Since ancient times, people have believed that at this time they can attract many positive changes into their lives in terms of material wealth and well-being.
After reading this article, you can find out what the longest and shortest night of the year is.
People of many nationalities believed in the unusual mystical power of the solstice. This magical period, according to many, is characterized by the incredible strength of its energy and is marked by the longest night.
Before we find out which night is the longest of the year, let's take a brief look at what this time represented for people who lived in previous centuries.
General information from history
In Rus', since the 18th century, a rather interesting ritual has been associated with this day (winter solstice). The head of the Moscow Cathedral bell ringers, who was responsible for striking the clock, came to bow to the Tsar. On this day, he reported to the ruler that the sun had turned for summer, the day was slowly beginning to increase, and the night was decreasing. The king, in turn, rewarded the elder with money for such good news.
December 22 can be called New Year, but natural. Sun at 21 hours 11 minutes. Moscow time on December 21, it descends to its maximum in the southern hemisphere, thus astronomical winter begins. At the latitude of Moscow, the length of daylight hours is 6 hours 56 minutes.
It is dark for quite a long time from December 21 to 22. The Sun sets lowest after such a night - on the day of the winter solstice. It is also called the solstice.
In everyday life, this phenomenon is invisible to people, but it is perfectly demonstrated in special photographs 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 changes in the location of the star in the sky. It is shaped like a figure eight, with the very edge of the bottom loop corresponding 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 length to the night, and this is the day of the vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20. Then (June 21) comes the summer solstice, when the day becomes the longest, but the night is shortest.
The most fun night
The longest night of the year (the number is presented above) for many peoples is also the most fun.
The ancient peoples of Great Britain, many centuries ago, tried to joke, laugh and have fun a lot on this night. People believed that the problems voiced in the form of jokes that night would definitely be resolved positively soon. They were sure that the more fun they had during this period, the luckier the coming year would be.
About the mystical power of a significant period
The longest night of the year, in the minds of many peoples, has mystical powers. It has long been believed that the solstice is a significant day. During this period, there is a revival of all that is bright, and the subsequent addition of hours of daylight marks the victory of light over darkness.
This significant time was always celebrated in a special way: folk holidays were timed to coincide with it. The Celts, for example, celebrated Yule (analogous to the New Year) during this period. On the day of the solstice, the Slavic peoples revered Karachun (the deity of cold and darkness, the lord of winter).
According to Slavic beliefs, on this night darkness conquers light, and with the arrival 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 nations, the time of the winter solstice (the longest night of the year) was considered the most favorable for performing various rituals and ceremonies. Many of them, which came from antiquity, can be applied now, since the power of the longest night of the year has not diminished over time, and people, as before, always have the 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 what you want.
Ritual to get rid of problems
When the longest night of the year passes, it becomes possible to experience the beneficial effects of the solstice for yourself.
Rituals are celebrated with particular effectiveness at such a time (energy-saturated) as the solstice day. You should take advantage of this opportunity, because such a period occurs 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 this period that can help in this: the energy message sent to the Universe during the ritual is a reliable means of solving problems.
The ritual must be performed in solitude, after the Sun goes below the horizon. What is it? You should light a candle and, peering into the fire, think about the troubles and problems that interfere with your life and that you want to get rid of. At the same time, say the following words: “I drive away the darkness with fire, I rid myself of oppression. The night will pass and it will take 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 should be completed with the following words: “Let everything you wish come true.”
Conclusion
December 22 is such a long night! It can help you do many important things: meet, make peace, think and make wishes, analyze the past and think about the future...
December 21 is the winter solstice! What do you need to know and how to prepare? The winter solstice is the beginning of astronomical winter. The shortest day and longest night of the year. But this is not a reason to hibernate. This time is favorable for letting go of the past with gratitude and choosing where to move forward.
Nature lives according to its own special cycles. Man is unable to change these cycles, for example, to force the lunar days to change places, the moon to wax while it wanes. But you can adapt to all the changes in nature, to each of the cycles, which will help you start living in harmony with the universe.
Ancient people actively used this knowledge in practice. Each nation developed its own calendar of important events. The key position in this calendar was occupied by the solstice.
Winter Solstice Day: what an event
Solstice refers to the astronomical event in which the sun occupies either the highest or lowest point relative to the earth's horizon. This event affects the length of the day; it lasts either the maximum amount of time in the year or the minimum.
The solstice can be observed twice a year, in winter and summer. The winter solstice is characterized by the minimum length of the day and the maximum length of the night. The summer solstice is exactly the opposite of the winter solstice in terms of the length of day and night. 
