Winter solstice - wikipedia Winter solstice This article is about the astronomical phenomenon. For other uses, see Winter solstice ( disambiguation ). `` Midwinter '' redirects here. For other uses, see Midwinter ( 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, Jól Observed by Various cultures Type Cultural, astronomical Significance Astronomically marks the beginning of shortening nights and lengthening days Celebrations Festivals, spending time with loved ones, feasting, singing, dancing, fires Date about December 21 ( NH ) about June 21 ( SH ) Frequency Twice a year ( once in the northern hemisphere, once in the southern hemisphere, six months apart ) Related to Winter festivals and the solstice The winter solstice ( or hibernal solstice ), also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice. The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of its daily rotation mean that the two opposite points in the sky to which the Earth 's axis of rotation points ( axial precession ) change very slowly ( at the current rate it would take just under 26,000 years to make a complete circle ). 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 Earth 's axis, and so as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer. More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere 's winter solstice occurs on the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the sun 's daily maximum elevation in the sky is at its lowest. Although the winter solstice itself lasts only a moment in time, the term sometimes refers to the day on which it occurs. Other names are `` midwinter '', the `` extreme of winter '' ( Dongzhi ), or the `` shortest day ''. In some cultures it is seen as the middle of winter, while in others it is seen as the beginning of winter. In meteorology, winter in the Northern Hemisphere 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 hours of daylight during the day. 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 Earth 's elliptical orbit ( see earliest and latest sunrise and sunset ). Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied across cultures, but many have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time. Contents 1 History and cultural significance 1.1 Iranian 1.2 Pagan 1.3 Roman cult of Sol 1.4 East Asian 2 Observances 3 Holidays celebrated on the winter solstice 3.1 Other related festivals 4 Length of the day on the northern winter solstice 5 See also 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External links History and cultural significance This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2014 ) Japanese Sun goddess Amaterasu emerging from a cave ( by Kunisada ) Winter solstice occurs in December for the northern hemisphere, and June for the southern hemisphere. The solstice may have been a special moment of the annual cycle for some cultures even during neolithic times. 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. Many cultural mythologies and traditions are derived from this. 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. 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 oriented outwards from the middle of the monument, i.e. its smooth flat face was turned towards the midwinter Sun. 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 ''. 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. Because the event was seen as the reversal of the Sun 's 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 Hogmanay 's redding, a New Year cleaning tradition. Also `` reversal '' is yet another frequent theme, as in Saturnalia 's slave and master reversals. Iranian Main article : Yaldā Night Iranian people celebrate the night of the Northern Hemisphere 's winter solstice as, `` Yalda night '', which known to be the `` longest and darkest night of the year ''. In this night all the family gather together, usually at the house of the oldest, and celebrate it by eating, drinking and reading poems ( esp. Hafez ). Nuts, pomegranates and watermelons are particularly served during this festival. Pagan Main article : Yule The pagan Scandinavian