What is the name of the day when the night is longer than the day? The shortest and longest day of the year. Types of solstice, traditions

The shortest day of the year is December 21 or 22 (depending on the shift in the calendar). It has a special name - “Winter Solstice Day”. This is the day of the shortest daylight (only 5 hours 53 minutes) and the longest night. From the next day, as you know, it begins to gradually increase. In scientific terms, this is due to the fact that the inclination of the Earth’s axis of rotation relative to the Sun takes on its maximum value.

In many cultures, this day has always been a significant event, always associated with rebirth. For example, in primitive culture, the beginning of the Solstice was not exactly a joyful day; it was more associated with the beginning of famine. Because primitive people did not really know how much supplies they needed to prepare for cold times. In the Early Middle Ages it was a holiday as beer and wine generally matured by mid-December.

Longest day of the year

The longest day of the year occurs on June 21 or 20. You've probably already noticed that it's light outside even at 11 p.m. True, then, as with the “winter” daylight hours, the daylight hours begin to gradually decrease, this becomes noticeable already in August.

IN modern world The days of the winter and summer solstice are not a holiday, but many traditions have been preserved to this day. For example, the carols beloved by children were originally dedicated to December 20, only then they migrated to the post-Christmas weeks until Epiphany (January 19). IN Ancient Egypt The priests attached great importance to the summer Solstice. In Russia, the holiday is better known as Ivan Kupala Day, when celebrants swim, jump over bonfires, tell fortunes and look for branches of ferns (which, according to legend, bloom on this holiday).

Observing the solstice is difficult because the sun moves slowly towards its point. Only recently have scientists begun to determine exact time events down to the moment.

Have you noticed that in winter, and especially in cold weather, life seems to freeze? Deserted streets, rare passersby, wrapped in collars, hurry home, birds do not sing, and only bare tree branches bend under the icy wind. The winter solstice, so short and usually cold, is considered a “deep freeze day,” when all living things freeze. But it is on the night of December 22 that slow growth and revival begin - minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, new life will develop and strengthen. The longest night of the year has a magical, if not ritual, meaning.

First, you need to sit down and think carefully about which of your true desires and dreams have you given up on and are firmly convinced that they will never come true?

Write them on paper and re-read them again - “I want to marry Maxim Galkin, jump with a parachute, go to Tibet, meet Barack Obama, protect doctoral dissertation in economics, learn the Lao language, lose 15 kilograms and compose a song." It turns out that all the desires and dreams voiced on this longest night of the year have a real chance of coming true, since along with the regenerating power of the Sun, the power of your dreams also grows . Speak your dreams out loud, taste them, feel them on your skin. Do you really want THIS? Then go for it! Send a mental message to the Higher Powers, the forces of the Sun and expect your dreams to come true. A little more, and your desires will begin to “warm up”, then " will take root,” and then “bloom,” most likely, by the summer solstice. But keep in mind that to make your dreams come true, it’s not enough to just want it very much on the night of December 22, you also need to make real efforts to achieve them and ... Do you really want to marry Maxim Galkin?

Some ancient peoples who inhabited Great Britain many centuries ago had the following custom: on the night of December 22, they laughed, had fun and joked a lot. It was believed that all the problems voiced with laughter and jokes that night would be quickly and positively resolved already in next year. The ancient peoples were sure that the more fun there was on the longest night, the luckier the coming year would be. No one is stopping you and me from testing this theory of “ridiculing one’s own failures” in practice. Moreover, all psychologists loudly affirm that any problem disappears by itself as soon as we stop attaching excessive importance to it and begin to laugh at the problem or situation. “I broke up with my loved one, it’s hilarious, I have debts for a consumer loan in two banks, ha-ha-ha, and I also lost my job, hee-hee-hee”... This is something like how it should be to look like. It is possible that at first the laughter will be hysterical and with tears in the eyes, but then it may well develop into healthy fun at one’s own failures.

Broke up with your loved one? – This means that the time allocated to you by the heavenly office for coexistence has come to an end. Debts for loans? – It’s good that the debts are not millions and not in foreign currency. Lost your job? “That means it wasn’t your job and the best is yet to come.” It’s also useful to remember that you have hands, feet, and a head, which means that ANY difficult situation can be overcome, the main thing is to treat it lightly and with humor.

