Winter Solstice: UK people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the day
Tomorrow is the winter solstice. Traditionally, the winter solstice marks the beginning of Christmas and New Year celebrations around the world. The winter solstice is the day of the year when we see the fewest hours of light. After the winter solstice, the days start to get longer and the nights shorter for people in the northern hemisphere and the opposite is true in the southern hemisphere. Let’s take a look at when and why the winter solstice occurs and the traditions associated with it. Countries and cultures have unique ways of celebrating the winter solstice. This year, the day is special as it coincides with an impressive celestial event: the ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn, which occurs after almost 400 years.
What is the solstice?
The world “solstice” is derived from a Latin word meaning “stagnant sun.” Both the summer and winter solstices are astronomical events that mark the movement of the sun and change the length of day and night.
When is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere takes place between December 19 and 23. This year it’s Monday, December 21st.
Northern Hemisphere winter solstice time and date in India
(North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, North Africa)
The December Solstice in New Delhi, India is December 21 at 3:32 PM IST
Winter solstice: on this day of the year we see the fewest hours of daylight. After the winter solstice, the days begin to lengthen
Why does the winter solstice occur?
Around this time every year, the countries of the Northern Hemisphere are farthest from the Sun and the Sun shines over the Tropic of Capricorn. The axis of the Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees as it rotates around the Sun. This phenomenon causes the movement of the Sun from the northern hemisphere to the south and vice versa causing seasonal changes in the year.
Winter solstice: history and traditions
- The ancient Romans celebrated the day in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. A week-long celebration would lead to the winter solstice.
- In the UK, people traditionally gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise and sunset on the winter solstice. But this year, due to the pandemic, meetings will not be allowed, but people can view them online. Historians and archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was directly related to tracking the annual movement of the Sun.
- A winter solstice in Japan is called Toji. The Japanese believe that the sun becomes stronger from this day, bringing good fortune to the people.
- The Chinese call the winter solstice Dong Zhi, which means ‘winter is coming’. People celebrate and welcome the return of longer days.
- The ancient Norse people of Scandinavia celebrated Yule on the winter solstice. As the Sun returns to the Northern Hemisphere, the men of the family bring home large logs, which became known as Yule logs. People lit the logs and reveled around them.
- The winter solstice in Iran is called Chelleh night. The Persians at the winter solstice cook special foods such as lamb stew, dishes with dried nuts and pomegranates. They light a fire, read poetry, and sit around the fire together.
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