When time is running out. Summer Solstice

Since June 22, every day has been waning - the nights are getting longer and the days are getting shorter. The maximum, when we observe the longest night and the shortest day, is reached on December 22. It is from this date that the period begins when the day begins to increase and the night shortens.

The longest night

If you want to get enough sleep, then December 22 will be the most successful for you. Astronomers have noticed that the longest night is observed in the Northern Hemisphere on this day. And the very next day, when the day begins to increase, there will be more and more daylight hours.

On December 22, the sun rises to its lowest point above the horizon. There is a fairly simple scientific explanation for this. has an ellipsoid shape. The Earth at this time is at the farthest point of the orbit. Therefore, the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere in December rises above the horizon to a minimum height, and the peak of this minimum falls on December 22.

Exact date or not?

It is customary to consider the date when the day begins to increase, December 22. In all calendars, it is celebrated as a Day. But to be absolutely accurate and take into account all the modern studies of astronomers and physicists, we will have to state such a fact. The position of the solar luminary for several days before the solstice and after does not change its inclination at all. And only 2-3 days after the solstice can we state that the time has come

So if you follow scientific research, then the answer to the question of when the day will begin to increase will be this - December 24-25. It is from this period that the nights become a little shorter, and the daylight hours become longer and longer. But at the household level, information has firmly settled that the time when daylight begins to increase falls on December 22.

Such inaccuracy is forgiven by scientists. After all, sometimes folk omens, based on centuries of observations, are much more tenacious than the latest modern research.

Golden for important news

The Slavs not only celebrated December 22 as the date when the day begins to increase in winter, but also carefully watched what the weather was like during these days, how birds and animals behaved.

It is on December 22 that the folk proverb "The sun - for the summer, winter - for the frost" is attributed. If frost fell on the trees that day, it was considered a good omen. So, to be a rich harvest of grain.

Interestingly, in the 16th century in Rus', the bell ringer of the Moscow Cathedral himself went to the tsar with "important" information. He reported that the Sun would burn brighter, that the nights would henceforth be shorter, and the days would become longer. In general, he did not let the king forget the date when the day was added. The importance of such a report can be judged by the fact that the king always rewarded the headman with a gold coin. After all, the news was joyful - winter is waning. And although there were still cold January snowfalls and severe February frosts ahead of the inhabitants of Russia, the very fact that day beats night was optimistic.

Glory to next spring

Why was such attention paid to the Winter Solstice in ancient times? After all, they remember him very rarely, and even more so they do not mark the date when daylight hours begin to increase. Unless they mention it in the news in a short line, that's all. But our ancestors, whose life depended entirely on the Sun and heat, celebrated this date widely and massively.

Huge bonfires were lit on the streets, both adults and children jumped over them. The girls danced round dances, and the guys competed who would show strength and ingenuity. On ancient Rus' celebrated joyfully and loudly. But Europe was not far behind.

Sun wheel on ancient monuments

In Europe, immediately after the Winter Solstice, pagan holidays began, which lasted exactly 12 days, according to the number of months. People had fun, went to visit, praised nature and rejoiced at the beginning of a new life.

There was an interesting custom in Scotland. An ordinary barrel was smeared with melted resin, then it was set on fire and rolled down the street. It was the so-called sun wheel, or otherwise - the solstice. The burning wheel resembled the Sun, it seemed to people that they could control the heavenly body. Such a solstice was made both in ancient Rus' and in other European countries.

Interestingly, archaeologists find an image of the sun wheel in the most different countries: in India and Mexico, in Egypt and Gaul, in Scandinavia and Such rock paintings are also in in large numbers found in Buddhist monasteries. By the way, among other names, the Buddha is also called the "King of Wheels". I really wanted to control the Sun.

Male force of nature

Massively celebrated the date when the day is added, and in France, where people held costumed festivals and gave real balls. Accompanied by musicians, the people on December 22 walked through the streets, as if to a demonstration. In the days of the Gauls, it was believed that it was imperative to pick a branch of mistletoe on this day, which would bring happiness to the house.

But in ancient China, the season of mass holidays began at this time. It was believed that along with the energy of the Sun, masculine power awakens in nature. A new life cycle begins, which promises happiness. Everyone celebrated this date - both nobles and commoners. And so that work does not interfere with fun, almost everyone, from the emperor to handymen, went on vacation. Shops closed, people went to visit, gave gifts and made sacrifices.

Today, the tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice has practically disappeared. Modern man does not look at the sky too often and believes that he does not really depend on the Sun. But a completely erroneous opinion. The Sun is the source of all life on earth.

The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the Sun is at its greatest angular distance from the celestial equator, i.e. when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. This leads to the longest day and shortest night (summer solstice) in one hemisphere of the Earth and to the very short day and the longest night (winter solstice) in another.