For the next ritual associated with the most long night a year, you need loneliness and one red candle. In a dark room, all alone, take a candle in your hands and think about your most cherished dream that you currently have. Get pregnant? Give birth healthy baby? To recover from a serious illness? Finish college? Find Good work? Make peace with relatives? Meet your future husband? The dream should be the only one, but the most cherished, a dream for the implementation of which even the Higher Powers will not be ashamed. Say the dream to yourself, then light the candle and say: “I welcome life and the generous light of the Sun.” Next, you should go to bed with full confidence that all your plans will come true.

You absolutely cannot wish that Valka mink coat the moth ate" or "so that Valera, who abandoned me, becomes impotent." The desire must be serious, conscious and bringing GOOD!

We spend so much time outside the home, taking family for granted, like our own ear or nose, that sometimes we don’t even realize its full value. Relatives are like an eternally existing structure of our lives, and against their backdrop our most striking events, ups and downs, meetings and partings take place. And when a family suddenly disappears, everything else becomes completely unnecessary and unimportant. Career, money, hobbies, clothes, travel, vacation - all this turns out to be just an addition to the most important thing - to your family. The longest night of the year makes it possible to gather the whole family together, even if someone is on the opposite end of the Earth that night. Take photos of people close to you who are now far from you, invite those who are nearby to your home.

Sit together at the table, light the candles and wish your family all the best, happiness, health and good luck. And your wishes, voiced out loud, will definitely come true.

Afterword.

The night of December 22 is so long that you can have time to do a lot - make peace with the one you were offended by; meet someone you haven't seen for a long time; think over your desires... And already with the first rays of the Sun, begin to implement them!

From this article you will learn when the summer and winter solstices, as well as the autumn and spring equinoxes, occur.

The shortest and longest days throughout the year are called solstice days, which are summer and winter, and the time when days and nights are equal is equinoxes, spring and autumn. Let's find out more about these days.

When, in what month in winter, will daylight hours begin to profit and begin to grow?

Mid-latitude winter solstice in Russia

The shortest day in winter is winter solstice– we’ll be there on December 21 or 22. On one of these days, the shortest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere, in the middle latitudes, it lasts 5 hours and 53 minutes, then the day will increase and the night will decrease.

The closer to the Arctic Circle, the shorter the day. Beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun may not appear at all at this time.

Attention. According to the old style, the winter solstice coincided with Christmas. In the old days, this time was highly revered: they decorated their home festively, prepared kutia from wheat, and baked pies and gingerbreads from the flour of the new harvest. For the New Year and Christmas holidays, they fed spring and summer animals (pig, calf) in order to slaughter them for the Christmastide and prepare delicious meat dishes.

Day at the equator all year round the same in magnitude as the night (12 hours).

As for the southern hemisphere, everything is different there: when we, in the northern latitudes, have the winter solstice, they have the summer solstice.

This is interesting. The winter solstice was first established by Julius Caesar. This happened in 45 BC. Then this day was December 25th.

When, on what date, does the shortest day and the longest night of the year occur, and how long does it last?

The longest day at mid-latitude in Russia and Ukraine

The longest day occurring in a year ( summer solstice) occurs on June 20, but may occur on June 21 or 22 (depending on the shift in the calendar due to leap year). For Moscow, the length of the day is 17 hours 33 minutes, and then the days begin to get shorter and the nights longer.

How can we explain the summer solstice? This is the day when the sun reaches its highest point above the horizon at noon. After this day the sun begins to go down and this continues until December 21st or 22nd.

In ancient times, the following beliefs were associated with this day:

At this time, the healers were collecting healing herbs, since the largest beneficial features plants are appearing right now.
On the night after the summer solstice, the girls cast a spell on their betrothed, and he would certainly show up.
From this day on, it was possible to swim in reservoirs, but previously it was prohibited, since, according to legend, devils sat in the water. From this day they left for a short time, until the holiday of Elijah (August 2).

Note. According to the old style, the summer solstice coincided with Midsummer's day.

