A procession of druids celebrated the autumn equinox today with a service to mark the arrival of the harvest.
The equinox, which normally occurs between September 22 and 24, is a brief event when the sun passes over the equator, marking equal periods of day and night.
Members of the Druid Order believe this time to be the ‘start of the Druid year, when day and night are equal’.
On the day of the equinox the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun’s rays.
The Druid Order held their traditional annual ceremony, which dates back to 1792, today at 1pm in Primrose Hill, north west London, near Chalk Farm Tube station.
Members of the Druid Order take part in a ceremony to celebrate the autumn equinox on Primrose Hill in London today. Pictured: The ‘circle of companions’ with the cornucopia, containing organic apple cider, being handed to the Chief (left). One companion (second left) appears to film the ceremony on his mobile phone
The sword-bearer (far left) leads the procession up Primrose Hill. Druids believe the equinox, which normally falls between September 22 and 24, to be ‘the harvest festival, when the power of heaven is infused into the fruits of the earth’
At the end of the ceremony companions join together in a meditation. ‘You see the full reality, what you made of your dreams, projects and plans, the actual reality, the truth that gives understanding and wisdom’, the Druid Order website states.
This Tibetan horn ‘kicks off the proceedings’ when it is blown four times – four notes representing the four seasons
Susan Winter, a Scribe of the Druid Order, became involved with the philosophy in the early 1980s when she was a teenager.
She said: ‘We go to Primrose Hill every year for the autumn equinox and we are at the top of the hill at midday, which is 1pm.
‘We head off up the hill in procession at about 12:45 and we have a ceremony at the top of the hill which lasts about an hour.
‘We get robed up in white robes, which is traditional for us, and we go up to the top of the hill and then we make a circle of companions and then we invite Ceridwen, in her representation of the Earth Mother, into the circle because this is the harvest time of year.
‘The Lady, Ceridwen, approaches the Chief and we welcome her into the circle and then we give thanks for the harvest.
‘Someone called the Presider goes around the circle and pours cider round to give thanks to the harvest.
‘The lady then gives a basket of fruit to the Presider and he goes round and places the fruit on the ground.
‘Then we have a talk and a meditation about the theme of the harvest and then we call for peace to the four quarters.
‘Then we have a druid prayer and then that’s about it.’
The role of Ceridwen, a Celtic representation of the Earth Mother, varies every year. She is accompanied by two maids who carry the baskets of fruit.
Initiated members of the Order, which accepts people of all religions and no religion, refer to each other as ‘companions’
The group has gone by many names, including The Ancient Druid Order and An Druidh Uileach Braithreachas
Modern druidry started in 1717 but its roots can be traced back to the megalithic stone-builders in the UK
Julius Caesar described druids during his governorship of Gaul (modern day France): ‘Any individual or community that refuses to abide by their decision is excluded from the sacrifices, which is held to be the most serious punishment possible’
Caesar goes on to say that the Druid religion was founded in Britain, and any faithful student travels to the island to learn. Pictured: The Presider (with cornucopia) offering organic cider to the companions to give thanks to the harvest
‘There’s a heritage of Druidry which can be traced back to the megalithic stone-builders in the UK but modern Druidry traces from 1717,’ Ms Winter said.
‘Last year we celebrated 300 years of druids coming out into the upon.
‘It was the age of the Enlightenment, and it was possible in 1717 to hold druid meetings in public, so that was the first time that Druid meetings became celebrated in public.’
The event was called the Founding of the Mother Grove, hosted at the Apple Tree Tavern during the autumn equinox of 1717.
‘Our Druid order traces its heritage back to that time with the Mother Grove,’ Ms Winter said.
‘In 1792 was the first recorded ceremony in Primrose Hill for the autumn equinox.’
The Druid Order owns a house in south London where companions discuss philosophy and self-improvement
‘The interest in Druidism is very much growing at the moment, we’re getting a lot of new inquiries, a lot of new members, it does seem to be providing something for the current time,’ said Susan Winter, Scribe of the Druid Order
The organisation owns a house in south London which hosts weekly classes where people discuss philosophy and religion.
‘We don’t call ourselves a religion we call ourselves a philosophical educational group, we study meditation we study different forms of self-development,’ Ms Winter said.
‘We have lots of people from lots of different religions as part of our group; we call ourselves universalist, so we are welcome to people of any religion or no religion.
‘We have Christians, we have a Vicar as one of our members, for example.’
‘The interest in Druidism is very much growing at the moment, we’re getting a lot of new inquiries, a lot of new members, it does seem to be providing something for the current time.
‘I think that people are really dissatisfied with a sort of materialist, consumerist society – we’ve reached peak stuff, people are looking for something a little more satisfying in life.
‘An organisation that does base itself on the cycles of nature, people are thinking could offer a solution to the environmental problems that are surrounding us as well.’
What is the autumn equinox?
Tourists shelter under umbrellas as rain falls in central London on Saturday in the wake of Storm Bronagh. The weather is expected to brighten up this week
The autumn equinox falls on Sunday September 23 this year and marks the day when day and night are roughly equal length.
It is only a brief event as the sun passes over the earth’s equator and the date is not set in stone due to the earth’s irregular orbit around the sun- it normally occurs between September 22 and September 24.
As the Earth barrels through the solar system around the sun it is tilted towards or away from the sun, giving us our seasons.
But on the day of the equinox the earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun’s rays, giving an equal amount of day and night.
You might be thinking that autumn has already started. This is because meteorologists use September 1 as marking the first day of autumn.
The reason for this is it makes it easier to compare seasons and monthly statistics.