Longest day of the year

The day of the summer solstice is the day of the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere, that is, if the inhabitants of the Northern part of the Earth from this moment are at the beginning of astronomical summer, then for the inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere astronomical winter will begin in the same period of time.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20, 21 or 22. In the southern hemisphere, these dates are the winter solstice. Due to various inequalities in the movement of the Earth, the epochs of the solstice fluctuate by 1-2 days.

In 2017, astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere will begin on June 21 at 7.34 am Moscow time.

On the day of the summer solstice at the latitude of Moscow, the Sun rises above the horizon to a height of more than 57 degrees, and in territories located above the latitude of 66.5 degrees (the Arctic Circle), it does not set below the horizon at all, and the day lasts around the clock. At the North Pole of the Earth, the Sun moves across the sky at the same height around the clock. At the South Pole at this time there is a polar night.

During several adjacent days of the solstice, the noon heights of the Sun in the sky are almost unchanged; hence the name of the solstice. After the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day begins to wane, and the night gradually begins to increase. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true. For thousands of years, the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancient ancestors, who were subject to the cycles of nature.

How did the Slavs celebrate the solstice?

In the old days, even before the advent of Christianity, the Kupala holiday, dedicated to the ancient pagan god Kupala, was timed to the day of the summer solstice.

On this day and night, they wove wreaths, drank surya (honey drink), jumped over fires, made sacrifices to water and fire, collected healing herbs, performed rituals that called for the harvest, and "cleansing the soul and body" ablutions in rivers, lakes and streams. The central place among the vegetation that night was occupied by a fern. It was believed that the fern flower, blooming only for a moment at midnight, would indicate exactly where the treasure was buried.

The people said: "To Kupala - the Sun for the winter, and summer for the heat", "Whoever does not go to the Bathhouse - he will be a stump, and whoever goes to the Bathhouse - he will be a white birch."

The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, he was called Kupala, Kres (Old Russian), Ivan the Good, Lover, Ivan Kupala, Ivan the Herbalist, Yarilin Day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Sontsecres (Ukrainian), Spirits Day (Bulgarian) and etc. In Ukraine, it is also known as Kupailo, in Belarus - Kupala.

With the adoption of Christianity, people did not reject the Kupala holiday, but, on the contrary, timed this day to coincide with the day of John the Baptist, which, according to the old style, falls on June 24th. But according to the new style of the calendar, the day of John the Baptist falls on July 7th. To date, the celebration does not correspond to the astronomical solar equinox.

How the solstice is celebrated in the West

The celebration of the summer solstice was present in all ancient pagan systems, many peoples still celebrate it, some in its original form, and some in a simplified one, leaving only the basic rituals and translating the ancient rituals of the ancestors into a bright holiday.

The summer solstice among all Celtic peoples was considered the time of fairies, elves and other supernatural beings. Among the Celtic peoples of Britain, the holiday was called Lita and was closely associated with the pagan cult of the sun.

The Scandinavian and Baltic peoples splendidly celebrated the day and night of the summer solstice. Subsequently, these holidays in different countries were called Ivan's Day or Ivan's Night (from the national version of the name Ivan).

In Latvia, the holiday is called Ligo or Janov's Day, it has state status and is celebrated on June 23 and 24, which are official holidays. In Estonia, it is also called Janov's Day, in Lithuania - Jonines (Jonines) or Rasos (Rasos, dew festival). In both countries, it is celebrated on June 24 and is public holiday and day off.

In Norway, the holiday named after John the Baptist is called Jonsok ("Midsummer Night"). Another name for the holiday - Jonsvaka (Jonsvoko) - is formed from the name Johan and the verb vake - "keep awake". It was believed that on Midsummer Night one could not sleep until dawn - not only because one could hear the singing of the elves, but first of all with the aim of a talisman for the whole coming year. Another name for the holiday, more "official" - Sankthansnatt or Sankthansaften (night of St. Hans).

Sputnik

Sailing yacht from Finland "Svanhild" at the "Days of the Sea" festival in the port of Vanasadam in Tallinn

In Sweden, the holiday is called Midsommar. Until 1953, it was celebrated on the same day that the Christian church celebrated the day of John the Baptist. But now the holiday usually falls on the penultimate Saturday of June, that is, it is usually celebrated from June 20 to 26. In Sweden, the celebration begins the day before, on Friday, which is also a public holiday.

In Finland, during pagan times, the holiday was called in honor of the God of Fire - Ukon juhla (Ukon juhla), but now it is called Juhannus (Juhannus) - an outdated pronunciation of the name of John the Baptist. Since 1954, Juhannus has been celebrated on the Saturday that falls between the 20th and 26th of June. Since 1934 this day has been official holiday- Day of the National Flag of the country.

