Autumnal equinox 2021: Google Doodle celebrates the beginning of fall
Wednesday’s Google Doodle celebrates the beginning of the fall season with a
trotting porcupine-like creature, its quills stuck in colorful foliage.
If you click on the doodle, a smattering of digital leaves falls down your screen over
the Google search results for “Autumn Season.”
“We wanted to celebrate the first day of fall for the Northern Hemisphere with a
cute prickly critter that would be recognized in different parts of the world,” says
Google spokesperson Colette Garcia in a statement emailed to USA TODAY.
While the start of autumn might be synonymous with falling leaves and the return
of the pumpkin spice latte to coffee shop menus, the autumnal equinox officially
starts in the Northern Hemisphere when the length of day is equal to the length of
night. The word equinox comes from the Latin words “aequalis” and “nox,”
meaning equal night. It typically starts on Sept. 22 or 23.
