The winter solstice is celebrated on December 21 or 22, depending on the year.
This astronomical event, currently the most interesting to astronomers, was considered in ancient times one of the important in the annual cycle along with three other equally significant astronomical phenomena: the days of the summer solstice, spring and autumn equinox. The position of the sun has always been sacred in pagan cultures. Four events related to the position of the Sun, as a rule, were associated with rituals related to agriculture and cattle breeding: harvesting, sowing, mating livestock, forecasts for harvest and weather, etc.
The winter solstice was most often associated with rebirth, as it marked the beginning of daylight hours and the reduction of dark time of day. It is no coincidence that in the cultures of different peoples on the eve of the winter solstice, as well as directly on this day, actions of a ritual sacred nature were performed, holidays were held that could not be done without fires and fire.
Many archaeological sites of antiquity were oriented relative to the position of the Sun at solstice. Among such monuments are the world famous Stonehenge in Great Britain, Newgrange in Ireland, etc.
In essence, the winter solstice – is an astronomical phenomenon characterized by the fact that the Sun is at the lowest (southern) (for the Northern Hemisphere) point of its ecliptic, and the duration of daylight is the shortest of the year, while the duration of dark time of day reaches its highest. In the Southern Hemisphere, this event is called the summer solstice. The sun holds its altitude for several days, remaining at this level.
The date of the winter solstice, set by Julius Caesar for December 25, was steadily shifting due to the discrepancy between the tropical and calendar years. The Gregorian calendar corrected this provision, although it is believed that the date will still shift by 1 day over 3000 years.
It is believed that real astronomical winter begins on the day of the winter solstice. However, this event gives hope, since the dark days gradually recede under the onslaught of the light of the Sun, which every day rises higher above the horizon, endowing the earth with light and heat, and marking the beginning of the path to spring and the awakening of nature from winter sleep.
Infographics – poster «Winter Solstice Day»