The December solstice happens at the same instant for everyone, everywhere on Earth – and this year the winter solstice occurs on Monday December 21, at 10:02 GMT in the Northern Hemisphere.

The winter solstice happens every year when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.4 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.

The Sun is directly overhead of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere during the December solstice and is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year, meaning shorter days and longer nights.

The shortest day of the year lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds in London, which is over 9 hours shorter than the June Solstice. As such, Monday December 21 will be the longest night of the year.

The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true. Dawn comes early, and dusk comes late. The sun is high and the shortest noontime shadow of the year happens there. In the Southern Hemisphere, people will experience their longest day and shortest night.

Sunset at Stonehenge, just after the winter solstice CREDIT: MOMENT RF/GAIL JOHNSON

Does the winter solstice always fall on December 22nd?

While it more often than not falls on December 21 or 22, the exact time of the solstice varies each year. In the Northern hemisphere the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, because it is tilted away from the sun, and receives the least amount of sunlight on that day.

However, the earliest sunset does not occur on the solstice, because of the slight discrepancy between 'solar time' and the clocks we use.

The shortest day of the year often falls on December 21, but the modern calendar of 365 days a year - with an extra day every four years - does not correspond exactly to the solar year of 365.2422 days.

The solstice can happen on December 20, 21, 22 or 23, though December 20 or 23 solstices are rare.

The last December 23 solstice was in 1903 and will not happen again until 2303.

Read more: What a Covid Christmas will look like in 2020

What does 'solstice' mean?

The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'Sun standing still'. On this day the Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction as it reaches its southernmost position as seen from the Earth.

Some prefer the more teutonic term 'sunturn' to describe the event.


Is the solstice the first day of winter?

The answer might vary depending on who you ask. There are two types of winter: astronomical and meteorological.

This year, astronomical winter begins on December 21, with the winter solstice, and ends on March 20 2021. Meteorological winter always begins on December 1 and ends on February 28 (February 29 during leap years).

While astronomical winters are determined by the Earth's orbit around the sun, meteorological winters are the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures.

The Met Office tend to use the meteorological definition of the seasons.

Stonehenge and the solstice

Scores arrive at the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire to mark the occasion. Why is the site so important?

Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset (opposed to New Grange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise, and the Goseck circle, which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise).

Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC and it is thought that the winter solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge than the summer solstice.

Druids and other worshippers celebrate the winter solstice at Stonehenge every year

 CREDIT: HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS

The winter solstice was a time when cattle were slaughtered (so the animals would not have to be fed during the winter) and the majority of wine and beer was finally fermented.

The only other megalithic monuments in the British Isles which clearly align with the sun are Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland and Maeshowe situated on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.

You can also see the solstice sunrise around the world; this website shows the streets in cities around the world where you can get a clear view of the sun rising on the morning of the solstice.
How is the solstice being celebrated at Stonehenge this year?

In the pagan and druid communities, they celebrate the first sunrise after the astronomical event - and English Heritage time their official event in line with this.

This year, celebrations at Stonehenge fall on Monday December 21, with the sun rising at 6:52am if it still goes ahead. A spokesperson for Stonehenge said: "This year we haven’t been able to host the usual gatherings for summer solstice and the equinoxes at Stonehenge because of the Coronavirus pandemic. As we approach the winter solstice we are keeping the situation under review and will make a decision informed by the latest advice from Government and local partners nearer the time."

In 2009, a crowd wearing traditional costume, met at Stonehenge on December 21 morning to mark the rising of the sun on the shortest day of the year. But unfortunately their calculations were slightly out meaning they had in fact arrived 24 hours prematurely.

The '09 solstice fell at exactly 5:47pm that day, and because the sun had already set, the official celebrations were due to take place at sunrise the next day.

English Heritage, who manage the ancient site in Wiltshire, decided to open the gates anyway and welcome those who had made a miscalculation.

A spokesman for English Heritage said at the time: "About 300 people turned up a day early. We took pity on them and opened the stone circle so they could celebrate anyway. They were a day early but no doubt had a wonderful time as well.

Arthur Pendragon poses as Druids, pagans and revellers gather in the centre of Stonehenge, hoping to see the sun rise, as they take part in a winter solstice ceremony 

CREDIT: CREDIT: MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGES

"People always assume that because the summer solstice is the June 21, the winter solstice will be December 21. They should always check because it does change."

Pagan leader Arthur Pendragon said: "It is the most important day of the year for us because it welcomes in the new sun.

"There were hundreds of people there. If we'd celebrated on the 21st it would have been the right day but the wrong sun – when the whole point of the occasion is about welcoming in the new sun."
Why isn’t the earliest sunset on the year’s shortest day?

Solar noon - the time midway between sunrise and sunset - is when the sun reaches its highest point for the day, but the exact time of solar noon, as measured by Earth’s spin, shifts.

A clock ticks off exactly 24 hours from one noon to the next but actual days – as measured by the spin of the Earth – are rarely exactly 24 hours long.

If the Earth’s spin is measured from one solar noon to the next, then one finds that around the time of the December solstice, the time period between consecutive solar noons is actually 30 seconds longer than 24 hours.

