How long is the night of December 21st. What date is the shortest day and longest night. On the mystical power of a significant period

08.03.2020

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.

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.

The day of pagan worship 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.

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 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.

The girl sews on Anfisa, but the 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 child’s body, 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

There are two solstices in a year - winter and summer, on these days the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum.

The sun, on the day of the winter solstice, is at its lowest position above the horizon, in contrast to the summer solstice, when it is at its maximum.

This is the shortest day of the year - it will last a little less than seven hours, and the longest night and last as much as 17 hours. After the winter solstice, the day will slowly but surely increase, and the night will decrease.

Winter solstice

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere occurs on December 21 or 22 - astronomers consider this day the beginning of astronomical winter, from which everything is slowly but surely approaching summer.

The duration of the solar year does not coincide with calendar time, since the moment of the solstice shifts every year.

The winter solstice, since prehistoric times, has been celebrated as an extremely important event - in many cultures, this day celebrated the birth of the Sun, and the beginning of a new year.

The winter solstice, like the days of the summer solstice, spring and autumn equinoxes, is considered an important day in astrology - the Earth will get as close as possible to the Sun, which will also be located at the southern point of the ecliptic (an imaginary line along which the Sun moves among the stars during the year).

For ancient people who were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding, and naturally completely dependent on nature, the winter revival of the sun was a very important event.

Since ancient times, people have studied natural cycles and, realizing that it is impossible to change them, from year to year they learned to live in accordance with the natural cycle in order to achieve harmony.

Each nation, as you know, compiled its own calendar, in which important events were celebrated. Since important rituals and rituals were performed these days, barriers between the world of people and spirits were erased, which means that it became possible to communicate with the other world.

Being in close contact with nature, the ancient people were convinced that on the day of the winter solstice one can fulfill many cherished desires, radically change one's destiny, and even enlist the support of higher powers.

The holiday, according to tradition, began to be celebrated at night, before sunrise.

In different countries

The names of the holiday among different peoples, as well as the traditions of the celebration, were somewhat different. In pagan Europe, among the Germanic peoples, the winter solstice was called Yule - the holiday was a symbol of the mystery of the renewal of nature and the beginning of a new life.

On the night of the Yule holiday, as it was believed in ancient times, in Midgard (a world inhabited by people), all worlds converge, gods and goddesses descend to Earth, and trolls and elves talk to people.

Communicating with the Other World, people leave their bodies and temporarily join the riders of the Wild Hunt or become werewolves (werewolf) or other spirits.

On holidays, the Celts beautifully decorated their homes with spruce branches, which were hung over the main entrance, near interior partitions, in windows and by the fireplace. On this day, a ritual bonfire of oak logs was necessarily kindled, as if helping the birth of a new sun. And in the center of the house they put something round, symbolizing the luminary.

The birth of the sun god Mithra was celebrated on the winter solstice in Persia. According to tradition, he conquered winter and cleared the way for the coming spring.

In ancient China, it was believed that the male force of nature is growing stronger from this period and gives rise to a new cycle. The day of the winter solstice was considered a happy, successful day, which was worthily celebrated.

On the day of the winter solstice, everyone, from a commoner to an emperor, rested and had fun, laid large tables laden with various dishes, went to visit and gave gifts to each other.

On this special day, an important role was assigned to sacrifices to the ancestors and the god of Heaven, they performed appropriate ceremonies and rituals in order to protect themselves from diseases and evil spirits. The winter solstice is one of the traditional Chinese holidays so far.

Hindus call the winter solstice Sankranti. The holiday was celebrated the night before in the Sikh and Hindu communities - bonfires were lit, the flame of which resembled the rays of the Sun, which warm the earth after a cold winter.

The tradition of launching a burning wheel, symbolizing the solstice, existed in Scotland. To do this, the barrel was lubricated abundantly with resin, set on fire and let down the hill, the rotating movements of which resembled a fiery luminary.

Kolyada

Among the ancient Slavs, on December 21 - the day of the winter solstice, Kolyaden began - the first month of winter and the new year. On the same day, the Christmas of Kolyada, the incarnation of one of the main Slavic gods Dazhdbog (Dazhbog, Dazhbog), who embodied the Sun, was celebrated.

The Slavs celebrated Christmas and New Year, filled with fun, delicious food and magical rituals, for 21 days, thus trying to pass the cold dark winter.

They cooked kolivo for Christmas time - porridge with honey and raisins, and socheviki - sweet pies with cottage cheese and jam. Burning wheels were rolled on the streets and bonfires were lit to help the emerging winter sun, and the huts were decorated with dolls of the god Veles (the Slavic prototype of the modern Father Frost) and the Snow Maiden.

Carolers - young boys and girls, went from house to house and sang carols (ritual songs with wishes for well-being) and received treats as a reward.

The priests, on the first midnight of Kolyaden, sacrificed a duck, a piglet and other animals to Kolyada - all this was then present as a treat on Christmas tables.

As a gift to the owners of the forest, people hung bread on trees and poured sweet drinks on them - people believed that such actions would help to get a good harvest.

New clothes were put on at Christmas time and the best treats were put on the table for the family gathered together. On this day, they baked a cake that resembled the same Sun in shape. People believed that the way you celebrate the New Year is the way you will spend it. People glorified the supreme deity as best they could - they sang and danced a lot.

The tradition of giving gifts to close people was special, as they believed that it was impossible to skimp on gifts, so that the new year would endow with generosity.

Traditions and rituals

In the traditions of different peoples, the celebration of the winter solstice has much in common - the main place has always been occupied by the customs of commemoration, attempts to win the favor of the forces that visited the world on the darkest night.

Many rituals of antiquity associated with the winter solstice have survived to this day. So, the New Year tree became the "heiress" of the main attribute of Yule - a decorated tree, symbolizing life.

The tradition of giving gifts, carols and treats on holy days reflect the ceremonies of sacrifice, and the bonfires, which were designed to protect and help in communication with spirits and mysterious forces, personify New Year's lights.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

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”.

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).

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 2017, the shortest day (winter solstice) will be December 21st. However, this date almost never changes. The only exception is a leap year, then the winter solstice is shifted to December 22. Since 2017 is not a leap year, this shift will not occur. This means that the date of the winter solstice 2017 is December 21st.

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 warmth. 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 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 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.

How long is the night of December 21st. What date is the shortest day and longest night. On the mystical power of a significant period

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

Day of the winter solstice among the ancient Slavs

Winter Solstice in Other Nations

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

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.

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2017

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2018

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2019

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2020

Winter solstice

In different countries

Kolyada

Traditions and rituals

When will be the shortest day and longest night in 2019?

What is the longest night?

How long is the longest night of the year?

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