When are the shortest and longest nights of the year? The answer to this question is simple and has been known to many since ancient times.
The longest daylight hours (it is also accompanied by the shortest night of the year) and the shortest have their scientific name and are designated by the term "solstice".
It has long been important in the annual cycle of time. Due to the fact that astronomical phenomena have always governed the way of life of people, many peoples in their own cultures have developed traditional customs, rituals and holidays associated with such days.
In modern life, the duration of the solstice (summer and winter) can be calculated with an accuracy of one minute for several years in advance.
When is the shortest night of the year? You can learn about traditions, rites associated with such specific astrological phenomena (solstice and the shortest night), as well as the dates themselves, from this article.
Solstice types, traditions
During periods of solstices on planet Earth, the longest and shortest light days are observed.
In winter, the solstice in the northern hemisphere occurs on December 21 or 22. The length of the daylight at the same time is 5 hours 53 minutes. And, of course, the longest night falls on the same date. Then the length of the day begins to grow.
On one of three days, from June 20 to 22, the summer solstice is observed (then the shortest night of the year comes), lasting 17 hours and 33 minutes. After this, a gradual shortening of daylight hours and an extension of the night period occurs.
Various interesting traditions are associated with the above natural events. In former times, Kolyada holiday was popular in Russia and in some of the countries of the near abroad . It was dedicated to the shortest day and was dedicated to Christmas time and Christmas.
Historians claim that even the ancient Egyptians who built the giant pyramids once knew about the longest day. This is evidenced by the fact that the highest of them are located so that the sun set on that day precisely between them (this phenomenon becomes visible when you look at these buildings from the Sphinx).
What happens during the longest and shortest days of the year?
All people notice that with the arrival of spring, the sun rises higher and higher above the horizon at noon and every day it later leaves the sky in the evening. At the beginning of summer, it reaches its highest point - this is the summer solstice.
The date of this phenomenon depends on the hemisphere of the Earth and the year (whether it is a leap year or not).
On June 20, the summer solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, if the year is a leap year, and on June 21, if the year is 365 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest day in a leap year is December 22, and December 21 in a normal year.
And what date is the shortest night? The answer is simple. It comes after the solstice.
Ivan Kupala Day
According to ancient Slavic beliefs, this time is magical: the strengths of all useful plants multiply, the narrowed girls appear in dreams and visions.
Before this time, swimming was forbidden. It was believed that devils were sitting in the waters. And during the period of summer standing, they left the water until the very beginning of August.
But the time came when these pagan traditions were supplanted by the Christian, and this ancient holiday received a different name - the day of John the Baptist. But since John baptized by dipping into water, he began to be called the day of Ivan Kupala (this is the shortest night in the summer). This holiday has taken root well and reached the present.
The night on Ivan Kupala among the Slavs is considered magical, magical. On this night, people wonder, jump over the fire (cleansing by fire), collect healing herbs. An important attribute on this day is mass bathing.
So how long is the shortest night of the year? 6 hours 26 minutes.
According to the old calendar, the summer solstice day and the famous day of Ivan Kupala coincided, but now (in a new style) this holiday has moved to July 7th.
Winter Solstice, celebration
Day gradually begins to decline after the summer solstice. Slowly, the sun reaches its lowest point of rise.
The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere occurs on December 21 or 22 (depending on the year), and in the Southern, on June 20 or 21, respectively. And again, after the longest night, the countdown begins.
Even in ancient times, the winter solstice was celebrated . Before a long winter, people slaughtered all the cattle and had a feast. Then this day received the following meaning - the awakening of life.
This holiday is the largest and most famous among the German peoples, the medieval Yule. On the night after which the luminary gradually rises higher and higher, they burned bonfires in the fields, consecrated plants (trees) and crops, boiled cider.
And the shortest night of the year, respectively, occurs six months after these events.
In today's world, these significant dates do not matter as much as our ancestors had before. However, modern pagans continue to consider them holidays and will certainly celebrate, as was customary in antiquity.