Therefore two weeks before the solstice, for example – the sun reaches its 'noontime' position at 11:52am local standard time.

Two weeks later - on the winter solstice – the sun reached that noontime position at 11:59am - seven minutes later.

The later clock time for solar noon also means a later clock time for sunrise and sunset. The result? Earlier sunsets before the winter solstice and increasingly later sunrises for a few weeks after the winter solstice.

The exact date of earliest sunset varies with latitude but the sequence is always the same.

For the Northern Hemisphere the earliest sunset occurs in early December and the latest sunrise happens in early January. This year the earliest sunset is on December 12 and the latest sunrise for next year on January 4 2021. 

Solstice celebrations around the world

The December solstice marks the 'turning of the Sun' as the days slowly get longer. Celebrations of the lighter days to come have been common throughout history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the December solstice celebrated by cultures across the globe.

Saturnalia

The winter solstice festival Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days in Ancient Rome.

These Saturnalian banquets were held from as far back as around 217 BC to honour Saturn, the father of the gods.

The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms.

The festival was characterised as a free-for-all when all discipline and orderly behaviour was ignored.

Wars were interrupted or postponed, gambling was permitted, slaves were served by their masters and all grudges and quarrels were forgotten.

Saturnalia by Antoine-Francois Callet (1741-1823) Musée du Louvre


It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations).

The Saturnalia would degenerate into a week-long orgy of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the term 'saturnalia', meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry. A mock 'king' was even chosen from a group of slaves or convicts and was allowed to behave as he pleased for seven days (until his eventual ritual execution).

The poet Catullus considered it to be "the best of days."

Yalda

Yalda or Shab-e Chelleh ('night of forty') is an Iranian festival celebrated on the "longest and darkest night of the year," i.e. the night of the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice.

Every year, on the date of the Winter solstice, Iranians celebrate the arrival of winter, the renewal of the sun and the victory of light over darkness on Yalda Night.

Ancient Iranians believed that the dawning of each year is marked with the re-emergence or rebirth of the sun, an event which falls on the first day of the month of Dey in the Iranian calendar (December 21).

On this day, the sun was salvaged from the claws of the devil, which is represented by darkness, and gradually spread its rays all over the world to symbolise the triumph of good over evil. Family members get together (most often in the house of the eldest member) and stay awake all night long in Yalda.

Pomegranate, watermelon and dried nuts are served as a tradition and classic poetry and old mythologies are read in the gathering.

It is believed that eating watermelons on the night of Chelleh will ensure the health and well-being of the individual during the months of summer by protecting him from falling victim to excessive heat or disease.

In Khorasan, there is a belief that whoever eats carrots, pears, pomegranates, and green olives will be protected against the harmful bite of insects, especially scorpions. Eating garlic on this night protects one against pains in the joints.

Getting a ‘Hafez reading’ from the book of great Persian poet Shamsu d-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi is also practiced.

Another custom performed in certain parts of Iran on the night of Chelleh involves young engaged couples. The men send an edible arrangement containing seven kinds of fruits and a variety of gifts to their fiancees on this night.

In some areas, the girl and her family return the favour by sending gifts back for the young man.

Antlers and fancy dress: Stonehenge welcomes 8,000 visitors for summer solstice



STONEHENGE, England (AP) — All hail the rising sun.

Around 8,000 revellers gathered around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun.

Druids, pagans, hippies, local residents and tourists, many clad in an array of colorful costumes and even antlers, stayed and celebrated at Stonehenge for the night and greeted sunrise on Wednesday, which is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.

At dawn, the sun rose behind what is known as the Heel Stone in the northeast part of the horizon and the first rays shone into the heart of Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and a World Heritage Site.

A sun-filled dawn followed a slightly misty sunrise, which was greeted with drumming, chanting and cheering.

“Stonehenge continues to captivate and to bring people together to celebrate the seasons, just as it has done for thousands of years,” said Nichola Tasker, director of Stonehenge at English Heritage, a charity that manages hundreds of historic sites.

“There was a wonderful atmosphere from sunset to sunrise, and everybody enjoyed a very atmospheric morning," she added.

Local police said two people were arrested on suspicion of a public order offense after they were refused entry due to intoxication.

“Everyone has been joyous, enjoying the event and having a glorious time and it has been peaceful and safe," said Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who attended the solstice for the first time.

In addition to the 8,000 people present, English Heritage said that approximately 154,000 people tuned in from around the world to watch the sunset and sunrise on the charity’s livestream

All over the U.K., optimism will reign supreme as summer officially starts. It's no coincidence that the nearby Glastonbury Festival, one of the world's biggest music events, opens its doors on Wednesday, too. Both Stonehenge and Glastonbury supposedly lie on ley lines — mystical energy connections across the U.K.

For the thousands making the pilgrimage to Stonehenge, approximately 80 miles (128 kilometers) southwest of London, it is more than looking forward to Elton John at Glastonbury or a few ciders in the sun. Many of those present at Stonehenge will be making the short 50-mile (80-kilometer) journey further west to Glastonbury over the coming days.

