to begin until December.

Still, fall is approaching, and no one wants to miss a chance to play in the sunshine before the cold of winter creeps in — the winter solstice is Monday, Dec. 21, if you’re keeping track on the calendar.

Until then, here are a few fall activities in Vienna:

  • Vienna Halloween Parade: In place of the regular parade, the town is planning a wave parade with 10 to 15 floats visiting Vienna neighborhoods. Residents are encouraged to wear costumes and practice social distancing.

  • Halloween in a Bag: As an alternative to the canceled Halloween on the Green, the town is offering Halloween in a Bag for spooky fun at home. Each bag will have supplies for two kids, including a DIY superhero or princess cape kit, two pie size pumpkins from Merrifield Garden Center, a pumpkin decorating kit, Halloween candy and treats, spooky crafts, recipes and activities and more. The deadline to order is Oct. 9. Residents can also donate a bag to a family in need by emailing halloweeninabag@viennava.gov or calling 703-255-6360.

  • Visit DePaul's Urban Farm: Pick up a pumpkin and other seasonal items at this nursery and farm market. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Wolf Trap streaming performances: Check out the ongoing streaming performances from Wolf Trap. From Park Pop-Ups by local performers to performances from Wolf Trap Opera, there's plenty to check out.

  • Vienna Turkey Trot: The Thanksgiving event is going virtual this year. Stay tuned for details.

The autumnal equinox isn’t a daylong event but rather occurs at the exact moment the sun crosses the celestial equator — that’s at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

We’re also coming up on the end of Daylight Saving Time, which officially ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, but that’s a while off. Yes, darkness will fall earlier in the evening. But that also means you won’t have to stay up all night to see a half-dozen fall and winter meteor showers.

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The word equinox comes from the Latin words "aequus," which means "equal," and "nox," which means night. That’s led to the perception that everyone worldwide sees the same amount of daylight and nighttime, but it’s not the absolute truth. To be precise, daylight lasts about eight minutes longer than nighttime on the day of the equinox.

Here are five other things to know about the September equinox:

1. There’s no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning aurora borealis displays increase after the fall equinox, according to NASA. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average.

2. The date of the September equinox varies. Usually, it’s on the 22nd, as it is this year, or the 23rd, but it can occur as early as Sept. 21 or as late as Sept. 24.

A Sept. 21 autumnal equinox hasn’t occurred in several millennia, but some folks alive today may see it the next couple of times it rolls around, in 2092 and then again four years later in 2096. And the first day of fall hasn’t fallen on Sept. 24 since 1931, and that won’t happen again until 2303.

Here’s the reason: A year is defined as 365 days by the Gregorian calendar, but it takes the Earth 365-¼ days to orbit the sun. What this means is the autumnal equinox occurs about six hours later than it did the year prior, which eventually moves the date by a day.

3. Thank Canada for spectacular fall sunsets with more vivid pinks, reds and oranges than at any other time of the year. The Weather Channel offers an explanation: As dry, clean Canadian air begins to sweep across the country, fewer colors of the rainbow spectrum are scattered by air molecules. That means the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks make it through for your sunset-viewing pleasure.

4. No matter where you are in the world, the sun will rise due east and set due west during the fall equinox (the same thing happens during the spring equinox). For the directionally challenged, it’s a good time for a reset. Go outside around sunset or sunrise, find a landmark and mark the sun’s location in relation to it.

5. Fall isn’t just a time for the human world to start buttoning things up outside. It’s rutting — or mating — season for deer, elk and moose, and males will battle it out by thrusting their antlers together until one of them gives up or dies.

Swans, geese and ducks begin their migration south. Frogs burrow deep into mud holes to wait out the winter. Chipmunks retreat to their underground tunnels. Bears eat and drink almost nonstop as they prepare for hibernation.

This article originally appeared on the Vienna Patch