Mythological and religious representations view the transition from day to night not merely as a change between periods of light and darkness, but as an expression of a profound metaphysical dualism: light and dark, complete and incomplete, which symbolically conveys the processes of creative act and divine ordering of existence.

Transitional Dualities: The Metaphysics of Day and Night

Mythological and religious representations view the transition from day to night not merely as a change between periods of light and darkness, but as an expression of a profound metaphysical dualism: light and dark, complete and incomplete, which symbolically conveys the processes of creative act and divine ordering of existence.

Firstly, according to one source, the very concepts of “day” and “night” are originally perceived as images indicating the eternal conflict between light and darkness. It is stated that “in the beginning, it was granted to the human spirit—in the form of day and night. ‘Day’—the time when the sun rises and shines—certainly overcomes the darkness of night, but night eventually returns and replaces day. (...) And thus began the first day of creation...” (source: link txt). This approach emphasizes that the division between light and darkness is a fundamental beginning of order, wherein the incompleteness of light (night) is already inherent in its very nature.

Furthermore, another source touches upon the moment of transition by describing how “evening and morning”—states in which light manifests only partially—precede the full brilliance of the day. It is noted: “In this reference to evening and morning, i.e., to the phenomenon of incomplete light, which always comes before the day and always concludes it, there is a deep mystical intuition (...) Only the night finds no place in this succession of creative moments, because the night is precisely what is overcome by the creative act and is therefore negated by it...” (source: link txt). This suggests that transitional moments—twilight, when the light is neither sufficiently bright nor clear-cut—symbolize incompleteness, a harbinger of change, where the divine act of creation gradually asserts its forms.

Alongside this, within religious consciousness night is imbued with duality: it is perceived as a time when there is not only an absence of complete light but also a hint of the presence of a deeper, hidden divine plan. For example, in discussions of the Christian understanding of night it is stated: “And the scattered stars in the sky, twinkling on high, hint to us at the divine solar design for the world—still unrevealed in our reality, yet infinitely exalted above it—which transforms night into day…” (source: link txt). Thus, the incomplete light that appears at twilight becomes a symbol of a constant, yet not final, creative process, in which the ultimate unity of light is yet to be fully established.

In summary, mythological and religious representations depict the transition from day to night through images in which light is not absolutely complete, but passes through states of twilight that demonstrate a dynamic struggle with darkness. This symbolism culminates in the idea of creation, where the incomplete light of evening and morning signifies an intermediate stage on the path toward the ultimate order established at the very beginning of creation.

Supporting citation(s):
"Precisely, if we were to begin from the understanding of modern physics, according to which darkness is nothing more than the absence of light, then the words of the evangelist indicating the struggle between light and darkness would seem to us simply meaningless. But we must not forget that we are dealing not with physics, but with mysterious metaphysics, only symbolized in the concepts of ‘light’ and ‘darkness.’ More precisely, we are not dealing with concepts, but with images of ‘light’ and ‘darkness,’ providing a visual hint to the abstract, unfathomable mystery of existence. The image of light and darkness was given to us directly—and originally granted to the human spirit—in the form of day and night. ‘Day’—the time when the sun rises and shines—certainly overcomes the darkness of night, but night eventually returns and replaces day. When God first created ‘light’—according to the Book of Genesis, this was the first creative act of God after the general creation of ‘the heavens and the earth,’ the first act of ordering the cosmic existence—then instead of a ‘desolate and waterless earth,’ in which there was ‘darkness over the abyss,’ the first form of existence that appeared was the duality between light and darkness. ‘God separated the light from the darkness, and called the light Day, and the darkness Night’ (Gen. 1:4–5). And with this, the first day of creation began, and this relationship continues to this day and will persist until the end of the world." (source: link txt)

"And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day; the third day, and so on. In this indication of evening and morning, i.e., the phenomenon of incomplete light, which always precedes and concludes the day, there is a deep mystical intuition. Regardless of the creative act in question—whether it is the creation of the luminaries, the earth, or the creatures living on earth—all those same light moments are inevitably repeated: first, the incomplete light bordering on night (evening, morning), and then the full daytime radiance. Only the night does not find its place in this sequence of creative moments, for the night is exactly what is overcome by the creative act and thereby negated by it. There is only the indication of the action of light, which, entering into darkness, at first seems diminished (evening, morning), and then triumphs (day). (...)" (source: link txt)