For druids, modern-day spiritualists linked to the ancient Celtic religious order, Stonehenge has a centuries-long importance, and they performed their rituals around the solstice in their traditional white robes. It's effectively all about the cycle of life, of death and rebirth.

This year, the summer solstice at Stonehenge started at 7 p.m. Tuesday and ran through 8 a.m. Wednesday. For this one night, worshippers are allowed to spend time inside the stone circle. Some chanted or played their acoustic guitars or banged their drums. Alcohol was prohibited, as were sound systems. Blankets were allowed, but no sleeping bags, please. And definitely, no climbing on the stones.

The rules have been tightened over the decades, certainly during the coronavirus pandemic. Back in the less-restrained past, tens of thousands would travel by foot, car, bus or motorcycle to worship at the solar temple, or just have a bit of fun.

Stonehenge is a symbol of British culture and history and remains one of the country’s biggest tourist draws, despite the seemingly permanent traffic jams on the nearby A303 highway, a popular route for motorists traveling to and from the southwest of England.

Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages starting 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C. Some of the stones, the so-called bluestones, are known to have come from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, nearly 150 miles (240 kilometers) away, but the origins of others remain a mystery.

The site’s meaning has been the subject of vigorous debate, with some theories seemingly more outlandish, if not alien, than others.

English Heritage notes several explanations — from Stonehenge being a coronation place for Danish kings, a druid temple, a cult center for healing, or an astronomical computer for predicting eclipses and solar events.

The charity said the most generally accepted interpretation "is that of a prehistoric temple aligned with the movements of the sun.”

After all, the stones match perfectly with the sun at both the summer and winter solstices.

___

Pylas reported from London.

Pan Pylas And Kin Cheung, The Associated Press

Summer solstice: The science behind the longest day of the year

References
By Jamie Carter published 2 days ago

The summer solstice falls on June 20 or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere. Here's why this day is the longest day of the year, with the most hours of daylight.

On the summer solstice, the sun appears high in the sky at noon. In contrast, the noon sun appears low in the sky on the winter solstice.

 (Image credit: (C) Jonathan Chiang/Scintt via Getty Images)

Why does the date vary?
Earth's distance from the sun
How long is summer?
What does "solstice" mean?
Why isn't it the warmest day?
When is it?
Summer solstice celebrations


The summer solstice heralds the start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the day with the most daylight for the year. But what's the science behind the longest day and shortest night above the equator?

Solstices and equinoxes are markers of the seasons, which are caused by Earth's axis being tilted 23.5 degrees with respect to its orbit around the sun, according to NASA. That tilt means different parts of Earth receive sunlight for different lengths of time depending on the time of year. On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, receiving the full glare of the sun's rays — which means the longest day of the year.

At the North Pole, the sun literally does not set on the summer solstice. The exact opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere, which experiences its winter solstice on the same day; at the South Pole, the sun will not rise.

In 2023, the summer solstice will occur at 10:57 a.m. EDT (1457 GMT) on June 21, according to timeanddate.com. Here's everything you need to know about the Northern Hemisphere's longest day of the year.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SUN ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE?

On the summer solstice, there are more hours of sunlight the farther north you go in the Northern Hemisphere. People in this hemisphere might notice that the sun is very high in the sky at noon.

On the equinoxes — the two days of the year when both hemispheres experience the same amount of daylight and nighttime — the sun appears directly overhead, at 90 degrees above the equator at noon. But on the northern summer solstice, the noon sun appears directly overhead at a higher latitude: the Tropic of Cancer, which sits about 23.5 degrees north of the equator and runs through Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, Mexico, the Bahamas, Mauritania and Mali. The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon, according to the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, a project based at the University of Hawaii.

WHY DOES THE SUMMER SOLSTICE DATE VARY?

Each year, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on one of two days: June 20 or June 21. In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice happens on Dec. 21 or Dec. 22.

The date varies because the Gregorian calendar has 365 days, with an extra leap day added in February every four years. In reality, Earth's orbit around the sun takes 365.25 days, according to NASA. Due to this discrepancy, the solstice doesn't always occur on the same day.

EARTH'S DISTANCE FROM THE SUN

Some parts of the Northern Hemisphere get so hot during the summertime that you might think Earth is closer to the sun. However, it's actually the opposite: Earth is farthest from the sun when it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, according to timeanddate.com.

On average, Earth is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from the sun, according to NASA. However, Earth will be farthest from the sun — a moment called aphelion — at 4:06 p.m. EDT on July 6, 2023, when it will be 94,506,364 miles (152,093,251 km) from the sun, according to Almanac.com. That's about two weeks after the June solstice.

Similarly, Earth will be closest to the sun, a point called perihelion, at 7:38 p.m. EDT on Jan. 2, 2024 — two weeks after the December solstice — when it will be 91,404,095 miles (147,100,632 km) from our star.

HOW LONG IS SUMMER?

There are two definitions and dates for each season: astronomical and meteorological.

Astronomically — that is, defined by the solstices and equinoxes — summer in the Northern Hemisphere begins on the summer solstice and ends on the autumnal or fall equinox. So, summer in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from June 20 or June 21 until Sept. 21, 22, 23 or 24.

