The shortest day of the year: on the solstice, new life begins. The longest night of the year Which day will the night be longest
Any of us has noticed more than once that in winter the Sun rises later and sets much earlier than in summer. The days at this time are the shortest for the whole year, but there is one day among them that is shorter than all the others.
What number is it? How long does it last? And why does it happen? The answers to these questions are simple and have been known for a long time. The reason for the shortest day is a natural phenomenon called the winter solstice.
What is a solstice?
The solstice is understood as an event during which the Sun passes through the points of the section of the celestial sphere, as far as possible from its equator. In other words, the shortest day falls on the moment when the angle of deviation of its axis from the Sun acquires the greatest value.
In simple terms, with the onset of autumn, the Sun sets lower and lower towards the horizon, and the day is getting shorter. Over time, it reaches its lowest point, stops above the horizon, and then begins to rise. The day when the Sun is at its lowest point is the shortest.
Since ancient times, this event was considered the most important milestone in the annual cycle and played a significant role in people's lives. Many nationalities, on the basis of the solstice, compiled annual calendars, held holidays and feasts. 
In Russia, the shortest day was celebrated with the celebration of the Solstice, which, according to the ideas of the ancient Slavs, was the birthday of the Sun.
When is the solstice?
In general, the solstice occurs 2 times a year - in winter and summer, but if in winter we observe the shortest day, then in summer it is the longest. At the summer solstice, the height of the rise of our star becomes the highest, and the angle of the planet's axis of rotation takes on the smallest value.
That is, if by winter the Sun drops to its lowest point, and then rises above the horizon again, then by summer, on the contrary, it reaches its highest point, and then begins to sink. The timing of this event varies by hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is in December and the summer solstice is in July. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true.
What is the shortest day of the year?
The winter solstice can fall on different dates: in the northern hemisphere - on December 21 or 22, in the southern - on July 20 or 21. It all depends on the shift of the calendar and on the type of year - ordinary or leap year. 
For the first time, the date of the shortest day was established in 45 BC by the commander Julius Caesar. Then the astronomical event took place on December 25th.
Over the past two thousand years, this date has changed several times, since every 400 years the solstice shifts by about 3 days. In particular, by the 16th century, the Sun was the lowest above the horizon on December 12, that is, the difference with the original date was 13 days.
At the end of the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII decided to bring the civil and seasonal calendar into line. He invalidated the 10-day shift that occurred from the 4th to the 17th century, but did not take into account the 3-day shift that occurred from 45 BC until the 4th century. As a result, according to the Julian calendar, the winter solstice began to be celebrated on December 21–22.
How long is the shortest day?
The length of the day at the winter solstice varies with latitude. It is generally accepted that in the central regions of the northern hemisphere it lasts 5 hours and 53 minutes. In different parts of the world, this figure can vary significantly.
For example, in areas located on the equator, the day is almost equal to the night. In the region of the Arabian Peninsula, it lasts about 11 hours, and in Moscow - about 6 hours and 56 minutes. 
In regions located in the northern Arctic, the Sun may not rise above the horizon at all, that is, during this period there is a polar night. In areas located beyond the Antarctic Circle, everything happens the other way around - on December 21, the polar day reigns there, and the Sun does not set throughout the day.
Thus, the closer to the equator in the northern hemisphere, the longer the shortest day, and the closer to the equator in the southern hemisphere, the shorter it is.
Undoubtedly, each of us at least once, but was interested in the question of which Answer has long been known and does not require any proof. Such a phenomenon in science is called the winter solstice. This is the time when noon is minimum.
The winter solstice occurs exclusively in the planets
21, and sometimes 22 December. The length of such a day is only five hours and another fifty-three minutes, after which it gradually begins to grow.
The shortest day of the year was noticed a long time ago. It was on this day that they judged the future harvest: frost on the trees - to be a rich harvest. In Russia, a rather interesting ceremony was held on the day of the solstice. A man who was responsible for the battle of the monastery clock came to bow to the king. He informed Vladyka that from that moment on the sun turned to summer and, naturally, the day was getting longer and the night was getting shorter. For such good news, the king gave money.
When the ancient Slavs celebrated the shortest day of the year, they
New Year's Eve was celebrated according to a pagan rite. The main attribute of the celebration was a ritual bonfire, which depicted the sun and invoked its light.
In ancient China, the inhabitants believed that it was on the shortest day of the year that a new cycle began. Therefore, this time was considered the happiest, it must be celebrated. Emperors traveled outside the city to conduct solemn and important rituals of sacrifice to Heaven, and ordinary people made sacrifices to their ancestors.
