When is winter solstice and the shortest day of the year? | British News

When is winter solstice and the shortest day of the year? | British News

Are you tired of it getting dark at 4 p.m.? After Saturday at the latest the days will get a little longer.

The first day of the weekend – December 21st – marks the winter solstice, which brings with it the shortest day and longest night of the year.

In London, daylight lasts seven hours and 49 minutes.

From Sunday December 22nd, the days in the Northern Hemisphere will be slightly longer every single day until the end of June.

The increase in daylight will be tiny at first, just a matter of seconds per day, but will steadily increase until daylight expands by three minutes each day in March, according to weather forecasting website Almanac.

The exact amount of brightness gained depends on where in the world you are.

What is the winter solstice?

The solstice, also known as Yule, is a celebration of light and the symbolic rebirth of the sun.

Scientifically speaking, it is the time of year when the Earth is tilted the most toward or away from the sun.

At sunrise, people take part in winter solstice celebrations at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Picture date: Thursday December 22, 2022.
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People take part in the 2022 winter solstice celebrations. Image: PA

The tilt means that the northern and southern hemispheres receive very different amounts of sunlight – and days and nights are the most unequal.

During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the upper half of the Earth tilts away from the sun, creating the shortest day and longest night of the year.

At sunrise, people take part in winter solstice celebrations at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Picture date: Thursday December 22, 2022.
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Image: PA

Meanwhile, the Northern Hemisphere faces the sun on the summer solstice, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. This solstice falls between June 20th and 22nd.

However, due to Earth’s elliptical orbit around the Sun, the dates of the equinox and solstice are not fixed.

What is the Equinox?

During the spring and fall equinoxes, the Earth’s axis and orbit align so that both hemispheres receive equal amounts of sunlight.

At the equinox, day and night last almost the same length of time – hence the term, which is made up of two Latin words that mean equal and night.

While the solstice ushers in summer and winter, the equinox marks the beginning of spring and fall.

Why do the dates vary?

The date of the equinox and solstice varies because a year in the modern Gregorian calendar does not exactly correspond to the amount of time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the sun.

Image: iStock
Picture:
Image: iStock

This means that the timing of the equinoxes and solstices slowly moves away from the Gregorian calendar, with the solstice occurring about six hours later each year.

Eventually the delay becomes so great that it falls on a different date.

In order to adapt the calendar to the Earth’s orbit, a leap day is introduced every four years. When this happens, the equinox and solstice move to the earlier date.

How to celebrate in the UK and Ireland

The winter solstice is celebrated all over the world and has been for thousands of years.

It is one of the most important occasions when English Heritage brings people close to the stones that make up Stonehenge.

In recent years, large crowds have gathered at the site on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire to watch the sunrise, which usually occurs just after 8am.

It is believed that solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.

The public also gathers at the ancient site of Newgrange in Co Meath, Ireland.

People gather in Newgrange, Co. Meath on the morning of the winter solstice, which is marked by pagan celebrations. Picture date: Wednesday December 21, 2022. Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland. It is believed that the Neolithic people built Newgrange over 5,000 years ago so that the sun would shine on the ashes of their dead in the grave, representing a sign of rebirth.
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People gather in Newgrange, Co Meath. Image: PA

The monument – ​​which consists of a large circular mound with an internal stone passageway – is illuminated each year when sunlight shines through a small opening above the entrance known as a “roof box.”

The room is illuminated for 17 minutes, a phenomenon that brings the public together to see it first hand.

In Penzance, Cornwall, the solstice is celebrated by the annual Montol Festival.

Participants carry lanterns during the 'Burning the Clocks' lantern parade on Brighton beach in East Sussex as part of the winter solstice celebrations. Picture date: Wednesday December 21, 2022.
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Participants carry lanterns during the Burning the Clocks parade. Image: PA

An effigy of Wilderman is set alight on the beach during the 'Burning the Clocks' lantern parade on Brighton beach in East Sussex as part of the winter solstice celebrations. Picture date: Wednesday December 21, 2022.
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Image: PA

First organized in 2007, the festival is a revival of traditional Cornish midwinter customs and traditions that date back hundreds of years.

It consists of costumed and masked people, performances and, when it gets dark, a procession through the capital.

While you’re on the south coast, Brighton is hosting the Burning the Clocks parade. The event consists of a parade in which locals carry homemade paper and wicker lanterns through the city and throw them onto a bonfire on the beach at the end.

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