However, the seasons do not last an equal number of days because Earth's speed varies as it travels around the sun on an elliptical, or egg-shaped, orbit. Summer lasts an average of 93.6 days in the Northern Hemisphere and an average of 89 days in the Southern Hemisphere, according to timeanddate.com.

Meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from June 1 through Aug. 31, according to the U.K.'s Met Office. Using this definition, winter lasts exactly three months, as do all seasons.

WHAT DOES "SOLSTICE" MEAN?

"Solstice" means "sun stands still" in Latin, according to NASA. That's because the sunrise on the solstice is the farthest northeast and sunset is the farthest northwest of the year. For a few days before and after the solstice, the sun also appears close to these farthest points before slowly drifting back to rise and set due east at the following equinox.

WHY ISN'T THE SUMMER SOLSTICE THE WARMEST DAY?

If there's so much sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice, why isn't it the warmest day of the year?

It's because it takes time for Earth's land and water to heat up, otherwise known as a seasonal lag, according to the Royal Meteorological Society. Seasonal lag is caused by Earth's water, which covers about 70% of the planet's surface and soaks up a lot of the heat, meaning it takes longer to heat up the land.

After the summer solstice, the days begin to get shorter in the Northern Hemisphere. Northern midlatitudes experience about 15 hours of daylight in the weeks following the summer solstice, compared with around 9 hours of daily sunlight around the winter solstice. In addition, the Northern Hemisphere is still tilted toward the sun, making it warm.

WHEN IS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE?

Year

Northern Hemisphere summer solstice

Southern Hemisphere summer solstice2023

 10:57 am EDT, June 21 Dec. 22
2024 4:50 pm EDT, June 20 Dec. 21
2025 10:42 pm EDT, June 20 Dec. 21

SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS

Many cultures have recognized and marked the summer solstice. The most famous prehistoric site that ties in with the solstice is Stonehenge in England. When the sun rises on the longest day of the year, the sun's rays align with Stonehenge's Heel Stone. The moment is livestreamed on the official English Heritage YouTube channel.

From the Sphinx in Giza, Egypt, the sun appears to set between the ancient pyramids of Khafre and Khufu on the summer solstice.

What International Day of Yoga, Summer Solstice, and Sun Salutations Have in Common

Tamara Y. Jeffries
Tue, June 20, 2023 



This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal

International Day of Yoga (IDY), as the name implies, acknowledges the worldwide significance of yoga. The designation recognizes the practice not only as a part of the intangible cultural heritage of South Asia, but also as a global phenomenon. Celebrated annually on June 21, the day coincides with the summer solstice.

How did International Day of Yoga become a thing?

We have Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to thank for IDY. In 2014, he proposed that the United Nations officially recognize the practice. "Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition," he said during his address. "Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and...nature." Based on yoga's popularity, its ancient tradition, and its scientifically shown effects on health, the U.N. General Assembly voted to make June 21 International Day of Yoga.

What's the Summer Solstice?

In the Northern Hemisphere, summer solstice is the longest day of the year, which coincides with the Sun being at its highest point in the sky, offering us the most hours of daylight. It marks the official beginning of summer. The exact moment of the solstice occurs on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 10:58 am ET, according to Almanac.com. It's considered a significant time astrologically as it delineates the beginning of another season, both in nature and astrology, as we transition into summer and Cancer season.

RELATED: What Does the Summer Solstice Mean?
What's the Connection Between Summer Solstice and Yoga?

Two words: Surya Namaskar. Also known as Sun Salutations, this traditional sequence was created out of reverence for the Sun and became an integral part of the practice of yoga. Indian sages are believed to have practiced Sun Salutations to awaken the body, align the mind, and tone and activate the Manipura, or solar plexus chakra, which is associated with intuition, self esteem, motivation, discipline, and a sense of purpose.

Since IDY became a thing, yoga practitioners all over the world have taken the longest day of the year as an opportunity to get outside, practice yoga, and appreciate the Sun.
Why Do Some People Avoid Celebrating International Day of Yoga?

You have Modi to thank for that, too. There's concern that his conservative government is using IDY to promote Hindu Nationalism-the idea that India is a Hindu nation. While he has ensured that India receives credit as the birthplace of yoga, his Hindu-first narrative is seen as a way to exclude other South Asian groups, particularly Muslims.
How You Can Participate in International Day of Yoga Classes

Politics aside, many practitioners take the day as an opportunity to celebrate the community and benefits of yoga. Following are a handful of the hundreds of gatherings taking place all over the world in honor of the day. 

Winter solstice 2022: Shortest day of the year is long on pagan rituals


Forrest Brown
CNN
Digital
Published Dec. 21, 2022 

For the past six months, the days have grown shorter and the nights have grown longer in the Northern Hemisphere. But that's about to reverse itself.

Winter solstice 2022, the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter, is on Wednesday, December 21 (well, for a decent chunk of the world anyway). How this all works has fascinated people for thousands of years. Climate Barometer newsletter: Sign up to keep your finger on the climate pulse

First, we'll look at the science and precise timing behind the solstice. Then we'll explore some ancient traditions and celebrations around the world.