Now some people are also serious about the winter solstice. On the shortest day of the year, it is advisable to limit yourself in dealing with unpleasant people, not to engage in everyday burdensome business. It is best to devote this day to entertainment, spend it with people dear to your heart in order to make relationships stronger.
The solstice in winter is the natural New Year. The days that are before this period are the best for changing your destiny, rebirth. Our ancestors attached special importance to this time. It was believed that three days before and after the day of the solstice is a time charged with strong energy. It is on these days that it is necessary to get rid of everything unnecessary, old, useless in life, character, your home and even in your soul. It is necessary to put things in order, carry out a “cleansing” and make room for new important things, accomplishments that will definitely happen in the New Year.
After reading the article, you will not only learn which day is the shortest, but also what is important to do at this time in order to change your life.
Very important on this day
third the awakening of the sun and congratulate him on his new birth. It is impossible to find a more favorable period in order to make plans for the next year, make a wish and dream of a brighter future. And thanks to the natural rhythms of mother nature, all this will acquire special power.
The main thing on this day is the understanding that a new round is beginning. This is an unusual day, and you cannot live it like everyone else. If you put a little more effort into it, let your creativity manifest, then boundless happiness and joy of life will surely appear in your soul.
Everyone knows that during the solstice, the height of the celestial body above the horizon is maximum or minimum exactly at noon, at this moment we have the maximum duration of the day or night. There are only two solstices a year, this is in winter and summer, when the shortest day and longest night are celebrated.
Since ancient times, people have revered the sun and watched it, with the winter solstice there are various beliefs to this day. For example, they judged the future harvest by it.
When will be the shortest day and longest night in 2019?
In the future 2019, from the twenty-first (21.12) to the twenty-second (22.12) of December, therefore, this day will be the shortest day, that is, the twenty-first of December (21.12) (the duration of which is one minute to seven hours).
What is the longest night?
On the longest night, darkness prevails and seems like a total gloom. The Slavs believed that this was the victory of darkness over light, but with the dawn, light won. It was at this time that various ceremonies and rituals were carried out since ancient times, since it is considered the most favorable for changing oneself for the better. Also, the British believed that on this night you need to joke and laugh a lot, because they believed that by voicing the problems, after the “Merry Night” they would definitely be solved.
How long is the longest night of the year?
Seventeen hours and one minute is the length of the longest night of the year (17 hours 1 minute).
In 2012, the most impressionable part of humanity was expecting the end of the world - the Mayan calendar was ending.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year took on mystical significance. The ancient priests knew the astronomical phenomenon of the solstice, although they could not fully understand its causes.
Time of day, seasons
The complex astronomical system of which the Earth is a part is unique. It has been established that such concepts as "day" and "night" are unknown for most planets outside the solar system. Large clusters of stars, typical of the center of the Galaxy, do not leave planets and space objects that revolve around them without light radiation. At any point on our planet, when the Sun falls below 18 ° below the horizon, astronomical night sets in.
The life of an ancient person directly depended on nature, on its state, on the change of seasons. He quickly established a pattern in the movement of the luminary during the year, the dependence of the duration of favorable periods for agriculture on In the middle and high northern latitudes, where the lack of natural light is especially noticeable, the longest night of the year meant that the darkest time of the year had passed and the sun would be a little longer linger in the sky.
Equinox and Solstice
Solstice - the period when the direction of the daily change of the highest point above the horizon, which the luminary reaches in the middle of the day, between sunrise and sunset, changes. Such a change - rise or fall - is uneven, it slows down for several days, when it seems that the sun at noon reaches almost the same height above the horizon. Hence the name of the solstice days.
Winter and spring in the Northern Hemisphere is the time when this climax rises higher and higher every day. Day and night become equal in duration on the day of the vernal equinox (around March 20), which means the onset of astronomical spring. The rise of the midday point reaches its apogee on June 20-21, and the reverse process begins.
Around September 22, the equinox marks the beginning of autumn in terms of the movement of the Sun and Earth. With each one, it becomes a few minutes shorter, until the longest night of the year arrives - the day of the winter solstice, the beginning of astronomical winter.
Tilt of the earth's axis
For each specific point on the surface of the globe, there are their own time and seasonal periods. The change in the times of day and annual temperature cycles is affected by the revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the rotation of the planet around its axis. In this case, the axis of rotation is inclined by 23.5°. Because of this, less direct sunlight falls on the surface of the Northern Hemisphere, and they do not reach the northern polar regions for a long time at all, and in winter polar night sets in there.