How much will daylight increase after December 22?

The shortest day in winter in middle lane Russia

The shortest day is considered to be December 21 or 22, but in fact the next few days are the same length, and only on December 24-25 the day is added.

At first, the increase in day is imperceptible, since it increases by 1 minute, and then in the evening, and in the morning the sun rises even later, and then the increase in day is noticeable, and on March 20-22, the day becomes the same size as the night, about 12 hours.

Interesting. But on other planets of our Universe, the length of the day on some planets is similar to the Earth’s day, on others it is completely different. Length of day on other planets(in Earth hours):

Jupiter – 9 o'clock
Saturn - close to 10 o'clock
Uranus - close to 13 o'clock
Neptune - close to 15 o'clock
Mars - 24 hours 39 minutes
Mercury is close to 60 of our days
Venus – our 243rd day

From what day do days become longer than nights?

Spring equinox in central Russia

After the day spring equinox, which occurs from March 20 to March 22 (differently each year, due to the leap days), the day becomes longer than the night.

The Slavs associate the holiday of the Forty Saints with the day of the spring equinox. On this day, birds (larks) were baked from butter dough, and they called out for spring, and with it, from distant lands, the first birds.

In many Asian countries (former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran), the day of the vernal equinox is the New Year.

In Russia (middle latitude), people usually start from the days of the equinox and solstice. Countdown And time of year:

Spring – from the 20th of March to the 20th of June
Summer – from the 20th of June to the 20th of September
Autumn – from the 20th of September to the 20th of December
Winter – from the 20th of December to the 20th of March

When is the longest day and shortest night of the year, and how many days are they?

The longest day of the year in central Russia

The longest day in 2017 occurred on June 21. For several days, the days were just as long (17 hours 33 minutes), and from June 24 the days began to decrease.

When, from what date in the summer, will daylight hours begin to decrease?

The day has been decreasing since June 24

If we take data for Moscow, then the longest day was 17 hours 33 minutes.

For Moscow, the days will decrease in the following sequence:

By the end of June, the day decreased by 6 minutes, and became 17 hours 27 minutes
For July - by 1 hour 24 minutes, day length 16 hours 3 minutes
For August - by 2 hours 8 minutes, the day lasts 13 hours 51 minutes
Until the equinox (September 24), the day will shorten by 1 hour 45 minutes, the length of the day will be 12 hours 2 minutes

When does the night become longer than the day?

Autumn equinox day occurs from September 21 to 23, when the day is the same length as the night, about 12 hours. After this day, the night begins to increase and the day decreases.

After the equinox, the length of the day decreases even more:

At the end of September the day lasts 11 hours 35 minutes
During October, the day will decrease by 2 hours 14 minutes, and at the end of the month it will be 9 hours 16 minutes
During November, the day decreases less intensively, by 1 hour 44 minutes, the length of the day is 7 hours 28 minutes
Until the winter solstice (December 21), the day will decrease by 28 minutes, the length of the day will be 7 hours, and the night will be 17 hours.

It is noteworthy that on days equal in length to the nights (autumn and spring equinoxes), the sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west.

So, we found out when the longest and shortest days of the year are.

Video: Days of solstices and equinoxes

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 day of daylight (it is also accompanied by the shortest night of the year) and the shortest have their own scientific name and are designated by the term “solstice”.

It has long been of no small importance in the annual time cycle. Due to the fact that they have always controlled 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 several years in advance.

When is the shortest night of the year? You can learn about the traditions, rituals associated with such specific astrological phenomena (solstice and the shortest night), as well as the dates themselves, from this article.

Types of solstice, traditions

During the solstices, planet Earth experiences the longest and shortest daylight hours.

In winter, the solstice occurs on December 21 or 22. The length of the daylight hours is 5 hours 53 minutes. And, of course, the longest night falls on the same date. Then the length of the day begins to increase.

On one of three days, from June 20 to 22, the summer solstice is observed (the shortest night of the year also occurs), lasting 17 hours 33 minutes. After this, there is a gradual shortening of the daylight hours and lengthening of the night period.