In 2017, the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 16:27 GMT or 19:27 Moscow time.
Winter Solstice Traditions
The winter solstice is traditionally celebrated in many cultures. The ancient Celts equated the birth of a new sun with the Yule holiday.
The decoration of the house on this day had to be special. First of all, these are spruce branches. They were hung everywhere: above the entrance to the house, between interior doors, inserted into windows, laid out on the fireplace. Be sure to place something symbolizing the sun in the center of the largest room of the house, in which it was customary to gather guests. It could have been an orange, a product of golden, sunshine.
On the day when the old sun went to rest, large ritual bonfires were lit. These bonfires were specially lit so that they would help the birth of a new sun and help maintain its strength in its early stages.
At the same time, the Eastern Slavs celebrated Kolyada. Kolyada in Slavic mythology is the god of the new sun. His other names: Kaledi, Cadmus, Kolodiy. This deity symbolized the transition of the year. Among the people, the day of his veneration came the day after the winter solstice. This day was considered the Slavic New Year.
Kolyada Day was celebrated on a special scale, with songs and folk dances. The traditions of the day especially concerned gifts. On Kolyada, it was customary to give a gift, albeit small, to every loved one. The Slavs believed that the god of the new sun was not favorable to stingy people and did not illuminate their lives with sunlight. It was believed that a stingy person who did not make a single person happy on New Year’s Day would live in darkness all year.
Winter solstice: how to spend it
Another solar year will end on December 21st. Already on the 22nd the sun will rise again, and will already be renewed. The countdown to the new solar year will begin. The end of the solar year is a good time for various practices, rites and rituals.
Recommended:
- Conduct meditation. A good effect will come from cleansing meditations that help you free yourself from something unnecessary and outdated. It is also recommended that after cleansing, move on to visualizing plans for the new solar year. It’s worth preparing yourself a list of planned things to do in advance. Before meditation, you need to read this list and, closing your eyes, imagine that everything has already happened. If these plans are truly worthwhile and strong vibrations of the energy plan were sent at the moment of visualization, everything planned will be realized in a short time.
- Make a wish. Traditionally, on the day the calendars change, they make a wish. Asking for something cherished and hidden on the day of the winter solstice is akin to making a wish on a falling star on New Year's Eve.
- Carry out magical work. Recommended focus: increasing strength, replenishing vital energy, healing from physical and mental illnesses, well-being and prosperity.
- Conduct fortune telling. You can tell fortunes for love using a mirror, or for the next year.
- Get out. For something good to come into life, you need to clear the space for it. You should clean the room, throw away all old, broken things. All things that were not useful during the year should be collected in boxes and taken to people in need. It wouldn’t hurt to wash the doorways, thresholds, and most importantly the windows. It is through them that flows of power enter the house. A cluttered space interferes with the implementation of plans and the fulfillment of desires.
– Let go of the past, which has become obsolete. On December 21, right at sunset, you should go outside or open the window wide. Bring a piece of paper and a pen with you. While the old sun goes below the horizon, you need to try to remember everything bad and everything negative that happened this year. This could be relationships with people, the people themselves, illness, litigation, job changes, loss of money, unpleasant conflict situations. You need to write about all this on paper, and then burn this paper with fire. Leave to burn just before the setting sun. All the bad things will go away along with the old sun. And the next morning, along with the new sun, the long-awaited cleansing and relief will come.
Rituals
The winter solstice day carries a special magic, and this magic must certainly be used for your benefit. There are several well-established rituals.
Seed of Intent
The ritual is performed individually. It is not advisable to tell anyone about it. On the day the sun rises, you need to go to the market or flower shop and buy any one seed there. This seed needs to be brought home, placed in a cloth moistened with water and the words of an ancient conspiracy whispered over it:
“One seed at a time, I honestly intend (what do you want to do next year, for example, buy a car), so that my intention comes true, germinates, and sinks its roots firmly into the ground. It will also be the same, and so be it. Amen".
The seed should be placed in a glass or pot of soil. The soil needs to be watered for exactly seven days, but not much. Then water it every month on the full moon. The seed must remain in this soil until spring. In the spring, dig a hole in the street under any tree that has not dried up and place the soil together with the seed in this hole. If something grows by then, it will still need to be transplanted under a tree. Within a month after this, the intention will begin to come true.
Healing bath
When the sun changes, a person is renewed. This process is inevitable; a person is subject to the influence of heavenly bodies. Updating can be very painful, especially if a person is not ready for it. Cleansing with healing water can help speed up and smooth out this process.
