The Earth circles her dance around the Sun on a tilted axis. The seasons of the year are created by the tilt of the Earths axis and exposure to the flow of energy from the Sun. The Earth is rotating like a top, the South pole pointing towards a point in space signified by the Southern Cross constellation. So, during half the year the Southern Hemisphere is more exposed to the Sun than the Northern Hemisphere, whilst during the rest of the year the reverse is true. Hence the opposite seasons in the hemispheres.
The Autumn Equinox means sunlight is waning, day and night are of equal length. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. At the Spring equinox, daily sunlight is waxing, day and night are of equal length. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year.
Old Celtic calendars observed 'Cross quarters' approximately midway between each adjacent pair of equinox and solstice days. Unlike modern calendars that define the start of the seasons on a solstice or equinox, the Celts percieved solstices and equinoxes as events occuring midseasons, with the seasons beginning and ending on the cross quarters.
Thus the Cross quarters in the Southern Hemisphere are Lammas (the beginning of Autumn) February 2nd, Samhain (the beginning of Winter) April 30th/ May 1, Imbolg (the beginning of Spring) August 1, and Beltane (the beginning of Summer) October 31st. The solstices and equinoxes Mabon (Autumn equinox) March 21st, Yule (Winter solstice) June 21st, Ostara ( Spring equinox) September 21st, and Litha (Summer solstices) December 21st.
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