Short and long day of the year. The shortest day of the year: a new life begins at the solstice What does all this have to do with Stonehenge

11.03.2020

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 day of the winter solstice for different peoples of the 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 of 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 Saint 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 Novy Urengoy 2 43 17 Salekhard 2 13 18 Kandalaksha 1 13 19 Murmansk, polar night from December 2 to 11 January 20 Vorkuta, polar night from December 17 to December 27 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 a difference in daylight hours of 9 hours! 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.

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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 annually, since the duration of the solar year does not coincide with calendar time.

In 2017, the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 19.28 Moscow time.

The sun, moving along the ecliptic, at this moment will reach the most distant position from the celestial equator towards the South Pole of the world. Astronomical winter will come in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

On this day, at the latitude of Moscow, the Sun rises above the horizon to a height of less than 11 degrees.

In these December days, beyond the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees north latitude), the polar night sets in, which does not necessarily mean complete darkness throughout the day. Its main feature is that the Sun does not rise above 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. A completely different picture in the region of the South Pole of the Earth - in Antarctica at this time the day lasts around the clock.

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.

For thousands of years, the winter solstice has been of great importance for all the peoples of our planet, who lived in harmony with natural cycles and organized their lives in accordance with them. Since ancient times, people have revered the Sun, realizing that their life on earth depends on its light and heat. For them, the winter solstice represented the victory of light over darkness.

So, in Russian folklore, a proverb is dedicated to this day: the sun - for the summer, winter - for the frost. Now the day will gradually increase, and the night will decrease. The winter solstice was used to judge the future harvest. In the old days, on this day they noticed: frost on the trees - to a rich harvest of grain.

In the 16th century in Russia, 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.

In Europe, these days began a 12-day cycle of pagan festivities dedicated to the winter solstice, which marked the beginning of a new life and the renewal of nature.

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 this time on, 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 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.

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

After the longest night of the year, which lasts about 17 hours, a real astronomical winter will come. The sun will descend as much as possible into the southern hemisphere of the sky, that is, moving along the ecliptic, it will reach its lowest declination. The longitude of the day at the latitude of Moscow will be 7 hours. The sun crosses the 18 hour meridian and begins to rise up the ecliptic. This means that after crossing the celestial equator, the luminary will begin its journey to the spring equinox.

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

The winter solstice has been observed since ancient times. So, in Russian folklore, a proverb is dedicated to this day: the sun - for the summer, winter - for the frost. Now the day will gradually increase, and the night will decrease. According to the winter solstice, they judged the future harvest: frost on the trees - to a rich harvest of grain.

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, the underground god who commands frost, an evil spirit, takes his power. 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 the daytime to 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

In Europe, these days began a 12-day cycle of pagan festivities dedicated to the winter solstice, which marked the beginning of a new life and the renewal of nature.

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 this day, Saint Anfisa of Rome is commemorated, who suffered for the Christian faith in the 5th century. Anfisa was the wife of a Roman dignitary and professed Christianity (according to legend, she was baptized by St. Ambrose of Milan, whose memory is celebrated the day before). Once the wife of the mayor suggested that she accept Arian baptism (the Arian doctrine denied the unity of God the Father and Jesus Christ). Anfisa refused and, on the woman's slander, was burned at the stake.

On Anfisa, all girls in Russia 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 a real 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 - the day of the 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

spring equinox - March 2010:29
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

A person is able to influence many processes, however, he cannot touch natural cycles - the lunar day will not change at his request, and if the moon is waning, no one will force it to grow. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to adapt to the change in the cycles of nature, and to derive considerable benefit from this.

Our ancestors constantly entrusted their destinies to various astronomical events, and the winter solstice was no exception. However, what is a solstice? This is an astronomical event when the celestial body familiar to us occupies the highest (or lowest) point in relation to the horizon.

As it becomes clear, such an event directly affects the duration of the "white day" - it lasts the minimum or maximum number of hours and minutes in a year. By the coming, winter solstice, we attribute the minimum amount of time that a day will last.

This holiday was celebrated by the ancient Celts, who honored it no less than other significant festivals. On this day, the dwellings were distinguished by a special decoration, and one of the main attributes of the winter solstice was spruce branches - they were laid out and hung around the house.

A certain symbol of the heavenly body was obligatory - the sun, the role of which was played by something round, yellow or orange. When the "old" sun set over the horizon, people kindled ritual bonfires - they were called to help the new sun in order to maintain its strength and "glow".

The Eastern Slavs celebrated an important holiday during the winter solstice - Kolyada, which in Slavic mythology is the god of the new sun. They began to honor him the next day after the winter solstice - this was the Slavic New Year.

Literally in three days, on the twenty-first of December, the next solar year will end, and on the twenty-second of December we will see a “renewed” heavenly body. This is the best time to carry out ceremonies and rituals, meditations, fortune-telling, make wishes and clean up - not only in your home, but, first of all, inside yourself, in your mind.

The day of the winter solstice carries a special magic, and this magic must certainly be used to your advantage. There are several well-established rituals.

You do not need to dedicate anyone to the fact that you are going to conduct this ritual. On the day the sun stands, you need to go to the market or to the store and buy a seed there - it can be anything. You bring the seed home, put it in a very damp cloth and whisper special words:

Then we put the seed in a pot of earth, or just a glass of water. For seven days in a row, the earth needs to be watered little by little, and then it needs to be done every month during the full moon, the Rosregistr portal reports. In the spring, under any dry tree, we dig a hole and place our seed there together with the earth - even if it has already sprouted.

