The longest night is celebrated around the world

Daylight hours will begin to increase

The 2023 winter solstice falls on December 22, marking the Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day of the year, during which most people only have about 9 or 10 hours of sunlight, and in some parts of the Earth even less.

The winter solstice is the moment when the Earth is at its greatest angle from the sun, according to University of Massachusetts astronomer Stephen Schneider. It is believed that the closer you are to the Arctic, the shorter the day will be.

The solstice usually falls on December 21 or 22, but it could occur as early as December 20 or even 23, explains the Weather Channel. This happens because calendars do not exactly correspond to the solar year, which is why the date floats.

As the longest night passes, there will be more sun in the forecast, days will get longer and nights will get shorter until the longest day of the year arrives in six months. In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite, so in these regions the winter solstice will be celebrated in June, when we have the summer solstice.

Around the world, the longest night is celebrated with festivals, parades and more. Some of the largest celebrations are held at England’s Stonehenge, a Neolithic monument that was built to allow the sun’s rays to pass through its stones in a specific way on solstice days. On the winter solstice, the sun sets to the southwest of the stone circle.

As CBS News previously reported, there is a long history of ancient winter solstice celebrations. In the Roman Empire there was a famous holiday, Die Natalis Invicti Solis, or “Birthday of the Invincible Sun.”

Around 8,000 people attended the summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge in 2023, with more than 145,000 watching live. A similar live broadcast will be organized on the day of the winter solstice, according to the charity English Heritage, which cares for historical sites in England. Let us recall that scientists consider Stonehenge to be an ancient observatory, built taking into account the winter and summer solstices.

In other parts of the United Kingdom, the longest day is celebrated with the Burning of the Clock, a community event that includes a parade and bonfires on the beaches of Brighton. The event is intended to celebrate the shortest day of the year and “provide an antidote to the excesses of Christmas,” according to its website, and has been held almost every year since 1993.

In Toronto, the day has been celebrated with the Winter Solstice Festival at Kensington Market since 1988. The holiday includes theatrical elements and street performances.

It is currently summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and the winter solstice will not occur until June. In El Salvador, people gather to burn offerings and take part in other celebrations.

In Bolivia, the solstice marks the beginning of a new year according to the Andean Amazon calendar. According to a website describing the country’s tourist attractions, priests hold ceremonies to thank the sun and the earth; such ceremonies include chants, rituals, and burnt offerings.

Cusco hosts an event every year known as the Inti Raymi Sun Festival to celebrate the solstice. Cusco was once the center of the Inca Empire and is close to Machu Picchu, which was built by the Incas in 1450 to celebrate the solstice.

Let us remind you that the longest night of the year is also called Yule Night, and it is celebrated by Viking fans around the world.