The science and timing behind a winter solstice

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun appears at its most southerly position, directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn.

The situation is the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere, where only about 10% of the world's population lives. There, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year -- and the beginning of summer -- in places like Argentina, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa.

When exactly does it occur?

The solstice usually -- but not always -- takes place on December 21. The date that the solstice occurs can shift because the solar year (the time it takes for the sun to reappear in the same spot as seen from Earth) doesn't exactly match up to our calendar year.

If you want to be super-precise in your observations, the exact time of the 2022 winter solstice will be 21:48 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Wednesday, according to EarthSky.org and Farmers' Almanac. That's almost six hours later than last year's time.

Below are some examples of when 21:48 UTC will be for various local times in places around the world. Because of time zone differences, the vast bulk of Asia will mark the winter solstice on Thursday, December 22.

• Tokyo: 6:48 a.m. Thursday

• Hanoi, Vietnam: 4:48 a.m. Thursday

• New Delhi: 3:18 a.m. Thursday

• Istanbul: 12:48 a.m. Thursday

• Jerusalem: 11:48 p.m. Wednesday

• Copenhagen, Denmark: 10:48 p.m. Wednesday

• Charlotte, North Carolina: 4:48 p.m. Wednesday

• Winnipeg, Manitoba: 3:48 p.m. Wednesday

• San Francisco: 1:48 p.m. Wednesday

• Honolulu: 11:48 a.m. Wednesday

To check the timing where you live, the website EarthSky has a handy conversion table for your time zone. You might also try the conversion tools at Timeanddate.com, Timezoneconverter.com or WorldTimeServer.com.

What places see and feel the effects of the winter solstice the most?

Daylight decreases dramatically the closer you are to the North Pole on December 21.

People in balmy Singapore, just 137 kilometres or 85 miles north of the equator, barely notice the difference, with just nine fewer minutes of daylight than they have during the summer solstice. It's pretty much a 12-hour day, give or take a few minutes, all year long there.

Much higher in latitude, Paris still logs in a respectable eight hours and 14 minutes of daylight to enjoy a chilly stroll along the Seine.

The difference is more stark in frigid Oslo, Norway, where the sun will rise at 9:18 a.m. and set at 3:12 p.m., resulting in less than six hours of anemic daylight. Sun lamp, anyone?

Residents of Nome, Alaska, will be even more sunlight deprived with just three hours and 54 minutes and 31 seconds of very weak daylight. But that's downright generous compared with Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. It sits inside the Arctic Circle and won't see a single ray of sunshine.

What causes the winter solstice to even happen?

Because Earth is tilted on its rotational axis, we have changing seasons. As the planet moves around the sun, each hemisphere experiences winter when it's tilted away from the sun and summer when it's tilted toward the sun.

Scientists are not entirely sure how this occurred, but they think that billions of years ago, as the solar system was taking shape, the Earth was subject to violent collisions that caused the axis to tilt.

The equinoxes, both spring and fall, occur when the sun's rays are directly over the equator. On those two days, everyone everywhere has a nearly equal length of day and night. The summer solstice is when the sun's rays are farthest north over the Tropic of Cancer, giving us our longest day and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter solstice traditions and celebrations

It's no surprise many cultures and religions celebrate a holiday -- whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or pagan festivals -- that coincides with the return of longer days.

Ancient peoples whose survival depended on a precise knowledge of seasonal cycles marked this first day of winter with elaborate ceremonies and celebrations. Spiritually, these celebrations symbolize the opportunity for renewal.

"Christmas takes many of its customs and probably its date on the calendar from the pagan Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends," Maria Kennedy, assistant teaching professor in the Department of American Studies at Rutgers University, told CNN Travel in an email.

Saturnalia started on December 17 and Kalends started on January 1, said Kennedy, who specializes in Christmas studies.

Citing academic research, Kennedy said early founders of the Christian church condemned the practices of these holidays, but their popularity endured. Christian observance of Christmas eventually aligned around the same time in the calendar even though there's no specific date set in the Gospels for the birth of Jesus.

Here's more on some of those ancient customs:

In the Welsh language, "Alban Arthan" means for "Light of Winter," according to the Farmers' Almanac. It might be the oldest seasonal festival of humankind. Part of Druidic traditions, the winter solstice is considered a time of death and rebirth.

Newgrange, a prehistoric monument built in Ireland around 3200 BC, is associated with the Alban Arthan festival.

In Ancient Rome, Saturnalia lasted for seven days. It honoured Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.

The people enjoyed carnival-like festivities resembling modern Mardi Gras celebrations and even delayed their war-making. Slaves were given temporary freedoms, and moral restrictions were eased. Saturnalia continued into the third and fourth centuries AD.

It's not just ancient Europeans who marked the annual occasion. The Dongzhi Winter Solstice Festival has its roots in ancient Chinese culture. The name translates roughly as "extreme of winter."