At zero latitude - at the earth's equator - the longitude of the day is approximately the same throughout the year and is about 12 hours. In the Southern Hemisphere, the duration of daylight hours has an inverse relationship with the time of year: from the last days of September to the end of March, it is more than 12 hours, and less in spring and summer. The longest night of the year in southern latitudes falls on June 22.
Instruments and tables
Determining the length of day and night has always seemed important for planning the economic activities of people. Even in the Middle Ages, special devices appeared, and data on the length of the time of day were published in calendars and calendars. From them it was always possible to determine how long the shortest day lasts. Different systems of chronology adopted in different cultures, calendar reforms, correction of the discrepancy between astronomical and civil time led to the fact that the day of the winter solstice differed annually in date.
Today there is world time, in most European and American countries the Gregorian calendar operates, so you can find out what date is the longest night in the right area of \u200b\u200bthe planet using special tables. So, in 2016, the winter solstice is on December 21, at 10 hours 44 minutes. The duration of the night on this day is 17 hours.
Traditions and rituals
Since the Neolithic, the days of the solstice have found expression in the rituals and buildings of different peoples. The stones of the famous Stonehenge are exposed in such a way as to indicate the position of the sun on the day that marks the beginning of astronomical winter.
In northern latitudes, there was a long waiting period for spring, often the most difficult time of the year. Livestock had to be slaughtered, because the beer and wine harvested in the autumn were disappearing. The beginning of winter was accompanied by holidays. The Slavs - Kolyada, the Solstice, the Germans celebrated Yodl on the day of the longest night.
People saw the important meaning of this day in the fact that the longest night has passed, the day will begin to increase, which means that there is hope for the revival of nature, faith in endless life. It is no coincidence that the holiday of the Nativity of Christ has a binding to the day.
"The sun - for the summer, winter - for the frost!"
Proverb
On December 21 at 21:11 (Moscow time), the earth's axis will deviate to the maximum angle with respect to the Sun, which means that the northern hemisphere, which is farthest from the center of our system, will receive the least amount of light. In Moscow, the day will last about 7 hours, in St. Petersburg - less than 6 hours, and beyond the Arctic Circle there will be twilight even at noon. This is the winter solstice, after which astronomical winter begins.
People noticed this phenomenon in ancient times and noted its importance. Such well-known Paleolithic sites as Stonehenge and Newgrange are oriented to the summer and winter solstice, respectively. Located in Ireland, Newgrange is a mound, at the base of which huge boulders are set. It was both a burial ground and a religious building with an altar, to which a narrow corridor leads. Within a few days before and after the winter solstice, the rays of the celestial body pull out the dark corners of the underground chamber from the darkness for only 15-20 minutes.
Photo: http://www.knowth.eu/newgrange-aerial.htm
For primitive communities, this day marked the beginning of the most difficult time of the year, when nature did not give any food, and you could only rely on your own supplies. B about Most of the cattle went under the knife due to lack of fodder. At the same time, young wine was ripening. Before tightening their belts, our ancestors were not averse to feasting.
The reason for the celebration was the birth of a new luminary at a time when the forces of darkness are ready to triumph and plunge the earth into chaos.
The solstices were the central events in the life of peoples who worshiped the Sun as one of the supreme deities. In Egypt, Amon-Ra was revered, the Incas called themselves "sons of the Sun", in Babylon, the sun god Shamash was dedicated to resurrection (cf. English. Sunday(resurrection), lit. "day of the sun"). Greco-Roman agrarian and solar holidays had a huge influence on the formation of modern Christmas and New Year traditions.
In the second half of December, celebrations were held in Rome in honor of the god of the earth and fertility, Saturn (by the way, Saturday was dedicated to him, Sturday). People believed that when he was an earthly ruler, his subjects did not know poverty, inequality, slavery and wars. The Saturnalia restored the Golden Age for a short time. For a short time, the slave was equalized with the master, the criminals received a mitigation of the sentence, and debts were paid. Rural work ended, people sought to complete other things.
Many of the customs of this period are inextricably linked with the advent of the new year. Some peoples celebrated the new year on the first new moon after the winter solstice. Julius Caesar tied the beginning of the next year to January 1, which in 45 BC. coincided with the first new moon. The month of January bore the name of the Roman god Janus, with an ancient face turned to the past, and young to the future. He was revered as a divine gatekeeper, unlocking and locking the doors between eras.