Folk omens on the day of the summer solstice

On this day, it is customary to follow the signs, that's what the people paid attention to.

Bad weather at the summer solstice predicted crop failure and a poor year. It is believed that if the Sun hid behind clouds, the summer will be bad.

If there is a lot of dew in the morning - to a rich harvest. This dew was collected and poured into one vessel, it was considered healing. The same power was possessed by the water collected in the morning from wells and springs. They washed themselves with it on the same day and drank.

If there are a lot of stars in the sky, this is a mushroom summer.

Participants of the Novgorod Kupalle festival in Veliky Novgorod

It is believed that children born on the day of the summer solstice, June 21 or 22, have an evil eye, that is, they can jinx it. However, according to another sign, these people have good health and a happy fate, as they are under the protection of the sun.

It was considered a good omen on the day of the summer solstice to meet the dawn - this gives strength and health for the whole year and protects from troubles.

It is also believed that if you climb over 12 fences on this day, then your wish will come true within a year.

And in order to get rid of all diseases, you need to take a steam bath with a broom collected on that day.

The material is compiled from open sources.

The name of the moon is waning or old.

The waning moon (old moon) and its influence

Waning Moon - washes, exhales, dries, calls for activity and energy expenditure. The body is tuned for energy consumption, for release and cleansing.

Waning Moon (old moon) - health

With the old Moon, the body easily and willingly expends energy, while remaining alert and strong. At this time, we endure pain more easily, cope with infection faster and recover more easily from illnesses and operations. Therefore, all surgical interventions (except for urgent ones), all medical procedures associated with a load on the body and requiring the expenditure of strength and energy, should be carried out only during the waning moon. The same applies to visiting the dentist - whether you are going to fill your teeth, remove them or put on dentures. On the old Moon, the most effective and timely are all procedures for cleansing, washing and relieving inflammation of organs and parts of the body, depending on.

Weight loss for the waning moon

With the waning moon, you can afford to eat too much without the risk of getting better. But on the other hand, both diets and fasting days are more effective during the waning moon. By limiting yourself in food during the waning moon, you can lose twice as much weight and do it in a shorter time,.

Waning Moon (Old Moon) - beauty, hair cutting

It is better not to go to the hairdresser on the waning moon. At this time, we are especially strong and actively expend energy, and we must use this strength in our lives, realize ourselves. Having visited the hairdresser on this day, we risk giving him our strength or leaving it on the ends of the cut hair. After that, both your activity and your energy will dry up, your hair will start to hurt and grow poorly. An exception to this and .

With the old Moon, it is easier for the skin to get rid of something superfluous that interferes with it - for example, acne, blackheads, freckles, age spots and other "troubles". All kinds of cleanings are shown - internal and external.

waning moon calendar for 2018 contains information about the dates and times of the beginning and end of the days of the descending Moon.

The waning moon (old moon) in the signs of the zodiac

Waning Moon in Aries

These days, teenage complexes can wake up in you, everything is seen in black and white. In other people, cheerfulness seems to be spitefulness, activity - aggression, kindness - weakness, friendliness - hypocrisy. With the waning Moon in Aries, it is better to find a logical activity for yourself, relax while playing checkers, chess, and solving crossword puzzles.

Waning Moon in Taurus

The feeling of harmony fills us with joy, a feeling of fullness of life. However the world, alas, is not so harmonious, so enjoy life with an eye on its business side.

Waning Moon in Gemini

Unexpectedly for ourselves, we receive accusations of illogicality and non-obligation. Remember fuss and activity are different concepts. If you deliberately create chaos, then it should be clear to you and you should be able to navigate freely in it.

Waning Moon in Cancer

It's time to dig into the past. The Old Moon in Cancer connects the past with the present. Get out your old diaries, notepads and notebooks. There you can find information that was not interesting before, but now suddenly came in handy.

Waning Moon in Leo

The most favorable time for public speaking. A skillful orator easily inspires the public with his views. In the waning moon in Leo, there is a great opportunity to convince people that they are right.

Waning Moon in Virgo

These are the days of cleanliness and order. You can clean everything from home floors to financial documents.

Waning Moon in Libra

These days are most favorable for a constructive discussion of various opinions. At this time, people subconsciously avoid quarrels and try to communicate with each other as politely and correctly as possible. Here concessions are made not because of the stubbornness of the parties, but because of the desire to find the most convenient and acceptable forms of cooperation.

Waning Moon in Scorpio

This period can be called the time of rebirth to life. The old unnecessary disappears, old ties are torn, or vice versa, lost relationships are restored. Be extremely attentive to everything that suddenly arises from the past.

Waning Moon in Sagittarius

Hierarchy takes on a special meaning. These days, the bull should in no case allow himself what is allowed only to Jupiter.