They thought this was the apex of yin (from Chinese medicine theory). Yin represents darkness and cold and stillness, thus the longest day of winter. Dongzhi marks the return yang -- and the slow ascendance of light and warmth. Dumplings are usually eaten to celebrate in some East Asian cultures.

Many places around the world traditionally hold festivals that honour the winter solstice. A few of them include:

Montol Festival

Better known for pirates than the solstice, the town of Penzance on the southwest coast of England revived the delightful tradition of a Cornish processional -- along with dancing, mask-wearing, singing and more.

Stonehenge

The UK's most famous site for solstice celebrations is Stonehenge. On the winter solstice, visitors traditionally enter the towering, mysterious stone circle for a sunrise ceremony run by local pagan and druid groups.

The English Heritage Society says the 2022 celebration will be held on Thursday, December 22. It will be live-streamed on its YouTube channel.

Lantern Festival

In Canada, Vancouver's Winter Solstice Lantern Festival is a sparkling celebration of solstice traditions spread across the Granville Island, Strathcona and Yaletown neighbourhoods.

CNN's Katia Hetter and Autumn Spanne contributed to this article



These three images from NOAA's GOES East (GOES-16) satellite show us what Earth looks like from space near the winter solstice. The images were captured about 24 hours before the 2018 winter solstice. (NOAA)

Here’s why the winter solstice is significant in cultures across the world




By —Molly Jackson, The Conversation

Science Dec 21, 2022 

If you’ve already spend hours shoveling snow this year, you may be dismayed to realize that technically, it’s not yet winter. According to the astronomical definition, the season will officially begin in the Northern Hemisphere on Dec. 21, 2022: the shortest day of the year, known as the winter solstice.

The weeks leading up to the winter solstice can feel long as days grow shorter and temperatures drop. But it’s also traditionally been a time of renewal and celebration – little wonder that so many cultures mark major holidays just around this time.

Here are four things to know about the solstice, from what it really is to how it’s been commemorated around the world.

Journey of the sun

First things first: What is the winter solstice?

For starters, it’s not the day with the latest sunrise or the earliest sunset. Rather, it’s when “the sun appears the lowest in the Northern Hemisphere sky and is at its farthest southern point over Earth,” wrote William Teets, an astronomer at Vanderbilt University. “After that, the sun will start to creep back north again.”

In the Southern Hemisphere, meanwhile, Dec. 21, 2022 marks the summer solstice. Its winter solstice will arrive June 21, 2023, the same day the Northern Hemisphere celebrates its summer solstice.

“Believe it or not,” Teets added, “we are closest to the sun in January”: a reminder that seasons come from the Earth’s axial tilt at any given time, not from its distance from our solar system’s star.

Ancient astronomy

Many Americans picturing winter solstice celebrations may immediately think of Stonehenge, but cultures have honored the solstice much closer to home. Many Native American communities have long held solstice ceremonies, explained University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scholar Rosalyn LaPier, an Indigenous writer, ethnobotanist and environmental historian.

“For decades, scholars have studied the astronomical observations that ancient indigenous people made and sought to understand their meaning,” LaPier wrote. Some societies in North America expressed this knowledge through constructions at special sites, such as Cahokia in Illinois – temple pyramids and mounds, similar to those the Aztecs built, which align with the sun on solstice days.

“Although some winter solstice traditions have changed over time, they are still a reminder of indigenous peoples’ understanding of the intricate workings of the solar system,” she wrote, and their “ancient understanding of the interconnectedness of the world.”
Dazzling light

Rubén Mendoza, an archaeologist at California State University, Monterey Bay, made an accidental discovery years ago at a mission church. In this worship space and many others that Catholic missionaries built during the Spanish colonial period, the winter solstice “triggers an extraordinary rare and fascinating event,” he explained: “a sunbeam enters each of these churches and bathes an important religious object, altar, crucifix or saint’s statue in brilliant light.”



Winter solstice illumination of the main altar tabernacle of the Spanish Royal Presidio Chapel, Santa Barbara, Calif. Rubén G. Mendoza, CC BY-ND

These missions were built to convert Native Americans to Catholicism – people whose cultures had already, for thousands of years, celebrated the solstice sun’s seeming victory over darkness. Yet the missions incorporated those traditions in a new way, channeling the sun’s symbolism into a Christian message.

“These events offer us insights into archaeology, cosmology and Spanish colonial history,” Mendoza wrote. “As our own December holidays approach, they demonstrate the power of our instincts to guide us through the darkness toward the light.”
Victory over darkness

Our next story goes halfway around the world, describing the Persian solstice festival of Yalda. But it’s also an American story. Growing up in Minneapolis, anthropologist Pardis Mahdavi explained, she felt a bit left out as neighbors celebrated Hanukkah and Christmas. That’s when her grandmother introduced her to their family’s Yalda traditions.

Millions of people around the world celebrate Yalda, which marks the sunrise after the longest night of the year. “Ancient Persians believed that evil forces were strongest on the longest and darkest night of the year,” wrote Mahdavi, who is now provost at the University of Montana. Families stayed up throughout the night, snacking and telling stories, then celebrating “as the light spilled through the sky in the moment of dawn.”

