December 21 is a short day. What is the longest night of the year? The longest and shortest night of the year. What does all this have to do with Stonehenge?

The calendar we are used to says that the year begins on the first of January and is divided into 12 months. But nature has its own laws, which, unfortunately, are poorly coordinated with astronomy. However, our ancestors knew and honored the laws of nature. The most important holiday in the annual cycle was the winter solstice - when will it be in 2019 and what practices are recommended for everyone? Read the details in this article.

What happens on this day?

First of all, let's figure out what the winter solstice is. On this day we can observe the longest night and the shortest day of the year. Magic time, isn't it? Our ancestors did not doubt it.

Holiday dates:

• December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere (these are all countries above the equator);
• June 20 or 21 - in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, most countries Latin America and etc.).

The exact date depends on the year, it's all about the calendar shift due to leap years.

In 2019, the winter solstice will occur on December 22 at 07:19 am Moscow time. If you live in another region, you can calculate the time yourself, knowing Moscow.

On this day, the Sun reaches its lowest position. Further, at the end of December and January, it rises higher above the horizon, making daylight hours longer.

In astrology, on this day the Sun moves from the zodiac sign Sagittarius to the sign Capricorn, and the astrological winter begins (the period of the signs Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces).

Since Capricorn is associated with planning, at this time it is advisable to think over and write down goals for the coming year. Consider what is really important to you and what you want to get rid of.

Our ancestors saw the solstice as a time of rebirth, hope, and a joyful start on the path to solar abundance.

Some call the holiday the winter equinox. However, this is not true. The equinox occurs in spring and autumn, in March and September, when day equals night. And in winter and summer - solstices.

Table of winter solstices until 2025

What is special about the solstices and equinoxes? See more about the astronomical meaning of this amazing phenomenon in the video:

Rites and rituals

Many rituals are recommended to be performed on the day of the solstice. The fact is that this is the shortest and most mysterious day of the year. When a colossal amount of energy is generated in nature, but it does not manifest itself clearly, but is hidden in the dark corners of the longest night.

Before carrying out any rituals (a few days before the holiday), it is necessary to carry out a major cleaning in the entire apartment or house:

1. Wash everything, even the most secluded corners.
2. Put things in order, put things in their places.
3. Clear out the pantry and decide what you need and what you don't.
4. Collect unwanted items and give to those in need.

Through such actions, you will clear space in your life for something new and joyful.

Let go ritual

• Write down on paper all the negative and bad things that happened during the year - what you want to get rid of or forget.
• Say the appropriate words that you must choose for yourself. For example: "I forgive and let go of everything that happened" or "I leave these events in the past, let them go and never return."
• Now burn a sheet of paper, imagining how your sorrows are burned in the fire. And along with the smoke, problems disappear.
• Feel free.

Ritual for the fulfillment of a wish

A wish is made at dawn:

• Stand facing the east - look in the direction where the reborn Sun rises.
• Thank the Sun for all the good things in your life and ask for help in the coming season.
• Make a wish - try to mention as many details as possible.
• Imagine that the wish has already come true. What do you feel? Let your imagination paint happy pictures.

On this holiday, it is good to make wishes that involve the renewal of life, the attraction of something new. It is also recommended to drink ginger tea during the day.

If your desire involves the accumulation of money, then ideal option will open a bank savings account on the day of the solstice or the next day. By doing this, you will not only think about what you want, but also take the first step towards realization. Which is very important.

Ritual for cleansing

Held in the bathroom:

• Fill the tub with warm water.
• Be sure to add sea ​​salt, because she takes all the negativity. But it is better to refuse foam on this day.
• Arrange a few candles in the bathroom (odd number), turning off the electric lights.
• Prepare pleasant music for relaxation. It can be the sounds of nature, religious chants, ethnic music, and so on.
• Lie down in the bath. Imagine that your body is heavy, filled with the worries of the outgoing year.
• Now visualize that water and salt take away all your problems. And every moment your body becomes lighter.
• Flush the water, imagining that everything bad goes with it. Rinse under the shower.

After performing the ritual, you will feel a true renewal at the level of body and soul.

Winter Solstice Festival in different cultures

Our distant ancestors were guided by natural phenomena and the movement of the Sun when calculating time periods. The winter solstice point was significant for the construction of such historical structures as:

• Stonehenge in the UK;
• Newgrange in Ireland.

Their main axes are oriented to sunrise and sunset on the solstices.

Ancient Roman Saturnalia

IN Ancient Rome On the days of the solstice, the festival of Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god Saturn. The celebration lasted from 17 to 23 December. By this time, all agricultural efforts were completed. And people could indulge in celebration and fun.