It was believed that with every change of seasons, passages to other worlds opened. The souls of dead ancestors could visit the world of the living. They should have been met and adequately received with memorial meals and prayers. Thus, funeral dishes appeared on the festive table, in the Russian tradition - sochivo.
At the same time, dark forces could also leave their possessions and roam the earth in search of lonely and defenseless victims. For this reason, people at that time were supposed to stick together and defend themselves from evil spirits.
They defended themselves with the help of disguise and masks (it was assumed that hostile spirits either did not recognize a yut a person, or they consider that the place is already occupied by other evil spirits), with the help of various amulets (ritual figures were exhibited in certain places, doors and corners of the house were decorated with branches of sacred trees and wreaths from them). Fire was considered the most effective method of protection.
If the darkness that prevails in December makes us, modern residents, who have electricity in their houses and on the streets, sad, what about those who had only an oil lamp and a torch? Light, the soul asks for light! Bonfires, candles, torches, fiery performances pleased the eye on an impenetrable night and gave a signal to the sun to return.
The Germanic peoples called this holiday Yule (in different languages Yule, Joll, Joel or Yuil), the Slavic peoples called it differently, for example, Kolyada. It began with the appearance of the first star in the sky and lasted 12 days. The duration is probably related to the lunar cycles. There are 29 days in a lunar month (and 30 every 2 months), which is almost 12 days (11 with 1/4) less than in a solar year. This difference was considered "no one's" time, unsuitable for business.
Fire on Yule was not spared. All 12 days, a Yule log, which represented the world tree, smoldered in the hearth. It was lit from a piece of last year's log, which helped to link the times. Eastern Slavs burned a log stump and rolled around the village. To roll it back into the fire burning meant to guarantee the welfare and prosperity of the entire settlement in the coming year. Among the southern Slavs, such a block was called a badnyak. Sometimes a beard was attached to him - the badnyak embodied the old year, giving way to the young.
The holiday on the Twelfth Night ends with a blazing bonfire, round dance and performances. Like, for example, at Hogmanay in Scotland. Formally, he sees off the last day of the year and is celebrated on December 31 with fireworks, a torchlight procession and concerts. Be sure to perform a song reworked from a folk ballad by the beloved Scots poet Robert Burns (XVIII century), whose birthday on December 25 is celebrated with a feast with traditional dishes.
Holly (holly), ivy and mistletoe were other traditional elements of late December. They have been used for decoration since the Saturnalia. Ideas about the miraculous power of mistletoe have been going on since ancient times. For the Romans, she personified life and contributed to conception. For the Scandinavians, it was a symbol of peace. Enemies who met under the mistletoe had to make peace. This custom has passed into the modern tradition of kissing under the mistletoe: the young Harry Potter kissed the girl under the mistletoe for the first time at the Yule Ball.
Holly is known not only for its decorative effect, but also for a number of useful properties. Medicinal drinks are made from some varieties. In addition, the shrub is an excellent hedge. For the Druids, he personified the sun. It was customary for them to decorate their houses during the darkest time of the year to protect them from hostile spirits.
Yule has its guards. In Iceland, for example, it is for some reason a cat. It was believed that by the holiday one should have time to process all the sheared wool and make clothes from it. The Yule cat walked around and checked for new clothes. From lazy idlers, that is, from those who had nothing, the “terrible beast” took away a festive dinner; or ate the lazy one himself.
A goat or a goat has long been associated with the end of December, since the winter solstice was previously in the constellation of Capricorn (now it has shifted to the constellation of Sagittarius). The Finnish Santa Claus is called Joulupukki, which means "Yule goat". The Germanic, Slavic and Scandinavian peoples had a similar custom of "driving a goat". The young men put on a fur coat turned inside out, a horned mask, went from house to house, playing performances and joking with the owners. The goat teased the girls, caressed the children, then suddenly “died” and “resurrected” only after a treat. All this symbolized the eternal renewal of nature.
The festival timelessness of the solstice (both winter and summer) abolished behavioral norms and allowed ritual excesses. So, some "goat" songs and performances had a frivolous content - for the sake of increasing fertility. Depicting rampant evil spirits, young guys could overturn carts, break fences, steal inventory, etc. On Epiphany (the 12th night of Yule), a “bean king” was elected - a man who found a bean in his piece of pie became a clownish ruler and gave ridiculous orders to his “subjects”.