and Germanic people of northern Europe celebrated a twelve - day `` midwinter '' ( winter solstice ) holiday called Yule ( also called Jul, Julblot, jólablót, midvinterblot, julofferfest ). Many modern Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas tree, the Christmas wreath, the Yule log, and others, are direct descendents of Yule customs. Scandinavians still call Yule `` Jul ''. In English, the word `` Yule '' is often used in combination with the season `` yuletide '' a usage first recorded in 900. It is believed that the celebration of this day was a worship of these peculiar days, interpreted as the reawakening of nature. The Yule ( Jul ) particular god was Jólner, which is one of Odin 's many names. The concept of Yule occurs in a tribute poem to Harold Hårfager from about AD 900, where someone said `` drinking Jul ''. Julblot is the most solemn sacrifice feast. At the `` julblotet '', sacrifices were given to the gods to earn blessing on the forthcoming germinating crops. Julblotet was eventually integrated into the Christian Christmas. As a remainder from this Viking era, the Midsummer is still important in Scandinavia, and hence vividly celebrated. Roman cult of sol Main article : Dies Natalis Solis Invicti Sol Invictus ( `` The Unconquered Sun '' ) was originally a Syrian god who was later adopted as the chief god of the Roman Empire under Emperor Aurelian. His holiday is traditionally celebrated on December 25, as are several gods associated with the winter solstice in many pagan traditions. It have been speculated to be the reason behind Christmas ' proximity to the solstice. East asian In East Asia ( except in the Philippines ), the winter solstice has been celebrated as one of the Twenty - four Solar Terms, called Dongzhi in Chinese. In Japan, in order not to catch cold in the winter, there is a custom to soak oneself in the yuzu hot bath ( Japanese : 柚子 湯 = Yuzuyu ). Observances Although the instant of the solstice can be calculated, 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 can not directly detect the precise instant of the solstice ( by definition, one can not 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 ). 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. 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 Holidays celebrated on the winter solstice Alban Arthan ( Welsh ) Blue Christmas ( holiday ) ( Western Christian ) Brumalia ( Ancient Rome ) Dongzhi Festival ( East Asia ) Korochun ( Slavic ) Sanghamitta Day ( Theravada Buddhism ) Shalako ( Zuni ) Yaldā ( Iran ) Yule in the Northern Hemisphere ( Neopagan ) Ziemassvētki ( ancient Latvia ) Other related festivals Saturnalia ( Ancient Rome ) - Celebrated shortly before winter solstice Saint Lucy 's Day ( Christian ) - Used to coincide with the winter solstice day Christmas - Take place shortly after winter solstice, absorbed tradition from winter solstice celebration. Speculated to origin from solstice date, see Christmas # Solstice date and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti Cold Food Festival ( Korea, Greater China ) - 105 days after winter solstice Length of the day on the Northern winter solstice The following tables contain information on the length of the day on the winter solstice of the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice of the Southern Hemisphere ( i.e. December solstice ). The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute on 22 December 2015, as well as from certain other websites. The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the shortest day to the longest one. The Nordic countries and the Baltic states City Sunrise 22 Dec 2015 Sunset 22 Dec 2015 Length of the day Rovaniemi 11 : 08 13 : 22 2 h 14 min Reykjavík 11 : 22 15 : 29 4 h 07 min Trondheim 10 : 01 14 : 31 4 h 30 min Tórshavn 9 : 51 14 : 59 5 h 08 min Helsinki 9 : 24 15 : 13 5 h 49 min Oslo 9 : 18 15 : 12 5 h 54 min Tallinn 9 : 17 15 : 20 6 h 02 min Stockholm 8 : 43 14 : 48 6 h 04 min Riga 9 : 00 15 : 43 6 h 43 min Copenhagen 8 : 37 15 : 38 7 h 01 min Vilnius 8 : 40 15 : 54 7 h 14 min Europe City Sunrise 22 Dec 2015 