It was customary to temporarily stop public affairs, send schoolchildren on vacation. It was even forbidden to punish criminals.

Slaves sat at the same table with the masters and were freed from daily work. There was a symbolic equalization of rights.

Crowds of celebrating walked in the streets. Everyone praised Saturn. On the days of Saturnalia, a pig was slaughtered as a sacrifice, and then they began to have fun. There was a tradition of gift exchange, which later moved to modern Christmas and New Year.

Yule among the ancient Germans

This is a medieval holiday, one of the main ones of the year. It was celebrated with great pomp. The word "yule" was called the longest night of the year, which fell on the winter solstice.

It was believed that on this day the King of Oak was reborn, he warmed the frozen earth and gave life to the seeds in the soil, which were stored for a long winter, so that by spring they would germinate and give a harvest.

People kindled fires in the fields. It was customary to drink the alcoholic drink cider. Children went from house to house with gifts. Baskets were woven from the branches of evergreens and ears of wheat, and apples and cloves were folded into them, which were sprinkled with flour.

Apples are a symbol of the sun and immortality, and wheat is a symbol of a good harvest. Flour meant light and success.

The houses were also decorated with branches of trees: ivy, holly, mistletoe. It was believed that this helps to call the spirits of nature to join the holiday. Spirits could bestow happy life household members.

On the holiday of Yule, the burning of a ritual log, the decoration of the Yule tree (the prototype of the New Year tree) and the exchange of gifts were carried out. The image of a log has been preserved in many countries to this day.

Holiday in Christianity

In Christianity, Christmas is celebrated these days. In the Catholic tradition, it comes on December 24, when the Sun, after passing its lowest point, is “reborn” again and rises higher.

It is believed that when Christianity replaced paganism, new Christian holidays merged with the pagans. This is how Christmas appeared in his modern form with a decorated Christmas tree and gifts for relatives and friends. Indeed, in fact, this is the celebration of the birth of Christ, but it is celebrated very similarly to the medieval Yule.

In Orthodoxy, due to the use of the Julian calendar, the date is 2 weeks behind the solstice, the Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 7th. However, historically it is the same date. It's just that over the course of two thousand years, the solstice point has shifted by half a month.

Holiday in Slavic culture

The Slavs celebrated the day of Karachun, the harsh deity of winter. They believed that Karachun brings winter cold to the earth, plunging nature into a winter sleep.

Another name for the deity is Korochun, which means "the shortest." The winter solstice preceded the rebirth of the Sun.

Bonfires were burned everywhere, which were designed to help the Sun triumph over death and be reborn. After Karachun, the nights were waning, and the daylight hours were getting longer.

Subsequently, this deity turned into Frost - a gray-haired old man, from whose breath bitter frosts and the rivers are covered with ice. The Slavs believed that if Frost hit a hut with a staff, the logs would crack.

Frost does not like those who are afraid of him and hide, complain about the cold and quickly get cold. But for those who are not afraid of him, he gives rosy cheeks, strength of mind and good mood. This is reflected in the fairy tale "Morozko".

Video

The winter solstice is an astronomical event associated with the maximum angle of inclination of the earth's axis relative to the sun. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the height of the sun above the horizon is minimal. This date may be December 21 or 22.

In ancient times, the winter solstice different peoples Earth symbolized the beginning of a new year, the rebirth of the world after winter, the end of cold and darkness. In many cultures, this day is celebrated as a New Year's holiday.

The ancient Slavs on the shortest day of the year celebrated a pagan holiday - Kolyada. The onset of a new annual cycle was associated with him, and Kolyada himself acted as the baby sun.

The inhabitants of Europe in the pre-Christian era also celebrated this day as a New Year's holiday. In Scotland, it was customary to launch a sun wheel - a barrel set on fire, smeared with resin, which symbolized the solstice. Among the Germanic peoples, the pagan New Year was called Yule.

In ancient China, this day was also revered as a symbol of the rebirth of life. On the day of the winter solstice, no one worked, and everyone - from the emperor to the simple Chinese - rested and celebrated.

And in southern warm India, the winter solstice is still celebrated and this holiday is called Sankranti. On the night before the celebration, Singhs and Hindus light bonfires, symbolizing the warmth of the sun, which will soon warm the frozen Earth with its rays.

Today in Russia, the winter solstice is no longer celebrated as a New Year's holiday. This date in our minds is associated with the longest night and the shortest day of the year. In 2017, we will observe the winter solstice on December 21st.

Most of the population of our country believes that the winter day has become very short, and the sun shines very low. But on the territory of Russia there are cities in which the sun has not shined at all for three weeks now, the polar night reigns there. Let's see how long this day will be in different cities Russia.

