Context: December 21, is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, conversely, there was the Summer Solstice. December 21 is the year’s longest day there.
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About Winter Solstice
- It is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
- On December 22 the day will be one second longer and gradually the duration of day time will increase.
- This situation will be reversed six months from now , on June 21, 2021 when the Northern Hemisphere will see the Summer Solstice.
- The day will be the year’s longest on the Summer Solstice.
- It occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, located at 23.5° latitude South .
Importance
- For centuries, this day has had a special place in several communities due to its astronomical significance, and is celebrated in many ways across the world.
- Jewish people call it ‘Tekufat Tevet’, which marks the start of winter.
- In Iran and neighbouring Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, the Winter Solstice is celebrated as Yalda or Shab-e-Yalda.
- In VedicTradition it is the first day of Uttarayana.
Uttarayana: It is the period between Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti
- In the Southern Hemisphere, where the Winter Solstice in June, Peru celebrates the day with a festival called Inti Raymi, meaning “sun festival”.
What are Equinoxes?
- There are only two times of the year when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a “nearly” equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes and these events are referred to as Equinoxes.
- There are two equinoxes namely Vernal and Autumnal.
- The days become a little longer at the higher latitudes (those at a distance from the equator) because it takes the sun longer to rise and set.