Sunset 22 Dec 2015 Length of the day Edinburgh 8 : 42 15 : 40 6 h 57 min Moscow 8 : 57 15 : 58 7 h 00 min Berlin 8 : 15 15 : 54 7 h 39 min London 8 : 04 15 : 53 7 h 49 min Kiev 7 : 56 15 : 56 8 h 00 min Paris 8 : 41 16 : 56 8 h 14 min Rome 7 : 34 16 : 42 9 h 07 min Madrid 8 : 34 17 : 51 9 h 17 min Lisbon 7 : 51 17 : 18 9 h 27 min Athens 7 : 37 17 : 09 9 h 31 min Africa City Sunrise 22 Dec 2015 Sunset 22 Dec 2015 Length of the day Cairo 6 : 47 16 : 59 10 h 12 min Dakar 7 : 30 18 : 46 11 h 15 min Addis Ababa 6 : 35 18 : 11 11 h 36 min Nairobi 6 : 25 18 : 37 12 h 11 min Kinshasa 5 : 45 18 : 08 12 h 22 min Dar es Salaam 6 : 05 18 : 36 12 h 31 min Luanda 5 : 46 18 : 24 12 h 38 min Antananarivo 5 : 10 18 : 26 13 h 16 min Windhoek 6 : 04 19 : 35 13 h 31 min Johannesburg 5 : 12 18 : 59 13 h 47 min Cape Town 5 : 32 19 : 57 14 h 25 min Americas City Sunrise 22 Dec 2015 Sunset 22 Dec 2015 Length of the day Fairbanks 10 : 58 14 : 40 3 h 41 min Anchorage 10 : 14 15 : 42 5 h 27 min Vancouver 8 : 05 16 : 16 8 h 11 min Seattle 7 : 55 16 : 20 8 h 25 min Ottawa 7 : 39 16 : 22 8 h 42 min Toronto 7 : 48 16 : 43 8 h 55 min New York City 7 : 16 16 : 32 9 h 15 min Washington, D.C. 7 : 23 16 : 49 9 h 26 min Los Angeles 6 : 55 16 : 48 9 h 53 min Dallas 7 : 25 17 : 25 9 h 59 min Miami 7 : 03 17 : 35 10 h 31 min Honolulu 7 : 04 17 : 55 10 h 50 min Mexico City 7 : 06 18 : 03 10 h 57 min Managua 6 : 01 17 : 26 11 h 24 min Bogotá 5 : 59 17 : 50 11 h 51 min Quito 6 : 08 18 : 16 12 h 08 min Recife 5 : 00 17 : 35 12 h 35 min Lima 5 : 41 18 : 31 12 h 50 min La Paz 5 : 57 19 : 04 13 h 06 min Rio de Janeiro 6 : 04 19 : 37 13 h 33 min São Paulo 6 : 17 19 : 52 13 h 35 min Porto Alegre 6 : 20 20 : 25 14 h 05 min Santiago 6 : 29 20 : 52 14 h 22 min Buenos Aires 5 : 37 20 : 06 14 h 28 min Ushuaia 4 : 51 22 : 11 17 h 19 min Asia and Oceania City Sunrise 22 Dec 2015 Sunset 22 Dec 2015 Length of the day Magadan 8 : 54 14 : 55 6 h 00 min Petropavlovsk 9 : 36 17 : 10 7 h 33 min Khabarovsk 8 : 48 17 : 07 8 h 18 min Ulaanbaatar 8 : 39 17 : 02 8 h 22 min Vladivostok 8 : 40 17 : 40 8 h 59 min Beijing 7 : 32 16 : 52 9 h 20 min Seoul 7 : 44 17 : 17 9 h 34 min Tokyo 6 : 47 16 : 31 9 h 44 min Shanghai 6 : 48 16 : 55 10 h 07 min Lhasa 8 : 46 19 : 01 10 h 14 min Delhi 7 : 09 17 : 28 10 h 19 min Hong Kong 6 : 58 17 : 44 10 h 46 min Manila 6 : 16 17 : 32 11 h 15 min Bangkok 6 : 36 17 : 55 11 h 19 min Singapore 7 : 01 19 : 04 12 h 03 min Jakarta 5 : 36 18 : 05 12 h 28 min Denpasar 5 : 58 18 : 36 12 h 37 min Darwin 6 : 19 19 : 10 12 h 51 min Papeete 5 : 21 18 : 32 13 h 10 min Brisbane 4 : 49 18 : 42 13 h 52 min Perth 5 : 07 19 : 22 14 h 14 min Sydney 5 : 41 20 : 05 14 h 24 min Auckland 5 : 58 20 : 39 14 h 41 min Melbourne 5 : 54 20 : 42 14 h 47 min Invercargill 5 : 50 21 : 39 15 h 48 min Length of day increases from the equator towards the South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere in December ( around the summer solstice there ), but decreases towards the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere at the time of the northern winter solstice. See also Holidays portal Burning the Clocks Christmas in July December solstice Effect of sun angle on climate Equinox Festival of Lights ( disambiguation ) Festive ecology Festivus Halcyon days Hanukkah HumanLight June solstice Koliada Kwanzaa Lohri Makar Sankranti Magneto Dayo - Winter Solstice ( Sounds Of A Cold Winter ) Midsummer Summer solstice Thai Pongal Tekufah Tiregān Yaldā Night Further reading Macphail, Cameron ( 20 December 2015 ). `` Winter solstice 2015 : Everything you need to know about the shortest day of the year ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2015. Handwerk, Brian ( 2015 - 12 - 21 ). `` Everything You Need to Know About the Winter Solstice ''. National Geographic. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 21. References Jump up ^ An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th Ed., James Ship - man, Jerry D. Wilson, Aaron Todd, Section 15.5, p 423, ISBN 978 - 0 - 618 - 92696 - 1, 2007. Jump up ^ `` When does spring start ? ''. Met Office. June 3, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Winter Solstice celebrations : a.k.a. Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, the Long Night, start of Winter, etc. '' Religious Tolerance.org. December 3, 1999. Retrieved December 22, 2011. Jump up ^ Johnson, Anthony ( 2008 ). Solving Stonehenge : The New Key to an Ancient Enigma. Thames & Hudson. pp. 252 -- 253. ISBN 9780500051559. Jump up ^ `` History of Christmas ''. History.com. Retrieved January 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Yule. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved December 3, 2006. Jump up ^ Capoccia, Kathryn ( 2002 ). `` Christmas Traditions ''. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 27. Jump up ^ Bishop Jacob Bar - Salabi ( cited in Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, Ramsay MacMullen. Yale : 1997, p. 155 ) Jump up ^ Goin ' Japanesque ! : Japanese Winter Solstice Traditions ; A Day for Kabocha and Yuzuyu Jump up ^ Meeus, Jean ( 2009 ). Astronomical Algorithms ( 2nd English Edition with corrections as of August 10, 2009 ed. ). Richmond, Virginia : Willmann - Bell, Inc. ISBN 0 - 943396 - 61 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Paikallissää Helsinki '' ( ' Local weather in Helsinki ' ) ( in Finnish ). Finnish Meteorological Institute. 2015 - 12 - 22. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Perth, Australia ''. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 22. Jump up ^ `` São Paulo, Brazil ''. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Denpasar, Indonesia ''. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 22. External links Table of times / dates from 1600 -- 2400 Winter solstice and midwinter festivals Africa Goru : Mali ( Dogon ) Dzon'ku Nu : West Africa ( Papaws ) Americas Inti Raymi ° : Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador ( Inca ) Jonkonnu ° : Caribbean ° ( African American ) Soyal : US ( Zuni, Hopi ) We Tripantu : Chile ( Mapuche ) Asia Amaterasu : Japan Choimus Deygān, Maidyarem ° : ( Zoroastrian ) Dōngzhì, Tōji : ( East Asian ) Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti ° : India ( Hindu ) Sanghamitta Day : Sri Lanka ( Buddhist ) Şeva Zistanê : ( Kurdish ) Yalda : Iran ( Persian ) Europe Beiwe : ( Saami ) Brumalia : Ancient Greece Christmas : Roman Empire ° ( Christian ) Dies Natalis Solis Invicti : Roman Empire Deuorius Riuri : Gaul Hogmanay ° : Scotland Korochun ° : ( Slavs ) Malkh - Festival ° : ( Nakh peoples ) Mōdraniht : Western Germany ( Matres and Matrones ) Midvinterblót : Sweden ( Norse ) Montol Festival, Mummer 's Day ° : Cornwall ( Celts ) Saturnalia : Rome Wren 's Day ° : Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales ( Celts ) Yule, Jul ° : ( Germanic ) Ziemassvētki : Baltic ( Romuva ) Oceania Matariki ° : New Zealand ( Māori ) † dagger indicates extinction. ° degree symbol indicates changes in date, name or location. ( ) indicate demographic Wheel of the Year Midwinter / Yule Imbolc / Gŵyl Fair Vernal equinox / Ostara Beltane / Calan Mai Midsummer Lughnasadh / Calan Awst Autumnal equinox / Mabon Samhain / Calan Gaeaf Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Winter_solstice&oldid=832616763 '' Categories : Astronomical events December observances June observances International observances Winter festivals Winter phenomena Hidden categories : CS1 Finnish - language sources ( fi ) Infobox holiday ( other ) Articles needing additional references from December 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Japanese - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Беларуская भोजपुरी Català Cymraeg Eesti Español Esperanto فارسی Gaeilge 한국어 हिन्दी Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia ಕನ್ನಡ Kreyòl ayisyen Kurdî Lietuvių Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Русский Scots සිංහල Simple English Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe 中文 27 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 March 2018, at 01 : 25. 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Question: which is the shortest day in the southern hemisphere
Answer: winter solstice