Editor’s note: This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives. It is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for WINTER SOLSTICE 

AND DOWN UNDER IT IS SUMMER SOLSTICE

Summer Solstice 2020: When is the longest day of the year and how do people celebrate?

Sarah Young, Sabrina Barr The Independent 20 June 2020


William Toti/500pxMore

The start of the new season has officially arrived in the form of the summer solstice.

The longest day of the year is a cause of celebration for many, whether you feel a spiritual connection to the power of the sun or are simply relieved that the warm-weather months have finally arrived.

In astrological terms, the summer solstice marks the end of spring and start of summer for the northern hemisphere. It will end with the autumn equinox, which this year falls on Tuesday 22 September.

Here’s everything you need to know about the summer solstice 2020:
What is it?

The summer solstice – otherwise known as the estival solstice, midsummer or Litha – is the longest day of the year.

It occurs when the earth’s geographical pole on either the northern or southern hemisphere becomes most inclined towards the sun and officially marks the beginning of summer.

When the summer solstice takes place in the northern hemisphere this month, the sun will reach its highest possible altitude.

As a result, the day on which the summer solstice falls will have the longest period of daylight of the year.

In some cultures, such a paganism, the summer solstice is symbolic of fertility and the harvest.
When is it?

The summer solstice in the northern hemisphere occurs in June and in the southern hemisphere in December.

In the northern hemisphere, it will take place this year at exactly 22:43pm on Saturday 20 June.

The UK will be treated to 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight in the day, with the sun rising at 4.43am and setting in the evening at 9.21pm.

After 20 June, the nights will begin to close in as the planet rotates with the northern hemisphere titling away further from the sun.
How is it celebrated?

According to Dictionary.com, the term solstice is derived from the Latin word solstitium. It’s made up of the Latin sol, “the sun,” and sistere, “to make stand, stand still”.

It’s believed by some that Stonehenge – the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England – was built as a kind of astronomical calendar.

On the day of the summer solstice, the rising sun lines up with the Heel stone and the Altar stone of the ancient site.

Thousands of people usually gather at Stonehenge to watch the spectacle and celebrate the start of summer.

However, this year's event has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, English Heritage will livestream the sunrise across its social media channels.

Many people also celebrate the summer solstice in other ways regardless of whether they feel a religious affiliation with the event or not.

Expect to see numerous summer picnics, bonfires and maybe even some Maypole dancing take place to mark the occasion.
Read more

Solar eclipse to coincide with Summer Solstice in 2020

How To Harness The Power Of This Year’s Summer Solstice

Refinery29 via Yahoo News· 2 days ago

“The summer solstice is also known as midsummer, and in pagan times this holiday was known as...

What winter solstice rituals tell us about indigenous people

Rosalyn R. LaPier, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, The University of Montana
Tue, December 21, 2021

The Blackfeet always faced their tipis towards the rising sun, including on winter solstice.

  Beinecke Library via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events.

The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most. For indigenous peoples, it has been a time to honor their ancient sun deity. They passed their knowledge down to successive generations through complex stories and ritual practices.

As a scholar of the environmental and Native American religion, I believe, there is much to learn from ancient religious practices.
Ancient architecture

For decades, scholars have studied the astronomical observations that ancient indigenous people made and sought to understand their meaning.

One such place was at Cahokia, near the Mississippi River in what is now Illinois across from St. Louis.

The Cahokia mounds. Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA

In Cahokia, indigenous people built numerous temple pyramids or mounds, similar to the structures built by the Aztecs in Mexico, over a thousand years ago. Among their constructions, what most stands out is an intriguing structure made up of wooden posts arranged in a circle, known today as “Woodhenge.”

To understand the purpose of Woodhenge, scientists watched the sun rise from this structure on winter solstice. What they found was telling: The sun aligned with both Woodhenge and the top of a temple mound – a temple built on top of a pyramid with a flat top – in the distance. They also found that the sun aligns with a different temple mound on summer solstice.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the people of Cahokia venerated the sun as a deity. Scholars believe that ancient indigenous societies observed the solar system carefully and wove that knowledge into their architecture.

Scientists have speculated that the Cahokia held rituals to honor the sun as a giver of life and for the new agricultural year.

Complex understandings

Zuni Pueblo is a contemporary example of indigenous people with an agricultural society in western New Mexico. They grow corn, beans, squash, sunflowers and more. Each year they hold annual harvest festivals and numerous religious ceremonies, including at the winter solstice.

At the time of the winter solstice they hold a multiday celebration, known as the Shalako festival. The days for the celebration are selected by the religious leaders. The Zuni are intensely private, and most events are not for public viewing.

But what is shared with the public is near the end of the ceremony, when six Zuni men dress up and embody the spirit of giant bird deities. These men carry the Zuni prayers for rain “to all the corners of the earth.” The Zuni deities are believed to provide “blessings” and “balance” for the coming seasons and agricultural year.

As religion scholar Tisa Wenger writes, “The Zuni believe their ceremonies are necessary not just for the well-being of the tribe but for "the entire world.”
Winter games

Not all indigenous peoples ritualized the winter solstice with a ceremony. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t find other ways to celebrate.