City Day length hours minutes 1 Derbent 9 6 2 Vladivostok 8 59 3 Volgograd 8 6 4 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 7 24 5 Novosibirsk, Omsk 7 10 6 Moscow, Kazan 7 0 7 Krasnoyarsk 6 56 8 Nizhny Novgorod 6 53 9 Yekaterinburg 6 45 10 St. Petersburg 5 45 11 Surgut 5 26 12 Mirny (Yakutia) 4 49 13 Oymyakon 4 29 14 Arkhangelsk 3 53 15 Anadyr 3 46 16 New Urengoy 2 43 17 Salekhard 2 13 18 Kandalaksha 1 13 19 Murmansk, polar night from December 2 to January 11 20 Vorkuta, polar night from December 17 to December 27 21 Norilsk, polar night from November 30 to January 13

If you look at this table, then the realization that we live in a very large country takes place on a somewhat different level. These are not dry square kilometers, but the difference in duration daylight hours at 9 o'clock! And on the day of the winter solstice in some cities of Russia, people will not see the sunrise. But in summer, this shortcoming will be more than made up for by the polar day, as if showing that nature is equally fair to everyone.

On the same topic:

Rare vintage photographs of people celebrating the New Year Vintage photos: how the New Year was celebrated in the USSR Photo of the Day: Traditional Japanese Holiday - Coming of Age Day Photo of the day: break for a short rest in the mountains

In 2017, the winter solstice begins on December 21 at 19:28 Moscow time, when the Sun enters 0 ° zodiac sign Capricorn. In Bishkek it will be 22:28.

According to signs, what the weather will be like today, it will be like this on December 31st. , then it is quite possible that New year's night Kyrgyzstanis will have snow.

Light day will last 6 hours 51 minutes, the night of December 22 - 17 hours 9 minutes. After that, in the Northern Hemisphere there will come astronomical spring- daylight hours will increase.

Solstice occurs twice a year - in summer and winter. This is an astronomical event - the Sun on this day is at the largest angular distance from the equator, and, accordingly, the height of its location is minimal for one hemisphere of the Earth and maximum for the other. This leads to phenomena such as the longest and shortest daylight hours of the year.

The phenomenon got its name because of the location of the Sun in the sky - for several days at noon the luminary is at one constant height - it stands, hence the solstice. The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere usually falls on December 20, 21 or 22, which is the shortest day of the year.

Celebration traditions

Many peoples of the world associated the winter solstice with the coming rebirth, it was believed that the longest night was before dawn. On this occasion, holidays, rituals and other celebrations were held, for which special structures were often built - Stonehenge in Britain and Newgrange in Ireland are oriented along a visual line indicating the sunrise on the day of the winter solstice.

The ancient Slavs celebrated the pagan New Year on this day, better known as Kolyada, the German peoples - Yule, the Romans until the 3rd century - Sol Invictus. From oak or pine, people kindled a ritual fire, which symbolized the rebirth of the Sun. main decoration holiday table there was a loaf in the shape of the sun.

In Scotland, it was customary to launch a solar wheel - "solstice": a barrel was coated with burning tar and allowed down the street. The wheel symbolized the sun, its spokes resembled rays, and the rotation of the spokes during movement made the wheel look like a luminary.

IN Christian churches, who have switched to the Gregorian calendar, these days celebrate the Nativity of Christ. Orthodoxy uses the Julian calendar, according to which the date of Christmas coincided with the winter solstice two thousand years ago, but has now shifted half a month later.

Signs

Winter Solstice, also known as a holiday winter solstice, for many cultures is a very important and revered day. There are many signs associated with this day.

• Some nature watchers claim that the winter solstice is the coldest day of the winter.
• People say that what the weather is like on the day of the winter solstice, it will be the same on December 31st.
• If frost appeared on the trees that day, then next year there will be a good grain harvest.
• There is a saying on the winter solstice: The sun is for the summer, the winter is for the frost.
• According to the weather that day, they judged the coming harvest. For example, frost on trees on the day of the winter solstice - to a rich harvest of grain.

Magic rituals of the winter solstice

This is a great day to do a meditation to celebrate new beginnings and projects. If you have something new in mind, make time for this day, because meditations for the winter solstice are especially powerful.

The winter solstice is a good day for those who are engaged in spiritual self-development, it inspires the opening of spiritual spaces and reveals past lives.

The day is suitable for rituals for the fulfillment of desires. if you have cherished desire, guess it on the day of the rebirth of the Sun.

They perform rituals of healing, prosperity, gaining strength and wisdom.