Various interesting traditions are associated with the above natural events. In former times in Russia and in some of the neighboring countries it was popular. It was dedicated to himself short day and was dedicated to Christmastide and Christmas.

According to historians, even the ancient Egyptians, who built 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 this day precisely between them (this phenomenon becomes visible if you look at these buildings from the side of the Sphinx).

What happens during the longest and shortest days of the year?

All people notice that with the arrival of spring, the sun appears higher and higher above the horizon at noon and every day it leaves the sky later 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 year (whether it is a leap year or not).

The summer solstice occurs on June 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, and on June 21 - if there are 365 days in a year. In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest day in a leap year is December 22, and December 21 in a normal year.

What date is the shortest night? The answer is simple. It comes after the solstice.

Ivan Kupala Day

According to ancient Slavic beliefs, this is a magical time: the powers of all useful plants increase many times over, and destined girls are shown in dreams and visions.

Before this time, swimming was prohibited. It was believed that devils were sitting in the waters. And during the summer period, they left the water until the very beginning of August.

But the time came when these pagan traditions were supplanted by Christian ones, and this ancient holiday received a different name - the day of John the Baptist. But since John baptized by immersion in water, it began to be called the day of Ivan Kupala (this is the shortest night in the summer). This holiday has taken root well and has reached the present day.

The night of Ivan Kupala is considered magical by the Slavs. On this night, people tell fortunes, jump over the fire (purification by fire occurs), and collect medicinal herbs. Mass bathing is considered an important attribute on this day.

So, how long is the shortest night of the year? 6 hours 26 minutes.

According to the old calendar, the day of the summer solstice and the famous day of Ivan Kupala coincided, but now (according to the new style) this holiday has moved to July 7.

Winter solstice celebration

The day gradually begins to decrease 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 hemisphere, respectively, on June 20 or 21. And again, after the longest night, the countdown begins.

Even in ancient times, it was celebrated before a long winter, people slaughtered all the livestock 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 Germanic peoples - the medieval Yule. On the night, after which the light gradually rose higher and higher, they burned fires in the fields, blessed plants (trees) and crops, and brewed cider.

And the shortest night of the year, accordingly, comes six months after these events.

In today's world, these significant dates are not so of great importance, as it was before with our ancestors. However, modern pagans continue to consider them holidays and certainly celebrate them, as was customary in the old days.

The longest day of the year is the summer solstice. It will be followed by the shortest night of the year.

On this day, the height of the Sun in the sky is the highest. This results in the longest daylight hours and the longest short night in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the shortest day and longest night in the southern hemisphere.

It turns out that for residents of the northern hemisphere, astronomical summer begins on this day, while for residents of the southern hemisphere, astronomical winter begins.

The date of the summer solstice depends on shifts in the calendar and leap year. As a rule, it falls on June 21-22.

Solstice date from 2014 to 2020

2014 - June 21
2015 - June 21
2016 – June 20
2017 – June 21
2018 – June 21
2019 – June 21
2020 – June 20

The length of daylight hours on the longest day of the year in northern latitude is about 17.5 hours. And the night, as a rule, lasts approximately 6 hours.

The summer solstice holiday was considered a special, magical day for pagans. In ancient times, the Sun was deified; people believed that it had power over all living things. Therefore, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere meant the highest flowering of the forces of nature.

In Rus', long before the adoption of Christianity, this day was celebrated Ivan Kupala Day- early summer. Now Kupala is celebrated from July 6 to 7 according to the new style, but the rituals and folk traditions of this day have remained unchanged.

On the day of the summer solstice, people glorified the Sun, performed rituals to gain well-being and health, burned bonfires, danced in circles, held noisy celebrations, and collected medicinal herbs. This day was ideal for fortune telling and divination, so young girls did not miss the opportunity to find out their future and wondered about marriage.

On the night that followed the shortest day, it was not customary to sleep. Firstly, this night is light enough to sleep. Secondly, it was believed that by falling asleep, one could bring upon oneself troubles and misfortunes. People tried to spend this day and night with benefit for themselves - they performed rituals, ceremonies and told fortunes. Since this day is considered energetically strong, our ancestors used the forces of nature to attract prosperity and a good harvest. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

20.06.2015 09:11

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