Waning Moon in Capricorn

By these days, people accumulate strong internal emotions, ready to spill out. To avoid this, it would be good to listen to soulful music, go to a concert. If you drop the load of emotions in time, you will meet the old Moon in Capricorn calm and peaceful. You will subtly feel the world around you and will not react painfully to its imperfections. This state of mind is one of the brightest and most pleasant.

Waning Moon in Aquarius

These days, I absolutely do not want to open my inner world for an outside invasion. Focus on business, without communicating with people at a close psychological distance.

Waning Moon in Pisces

Beautiful time! The sense of rhythm is aggravated, you feel with pleasure the beating of the vital pulse, the seething of vital forces at every point of your body. Try not to get euphoric. During this period, concentrate on the most important things, the main goal. A surge of energy is able to crush many obstacles on the way to it.

The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the Sun is at its greatest angular distance from the celestial equator, i.e. when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. This results in the longest day and shortest night (summer solstice) in one hemisphere of the Earth, and the shortest day and longest night (winter solstice) in the other.

In 2017, astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere will begin on June 21 at 04:24 UTC (UTC, 07:24 Moscow time).

For millennia, the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancient ancestors, who obeyed the cycles of nature. In the times of the pagans, the sun had divine power over all living things, and the summer solstice meant the highest flowering of all the forces of nature.

In the old days, even before the advent of Christianity, the Kupala holiday, dedicated to the ancient pagan god Kupala, was timed to the day of the summer solstice.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

From this article, you will find out when the days of the summer and winter solstices, as well as the autumn and spring equinoxes, come.

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. Learn more about these days.

When, in what month in winter, will daylight hours turn into profit and start growing?

Mid-latitude winter solstice in Russia

The shortest day in winter winter solstice- We are on December 21 or 22. On one of these days, the smallest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere, in mid-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 line of 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 very honored: they festively decorated their house, prepared kutya from wheat, and baked pies and gingerbread from the flour of the new harvest. By the New Year and Christmas holidays, they fed animals (pig, calf) in spring and summer to slaughter Christmas time and cook delicious meat dishes.

day at the equator all year round in magnitude the same 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.

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

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

Longest mid-latitude day in Russia and Ukraine

Longest day of the year ( summer solstice) occurs on June 20, but may be on June 21 or 22 (depending on the shift in the calendar associated with the leap year). For Moscow, the length of the day is 17 hours 33 minutes, and then the days begin to be shorter and the nights longer.

How can the summer solstice be explained? This is the day when the sun reaches its highest point on the horizon at noon. After this day, the sun begins to go down, and this continues until December 21 or 22.

In the old days, beliefs were associated with this day:

At this time, healers collected medicinal herbs, since the largest beneficial features plants are showing up right now.
On the night after the summer solstice, the girls told fortunes about the betrothed, he certainly showed up.
From that day on, it was possible to swim in reservoirs, and earlier it was forbidden, since, according to legend, devils sat in the water. From that day on, they left for a short time, until the feast of Elijah (August 2).

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

By how much will daylight hours begin to increase after December 22?

The shortest day in winter in central Russia

December 21 or 22 is considered the shortest day, but in fact the next few days are of this duration, and only on December 24-25 the day is added.

At first, the addition of the 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 the 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 for some planets is similar to the earth day, for others it is completely different. Day length on other planets(in Earth hours):

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

From what day do the days become longer than the nights?

Spring equinox in central Russia

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

For the Slavs, the feast of the Forty Saints is associated with the day of the vernal equinox.. On this day, birds (larks) were baked from pastry, and spring was called, and with it from distant lands, the first birds.

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

In Russia (middle latitude), from the days of the equinox and solstice, among the people, it is customary to start Countdown and time of the 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 there?

The longest day of the year in central Russia

The longest day in 2017 was June 21st. 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, daylight hours will begin to decrease?

The day has gone down 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 had decreased by 6 minutes, and became 17 hours 27 minutes
For July - for 1 hour 24 minutes, the duration of the day is 16 hours 3 minutes
For August - for 2 hours 8 minutes, the day lasts 13 hours 51 minutes
Until the day of the equinox (September 24), the day will decrease by 1 hour 45 minutes, the duration of the day is 12 hours 2 minutes

When does the night get longer than the day?

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

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

At the end of September, the day lasts 11 hours and 35 minutes
In October, the day will decrease by 2 hours 14 minutes, and at the end of the month it will be 9 hours 16 minutes
In November, the day decreases not so intensively, by 1 hour 44 minutes, the length of the day is 7 hours 28 minutes
Until the day of the winter solstice (December 21), the day will decrease by 28 minutes, the length of the day is 7 hours, the night is 17 hours

It is noteworthy that on days equal in duration to nights (autumn and spring equinox The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west.

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