Winter solstice divination gives accurate results, Tarot divination Three Cards, Tarot divination for love and the Oracle are well suited.

As treats for the festive table on the day of the winter solstice, you can offer pork and lamb dishes, pies, fruits (apples, pears, bananas, etc.), nuts, juices, ginger tea.

December 21 (the date is indicated for 2016) is the day of the winter solstice. The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is at its minimum or maximum. There are two solstices in a year - winter and summer. The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is at its minimum or maximum. There are two solstices in a year - winter and summer. On the winter solstice, the sun rises to its lowest point on the horizon.

In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, which is when the shortest day and longest night occur. The moment of the solstice shifts every year, since the duration of the solar year does not coincide with calendar time.

In 2016, the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 13.45 Moscow time

During the winter solstice, the sun does not rise at all above a latitude of 66.5 degrees - only twilight at these latitudes indicates that it is somewhere below the horizon. At the North Pole of the Earth, not only the Sun is not visible, but also twilight, and the location of the luminary can only be recognized by the constellations. On December 21, the sun crosses the 18 hour meridian and begins to rise up the ecliptic, beginning its journey to the vernal equinox when it crosses the celestial equator.

Day of the winter solstice among the ancient Slavs

In the 16th century in Rus', an interesting ritual was associated with the winter solstice. The bell warden of the Moscow cathedral, who was responsible for the chiming of the clock, came to bow to the tsar. He reported that from now on the sun turned to summer, the day is added, and the night is reduced. For this good news, the king rewarded the headman with money.

The ancient Slavs celebrated the pagan New Year on the day of the winter solstice, it was associated with the deity Kolyada. The main attribute of the festival was a bonfire, depicting and invoking the light of the sun, which, after the longest night of the year, had to rise higher and higher. The ritual New Year's cake - a loaf - also resembled the sun in shape.

The day of pagan veneration of Karachun (the second name of Chernobog) falls on the day of the winter solstice (celebrated depending on the year from December 19 to 22) - the shortest day of the year and one of the coldest days of winter. It was believed that on this day the formidable Karachun, the deity of death, takes his power, underground god who rules the frost evil spirit. The ancient Slavs believed that he commands winter and frost and shortens the daylight hours.

The servants of the formidable Karachun are rod bears, in which snowstorms turn around, and blizzards-wolves. It was believed that, according to the bear’s desire, the icy winter also lasts: the bear will turn in his lair on the other side, which means that winter has exactly half the way to spring. Hence the saying: "At the Solstice, the bear in the den turns from one side to the other." Among the people, the concept of "karachun" in the sense of death, death is still used. They say, for example: “a karachun came to him”, “wait for a karachun”, “ask a karachun”, “grabbed a karachun”. On the other hand, the word "karachit" can have the following meanings - backing backwards, crawling, "scrambled" - writhed, crumpled. Perhaps Karachun was called that precisely because he, as it were, forced daytime go in the opposite direction, back away, crawl, giving way to the night.

Gradually, in the minds of the people, Karachun became close to Frost, who fetters the earth with cold, as if plunging it into a mortal sleep. This is a more harmless image than the harsh Karachun. Frost is simply the master of winter cold.

Winter Solstice in Other Nations

On the day of the winter solstice in Scotland it was a custom to launch the sun wheel - "solstice". The barrel was smeared with burning tar and let down the street. The wheel is a symbol of the sun, the spokes of the wheel resembled rays, the rotation of the spokes during movement made the wheel alive and looked like a luminary.

The winter solstice was determined before all other seasons in China (there are 24 seasons in the Chinese calendar). IN ancient China it was believed that from that time the male force of nature rises and a new cycle begins. The winter solstice was considered a happy day worthy of celebration. On this day, everyone - from the emperor to the commoner - went on vacation.

The army was brought into a state of waiting for orders, border fortresses and trading shops were closed, people went to visit each other, gave each other gifts.

The Chinese made sacrifices to the god of Heaven and ancestors, and also ate porridge made from beans and sticky rice to protect themselves from evil spirits and diseases. Until now, the winter solstice is considered one of the traditional Chinese holidays.

In India, the winter solstice - Sankranti - is celebrated in Hindu and Sikh communities, where bonfires are lit on the night before the celebration, the heat of which symbolizes the warmth of the sun, which begins to warm the earth after the winter cold.

The calendar of Russian folk signs will take December 21 (December 8, old style) - Anfisa Needlewoman

On Anfisa, all girls in Rus' were supposed to do needlework: spin, weave, sew, embroider. It was desirable to do this alone, and if it didn’t work out or didn’t want to retire, it was necessary to conduct special rituals from damage.