To do this, you need to fill the bath with water at a comfortable temperature. Place candles throughout the bathroom, light them, turn off the main light. Turn on calm, relaxing music. Lie down in the bath and close your eyes. First you need to imagine how the body becomes very heavy. So heavy that the water stops pushing the body onto the water surface.
After this you need to tense up a little. Imagine that dark streams flow from the body into the water. These currents must come out and at the same time bring relief to the body and soul. You need to wait until your body feels completely at ease. Only after this can you drain the water, while you still need to lie down and imagine that everything bad is flowing away along with it.
Heart's desire
This ritual is suitable for those who have a desire that has never been voiced out loud. This is an important rule, since what is said out loud is no longer considered a cherished desire. This desire must be written down on a blank piece of paper without saying it out loud. Then roll this piece of paper into a thin tube.
After this, light a thick candle. You will also need a fireproof container. Set fire to the leaf at one end, and while it burns you need to hold it over this container, saying:
“Silent, and in that cherished, what is in the secret corner - what is in my soul, everything is on fire - all that flame will consume, everything that goes into space, everything, will reach the higher powers. And from them it will come back - yes, fulfilled, and such that contentment will come. Yes, such discontent will go away. Let it go - it will be fulfilled, it will come true, but the forces will not forget.”
After this, let the leaf burn completely in a fireproof container. The ashes will need to be collected in a small bag. As soon as there is a snowstorm or strong wind outside, these ashes need to be shaken out into the street. All rituals must be performed on the day of the winter solstice.
Solstice is one of two days a year when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. There are two solstices in the year - winter and summer.
On the day of the winter solstice, the sun rises to its lowest height above the horizon.
In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, when the shortest day and longest night occur. The moment of the solstice shifts annually, since the length 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 its most distant position from the celestial equator towards the South Pole of the world. Astronomical winter will begin 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.
During these December days, the polar night begins above the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees north latitude), which does not necessarily mean complete darkness for the entire 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 star can only be determined by the constellations. The picture is completely different in the area of the Earth's South Pole - in Antarctica at this time the day lasts around the clock.
On December 21, the Sun crosses the 18 o'clock meridian and begins to rise up the ecliptic, beginning its journey towards the spring 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 warmth. For them, the winter solstice symbolized the victory of light over darkness.
Thus, in Russian folklore there is a proverb dedicated to this day: the sun is for summer, winter is for 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 grain harvest.
In the 16th century in Rus', an interesting ritual was associated with the winter solstice. The bell ringer of the Moscow Cathedral, who was responsible for striking the clock, came to bow to the Tsar. He reported that from now on the sun has turned to summer, the day is increasing, and the night is shortening. 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, was supposed to rise higher and higher. The ritual New Year's pie - loaf - was also shaped like the sun.
In Europe, these days began a 12-day cycle of pagan festivals dedicated to the winter solstice, which marked the beginning of a new life and renewal of nature.
On the day of the winter solstice in Scotland there was a custom to launch the sun wheel - “solstice”. The barrel was coated with burning resin and sent 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 similar to a luminary.
The winter solstice was determined earlier than all other seasons in China (there are 24 seasons in the Chinese calendar). In ancient China, it was believed that from this time 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 put into a state of waiting for orders, border fortresses and trading shops were closed, people visited each other and gave gifts. The Chinese made sacrifices to the God of Heaven and their ancestors, and also ate porridge of beans and glutinous rice to protect themselves from evil spirits and diseases. To this day, the winter solstice is considered one of the traditional Chinese holidays.
The winter solstice is the most important astronomical event in December, which falls on the 21st and will reach its peak at 16:28 Moscow time.
"Belly" to the Sun
What is the astronomical meaning of this phenomenon? December 21 marks the moment of the maximum possible angle of inclination of the Earth relative to the Sun. This angle is 23°26. The Earth seems to be turned with its “belly” towards the Sun, and with its head (north pole) looking in the other direction, which is why the rays of the star hit the surface casually.
Each of us has noticed that in winter the sun never rises high. So, on December 21, 2017 it will be as low as possible above the horizon. Because of this, the day will be the shortest (in Moscow - only seven hours), and the night will be the longest of the year.
At some point, the Earth will cross an imaginary line, after which each subsequent day will give us a little more light, and by the New Year, the length of daylight will increase by almost eight minutes.
The real astronomical winter comes just after the winter solstice. According to experts, in the northern hemisphere it marks the peak of winter, while in the southern hemisphere it marks the equator of summer, with the winter solstice there on June 20th.