After such a ritual, within a month, our intention will certainly begin to come true.

Do you know what a cherished desire is? No, this is not at all what a person desires with all his heart and is ready to fulfill any conditions for the implementation of his plans .... The cherished desire is called that because it has never been spoken aloud. What you have said at least once is no longer considered “cherished”.

The ritual is as follows.

We rewrite on a piece of paper what you consider your cherished desire (silently). We turn the parchment into a tube, and light a thick candle. Prepare a container in advance, over which you will hold a burning leaf with a desire. We set fire to the sacred, and say:

After that, we give a leaf with a desire to burn out completely, and collect the ashes in a bag. Waiting for the appropriate weather: a strong wind or a blizzard - then the collected ashes are launched “downwind”.

Since ancient times, people have believed that at this time you can attract many positive changes in your life in terms of material wealth and well-being.

After reading this article, you can find out what is the longest and shortest night of the year.

People of many nationalities believed in the unusual mystical power of the solstice time. This magical period, according to many, is characterized by the incredible strength of its energy and is marked by the longest night.

Before we know which night is the longest of the year, let us briefly consider what this time represented for people who lived in former ages.

General information from history

In Russia, since the 18th century, a rather interesting rite has been associated with this day (winter solstice). The elder of the bell-ringers of the Moscow cathedral, who was in charge of the clock, came to bow to the tsar. On this day, he reported to the ruler that the sun had turned to the summer, the day was slowly beginning to increase, and the night was going to decrease. The king, in turn, rewarded the headman with money for such good news.

December 22 can be called the New Year, but natural. Sun at 9:11 p.m. December 21, Moscow time, falls as much as possible into the southern hemisphere, thus, astronomical winter sets in. At the latitude of Moscow, the day length is 6 hours 56 minutes.

Quite a long dark from 21 to 22 December. The sun sets the lowest after just such a night - on the day of the winter solstice. It is also called the solstice.

In everyday life, this phenomenon is imperceptible to people, but it is perfectly demonstrated in special images taken by astronomers. The sun is photographed at the same time all year round, then all the images are combined into one image. It shows an analemma - a bizarre trajectory of a change in the location of a star in the sky. It represents the shape of a figure eight, on which the very edge of the lower loop corresponds to the solstice. So, the longest night is from December 21 to 22.

After this "New Year" the day gradually begins to increase until it is equal in duration to the night, and this is the day of the vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20th. Then (June 21) comes the summer solstice, when the day is the longest, but the night is the shortest.

Most fun night

The longest night of the year (the number is given above) is also the most fun for many peoples.

The ancient peoples of Great Britain many centuries ago tried to joke a lot, laugh and have fun on this night. People believed that the problems voiced in the form of jokes that night would definitely be positively resolved soon. They were sure that the more fun during this period, the more successful the coming year will be.

On the mystical power of a significant period

The longest night of the year in the view of many peoples has mystical power. It has long been believed that the solstice is a significant day. During this period, there is a revival of all the brightest, and the subsequent addition of hours of daylight hours marks the victory of light over darkness.

The meeting of this significant time always took place in a special way: folk holidays were timed to coincide with it. The Celts, for example, during this period celebrated Yule (analogous to the New Year). Slavic peoples on the day of the solstice revered Karachun (the deity of cold and darkness, the lord of winter).

According to the beliefs of the Slavs, on this night, darkness conquers light, and with the advent of a new morning, everything ends happily. With the victory of light comes the renewal of the world, victory triumphs over evil.

In the cultures of different peoples, the time of the winter solstice (the longest night of the year) was considered the most favorable for various rituals and rituals. Many of them, which came from antiquity, can be applied now, since the strength of the longest night of the year has not diminished over time, and people, as before, always have a desire to change themselves and their lives for the better.

The energy of the transition from darkness to light (renewal) helps to get rid of everything unnecessary and attract the desired.

Ritual for getting rid of problems

When the longest night of the year passes, it becomes possible to experience the beneficial effects of the solstice for yourself.

Rites are especially effective at such a time (energetically saturated) as the day of the solstice. You should take advantage of this opportunity, because such a period happens only 2 times a year.

The ritual for getting rid of various problems is especially relevant, due to the fact that the solstice occurs almost before the New Year. Everyone wants to move into a new stage of life, leaving failures and difficulties behind. And it is precisely such a period that can help in this: the energy message sent to the Universe during the ritual is a reliable tool in solving problems.

It is necessary to carry out the ceremony in solitude, after the sun has gone beyond the horizon. What is it? You should light a candle and, peering into the fire, think about the troubles and problems that interfere with life and which you want to get rid of. At the same time, say the following words: “I drive away darkness with fire, I save myself from oppression. The night will pass - it will take away my problems with it. As the day increases, my life will be filled with happiness. To be this."

After these words, the candle should burn for some time in a safe place, and before going to bed it should be extinguished and the ritual completed with the following words: "Let everything that you wish come true."

Conclusion

December 22 is such a long night! It can help to do many important things: to meet, make up, think over and make wishes, analyze the past and think about the future...