A girl sews on Anfisa, but an extra eye while sewing is for the evil eye, our ancestors said and advised young needlewomen to wrap a silk thread around their wrists so as not to prick their fingers with a needle. The same rite protected from yawning and hiccups.

The embroidery itself also had magic power, in which various symbols were often encrypted. So, rhombuses on towels meant fertility; round rosettes and cruciform figures on clothes protected its owner from misfortunes. In traditional embroidery patterns, there are also images of the sun, trees, birds, personifying the vital forces of nature. Our ancestors believed in their strength, believing that they would bring prosperity and prosperity to the house.

The calendar of Russian folk signs will take on December 22 (December 9, according to the old style) - Anna Zimnyaya. Anna Dark. The conception of Saint Anne.

The Church celebrates not only birth, but also conception. From the feast of the Conception of Anna, winter begins: autumn ends, winter begins. The beginning of the present harsh winter. In the meantime (lace) on the trees at the Conception of Anna for the harvest. If the snow rolls down to the hedge - a bad summer, and if there is a gap - a fruitful one. December 22 is the shortest day of the year, the day of the solstice.

On the Conception of Anna, pregnant women have a strict fast (on other days, pregnant women are exempted from fasting), avoid any quarrels and troubles, do not catch the eye of the crippled and disabled; you can not kindle a fire, knit, embroider and take on any work, so as not to accidentally harm the unborn child. People who are knowledgeable in these matters assure that the fire kindled on this day can leave a red mark on the body of the child, tangled threads twist his umbilical cord, and the wretched, ugly, seen by his mother, can pass on their injuries to the child. At the Conception, the wolves converge, and after Epiphany they scatter.

The memory of St. Anna, the parent of Mary, the future Mother of God, is celebrated twice a year: on August 7, a service is held in churches on the assumption of Anna, her death. December 22 - day winter equinox, in the south of Russia is considered the beginning of winter. A change is also noticed in the weather: “Sun for summer, winter for frost.” On this morning, worship in churches is held more solemnly than on ordinary days, for December 22 is the day "when the Most Holy Theotokos is conceived."

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2017

• the vernal equinox- 20 March 10:29
• summer solstice- 21 June 04:24
• autumnal equinox- 22 September 20:02
• winter solstice - 21 December 16:28

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2018

• spring equinox - 20 March 16:15
• summer solstice - 21 June 10:07
• autumnal equinox - 23 September 01:54
• winter solstice - 21 December 22:23

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2019

• autumnal equinox - 23 September 07:50
• winter solstice - 22 December 04:19
• spring equinox - 20 March 21:58
• summer solstice - 21 June 15:54

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2020

• spring equinox - 20 March 03:50
• summer solstice - 20 June 21:44
• autumnal equinox - 22 September 13:31

Get ready to meet the sun more often! After all, today 21 December, US residents could watch the so-called winter solstice, and tomorrow the day will be getting longer.

Winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year in northern hemisphere, while in southern hemisphere everything happens exactly the opposite.

Astronomer Stephen Schneider CBS News answered 7 key questions that will help you better understand and understand this phenomenon.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice occurs at the moment when the maximum angle of inclination of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun is 23.5 degrees. On this day in Arctic The sun does not rise above the horizon at all.

When does the winter solstice occur?

According to the National Weather Service, in 2017 the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 16:27 GMT or 11:27 am New York time.

Why doesn't the winter solstice occur on the same day every year?

The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year for people in different time zones. This usually happens around December 21st or 22nd, although rare cases it could even be December 20th or 23rd, according to Weather Channel.

Is the winter solstice the coldest day of the year?

« The coldest time of the year usually comes after a month or two, because despite the fact that sunlight more, it is still not enough to "overpower" the cooling', says Schneider. " This effect is called "time delay"».

Will the shadows be longer on the solstice?

Today the shadows will be longer for those in the Northern Hemisphere because the sun will not rise high in the sky. The closer you are to the Arctic, the longer the shadows will be (and the shorter your day).

Why is the earliest sunset not on the shortest day?

Early sunsets do not depend on the solstice, but on the latitude of the area where you live or are located. According to EarthSky.org if you live in the southern states of the USA, the earliest sunsets in the area will be at the end of November. If you are in the north, then they will be around December 7th.

What does all this have to do with Stonehenge?

For over 4 thousand years stonehenge served for our ancestors sundial. The sun makes its annual movement in such a way that on the shortest day of the year, it sets just opposite the central part of Stonehenge, where it rose in midsummer, June 21st.

« Ancient structures that track the shift of the sun's position between the poles have been found all over the world. Stonehenge is one of the largest such structures, laid down perhaps 5,000 years ago.," Schneider said.