The date of the winter solstice almost never changes. The exception is leap years: then what is happening is shifted to December 22 (June 21 - for the south). Other important dates similar to this one are the summer solstice and the spring and autumn equinoxes.
From the history of the issue
It turns out that the day of the winter solstice was set more than two thousand years ago. Back in 45 BC. e. Emperor Julius Caesar in his calendar officially determined the date of the winter solstice for Europe - December 25.
But since the calendar year (365.2500 days) and the tropical year (~365.2421897 days) are not equivalent, every 400 years the actual astronomical solstice shifted back by about three days. In the 16th century, the phenomenon occurred on December 12th.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decided to restore exact correspondence between the seasons and the civil year. Guided by the provisions of the Council of Nicaea in 325, he annulled the ten-day error accumulated from the 4th to the 16th centuries. True, he did not take into account the three days that ran between the 1st and 4th centuries. This calendar adjustment pushed the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere to around December 22nd.
To this day, the solstice fluctuates by one or two days in the Gregorian calendar. In the future, there may be an additional shift of one day every 3000 years.
Scientists believe that solstices have been special moments in the annual cycle since Neolithic times. Astronomical events controlled the cycle of day and night, the ebb and flow of tides, and the mating periods of animals, and people have understood this since ancient times. Focusing on the sun, they sowed and harvested crops, ran the household, celebrated holidays and prayed to their gods.
This is evidenced by the layout of many archaeological sites of the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. For example, the main axes of the Newgrange monument (Ireland) and the axes of the Stonehenge monument (Great Britain) are carefully aligned and point to the sunrise on the winter solstice.
Feast before the unknown
The winter solstice was extremely important in the life of the primitive community: people doubted that they would be able to survive the winter months - not only the frosty ones, but also the hungry ones.
So the winter solstice was the last holiday before the start of the difficult winter period, when the most fresh meat was consumed. Livestock was slaughtered en masse - in the cold there was nothing to feed them.
In addition, by the last ten days of December, most of the wine and beer made in the warm season was ready and could be drunk. A kind of winter festival began - a feast, followed by the unknown.
It was the days of solstices and equinoxes, with the special role of the Sun in the sky, that served as the impetus for the emergence of various deities and traditions.
For example, in Greek mythology, gods and goddesses celebrated the winter and summer solstices. During these days, even the god of the underworld, Hades, was allowed to appear on Mount Olympus.
The Slavs celebrated the national holiday Kolyada on the day of the winter solstice, the Germanic peoples celebrated Yule, and the Romans, until the 3rd century, celebrated Sol Invictus.
See with my own eyes
Observing the solstices with the naked eye is difficult: the star moves to the peak point so slowly that it is difficult to determine the specific day of the phenomenon, not to mention its instant.
Knowing the time of an event down to the instant has only recently become possible, thanks to the precise tracking of astronomical data.
The actual moment of the solstice cannot be detected by definition. It is impossible to notice that the object has stopped moving. We can only state that in the current measurement it has not changed its position compared to the previous measurement.
Thus, most observations indicate the day of the solstice, and not its instant.
The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon 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 fall on December 21 or 22.
In ancient times, the day of the winter solstice among 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 was celebrated as a New Year holiday.
On the shortest day of the year, the ancient Slavs celebrated a pagan holiday - Kolyada. The onset of a new annual cycle was associated with him, and Kolyada himself acted as the baby sun.
Residents of Europe in the pre-Christian era also celebrated this day as a New Year holiday. In Scotland, it was customary to launch a sun wheel - a set fire to a barrel coated 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 ordinary Chinese - rested and celebrated.
And in warm southern India, the day of the winter solstice is still celebrated and this holiday is called Sankranti. Singhs and Hindus light bonfires on the night before the celebration, 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 holiday. This date is associated in our minds with the longest night and shortest day of the year. In 2017, we will observe the winter solstice on December 21st.
The majority 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 where the sun has not shone at all for three weeks; the polar night reigns there. Let's see how long this day will be in different cities of Russia.
City Length of day 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 Ekaterinburg 6 45 10 Sank t -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 with December 2 to 11 January 20 Vorkuta, polar night from December 17 to December 27 21 Norilsk, polar night from November 30 to January 13
If you look at this table, the realization that we live in a very large country occurs on a slightly 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 Russian cities people will not see the sunrise. But in the summer, this deficiency will be more than made up for by the polar day, as if showing that nature is equally fair to everyone.
On the same topic:
Rare old photographs of people celebrating the New Year Vintage photographs: how the New Year was celebrated in the USSR Photo of the day: traditional Japanese holiday - coming of age day Photo of the day: short rest break in the mountains
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