The Blackfeet tribe in Montana, where I am a member, historically kept a calendar of astronomical events. They marked the time of the winter solstice and the “return” of the sun or “Naatosi” on its annual journey. They also faced their tipis – or portable conical tents – east toward the rising sun.

They rarely held large religious gatherings in the winter. Instead the Blackfeet viewed the time of the winter solstice as a time for games and community dances. As a child, my grandmother enjoyed attending community dances at the time of the winter solstice. She remembered that each community held their own gatherings, with unique drumming, singing and dance styles.

Later, in my own research, I learned that the Blackfeet moved their dances and ceremonies during the early reservation years from times on their religious calendar to times acceptable to the U.S. government. The dances held at the time of the solstice were moved to Christmas Day or to New Year’s Eve.

The solstice. Divad, from Wikimedia Commons

Today, my family still spends the darkest days of winter playing card games and attending the local community dances, much like my grandmother did.

Although some winter solstice traditions have changed over time, they are still a reminder of indigenous peoples understanding of the intricate workings of the solar system. Or as the Zuni Pueblo’s rituals for all peoples of the earth demonstrate – of an ancient understanding of the interconnectedness of the world.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Rosalyn R. LaPier, The University of Montana.

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Google celebrates the arrival of winter, summer with new Doodles





Google is marking the start of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere with a new Doodle. Image courtesy of Google

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Google welcomed the start of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere with new Doodles on Tuesday.

Google's homepage, for those living in the Northern Hemisphere, features an animated hedgehog walking through the snow with his eyes closed.

The hedgehog additionally has pine cones and leaves on his back.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the Doodle features the same hedgehog walking and smiling while wearing sunglasses. The animal has fruit and tropical plants on its back as the sun beams down on him.

Google presents Doodles every year to mark the arrival of the winter and summer solstice.

The company celebrated both the winter and summer solstice in 2020 along with the great conjunction, a rare occurrence between Jupiter and Saturn where the two planets nearly overlap.


Google is marking the start of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere with a new Doodle. Image courtesy of Google

Winter solstice: Tuesday brings shortest day, longest night of the year

The sun sets over the Manhattan skyline in New York City. Tuesday marked the beginning of the winter solstice, which brings the shortest amount of daylight than any other day of the year. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo


Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The start of winter arrived right on schedule on Tuesday -- 10:58 a.m. EST -- as the Northern Hemisphere officially entered the year's coldest season.

The start of the season is marked by the winter solstice, which brings the shortest day and longest night of the calendar year. It is at this point that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun.

The winter solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.

After Tuesday, days will begin to get progressively longer until culminating with the summer solstice on June 21.

The March equinox on March 20 will mark the beginning of the astronomical spring season.

Seasons change on Earth because the planet is slightly tilted on its axis as it travels around the sun. During the first week in January, Earth is about 1.6 million miles closer to the sun.



Although the astronomical winter season began on Tuesday, meteorologists typically view Dec. 1 as the start of winter.

The date of the winter solstice varies between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23, but it most often falls on the 21st or 22nd.

Summer Solstice Give Or Take A Day

Summer's official, astronomical start is at 2:06 p.m. today.

It's tough for pagans when Solstice falls on a work day like today.

Although the solstice is technically today, the druid ritual will be Saturday afternoon because druids have jobs, too.

Unless of course they are unionized pagans and have a clause in the collective agreement saying that employees are entitled to holy days off of their choice.

In Canada Wiccan and pagan holy days such as solstice are considered official religious holidays by the Ontario Supreme Court.

Which is why solstice, winter or summer, falls between the 21 and 23, to give time for the weekend to catch up.

Thousands of modern-day druids, pagans and partygoers converged on Stonehenge late Wednesday as people across the Northern Hemisphere prepared to welcome the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year.

Solstice celebrations were a highlight of the pre-Christian calendar. People in many countries still celebrate with bonfires, maypole dances, and courtship rituals.

Solstice celebrations also take place in other countries, although most are deferred until the last weekend in June. Swedes will gather to sip spiced schnapps, Danes will light bonfires, and Balts and Finns will flock to the countryside to dance, sing and make merry under the midnight sun.

The largest crowd in recent years gathered at Stone Henge overnight to celebrate the Summer Solstice this morning as a further 1,000 congregated at Avebury.

Visitor numbers at the 5,000-year-old English Heritage Site on the Salisbury Plain totalled 24,094, up from 18,700 last year, to watch the longest day of the year dawn.

A spokesman said numbers swelled above a predicted 20,000 because extra people, on their way to Glastonbury music festival, stopped off to join the party.

Police were pleased to see that those attending had also heeded their warning to use public transport to get to the area as vehicle numbers at the gathering were also down on last year's total, dropping from 4,536 to 3,577.

As the sun rose at 4.58am a cheer went up from those gathered overnight at the stone circle on Salisbury Plain.

Revellers clad in antlers, black cloaks and oak leaves gathered at the Heel stone - a twisted, pockmarked pillar at the edge of the prehistoric monument - to welcome the rising sun.

BBC online pictures of summer solstice sunrise.

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