Heritage Malta (HM) is organising two special tours on the occasion of the autumn equinox at Mnajdra on the mornings of 22 and 23 September in order to mark the autumn equinox. Visitors will experience the equinox during a guided tour of both the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Temples.
“Autumnal equinox”, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica says, happens when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day-time and night-time are of equal length. Usually, the September equinox happens anytime on 21-24 September, due to the differences between the tropical and the calendar year. The spring equinox — or vernal equinox as the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry calls it — falls around 20-21 March.
A bit more than one month after the autumn equinox, on 27 October, the daylight saving time ends, which means that clocks are set back one hour at 3:00 am to 2:00 am. The resetting of the clocks, currently, happens twice a year. Although the European Union is drifting towards scrapping the DST and the majority of the Maltese public appears to be in favour of keeping to permanent summertime, it is still uncertain whether this very tradition will come to an end.
Due to the size of the venue, the tickets available for the HM tours are limited and the cost is €25 on online orders or on-site, while HM members only need to pay €15.