Winter solstice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the astronomical phenomenon. For other uses, see Winter solstice (disambiguation). Winter solstice Lawrence Hall of Science visitors observe sunset on the day of the winter solstice using the Sunstones II Also called Midwinter, Yule, the Longest Night Observed by Various cultures, ancient and modern Type Cultural, seasonal, astronomical Significance Astronomically marks the beginning of shortening nights and lengthening days Celebrations Festivals, spending time with loved ones, feasting, singing, dancing, fires Date Between December 21 and December 22 (NH) Between June 20 and June 21 (SH) Frequency annual Related to Winter festivals and the solstice Winter solstice in Northern Hemisphere over Asia Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Winter solstice occurs for the Northern Hemisphere in December and for the Southern Hemisphere in June. The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of its daily rotation mean that the two opposite points in the sky to which the Earths axis of rotation points change very slowly (making a complete circle approximately every 26,000 years). As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the polar hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. This is because the two hemispheres face opposite directions along Earths axis, and so as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer. More evident from high latitudes, a hemispheres winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the suns daily maximum elevation in the sky is at its lowest.[1] The winter solstice itself lasts only a moment in time, so other terms are used for the day on which it occurs, such as midwinter, or the shortest day. It is often considered the extreme of winter (Dongzhi in the Chinese calendar), although in meteorology winter spans the entire period of December through February. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. The earliest sunset and latest sunrise dates differ from winter solstice, however, and these depend on latitude, due to the variation in the solar day throughout the year caused by the Earths elliptical orbit (see earliest and latest sunrise and sunset). Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but many cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.[2] Contents 1 History and cultural significance 2 Observances 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History and cultural significance Japanese Sun goddess Amaterasu emerging from a cave. The solstice may have been a special moment of the annual cycle for some cultures even during neolithic times.[citation needed] Astronomical events were often used to guide activities such as the mating of animals, the sowing of crops and the monitoring of winter reserves of food.[citation needed] Many cultural mythologies and traditions are derived from this.[citation needed] This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland.[citation needed] The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise (Newgrange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). It is significant that at Stonehenge the Great Trilithon was erected outwards from the centre of the monument, i.e. its smooth flat face was turned towards the midwinter Sun.[3] The winter solstice was immensely important because the people were economically dependent on monitoring the progress of the seasons. Starvation was common during the first months of the winter, January to April (northern hemisphere) or July to October (southern hemisphere), also known as the famine months.[citation needed] In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a plentiful supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but at the beginning of the pagan day, which in many cultures fell on the previous eve.[4] Because the event was seen as the reversal of the Suns ebbing presence in the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common and, in cultures which used cyclic calendars based on the winter solstice, the year as reborn was celebrated with reference to life-death-rebirth deities or new beginnings such as Hogmanays redding, a New Year cleaning tradition.[citation needed] Also reversal is yet another frequent theme, as in Saturnalias slave and master reversals.[citation needed] The Christmas carol In The Bleak Midwinter refers to the Winter solstice in its title. Observances Main article: List of multinational festivals and holidays Neolithic site of Goseck circle. The yellow lines are the direction the Sun rises and sets at winter solstice. Sunrise at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice Although the instant of the solstice can be calculated,[5] direct observation of the solstice by amateurs is impossible because the sun moves too slowly or appears to stand still (the meaning of solstice). However, by use of astronomical data tracking, the precise timing of its occurrence is now public knowledge. One cannot directly detect the precise instant of the solstice (by definition, one cannot observe that an object has stopped moving until one later observes that it has not moved further from the preceding spot, or that it has moved in the opposite direction)[citation needed]. Further, to be precise to a single day, one must be able to observe a change in azimuth or elevation less than or equal to about 1/60 of the angular diameter of the sun. Observing that it occurred within a two-day period is easier, requiring an observation precision of only about 1/16 of the angular diameter of the sun. Thus, many observations are of the day of the solstice rather than the instant. This is often done by observing the sunrise and sunset or using an astronomically aligned instrument that allows a ray of light to be cast on a certain point around that time. Before the scientific revolution, many forms of observances, astronomical, symbolic or ritualistic, had evolved according to the beliefs of various cultures, many of which are still practiced today. See also Holidays portal Burning the Clocks Christmas in July December solstice Effect of sun angle on climate Festival of Lights (disambiguation) Festive ecology Festivus Halcyon days Hanukkah HumanLight June solstice Koliada Kwanzaa Lohri Midsummer Summer solstice Thai Pongal Tiregān Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning Christs Mass) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,[7][8] observed most commonly on December 25[4][9][10] as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.[2][11][12] A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or Nativity Fast and is prolonged by the Octave of Christmas and further by the season of Christmastide. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the worlds nations,[13][14][15] is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people,[1][16][17] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season. The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins.[18] Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.[19] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. While the month and date of Jesus birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25,[20] a date later adopted in the East,[21][22] although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which, in the Gregorian calendar, currently corresponds to January 7, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after the day on which early Christians believed that Jesus was conceived,[23] or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice);[24][25] a further solar connection has been suggested because of a biblical verse[a] identifying Jesus as the Sun of righteousness Info from a Friend that I am glad he posted because I have been avoiding typing all this put lol....
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 22:10:42 +0000
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