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(CNN) — For the past six months, the days have been getting shorter and the nights longer in the Northern Hemisphere. But that is about to reverse itself.
Winter solstice 2022, the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter, is Wednesday, December 21 (for any good part of the world). How it all works has puzzled people for thousands of years.
First we look at the science behind the solstice and the exact timing. We will then explore some of the oldest traditions and festivals around the world.
The science and timing behind winter solstice
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
The situation is reversed in the southern hemisphere, where only about 10% of the world’s population lives. There, December celebrates the longest day of the year — and the start of summer — in places like Argentina, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa.
These three images from NOAA’s GOES East (GOES-16) satellite show us what Earth looks like from space around the winter solstice. The images were captured 24 hours before the winter of 2018. You can see how the northern hemisphere is covered in darkness.
NOAA
When exactly does it happen?
It usually — but not always — takes place on December 21st. The date of the celestial is subject to change. Because the solar year (the time it takes for the sun to appear again in the same place as seen from the earth) is not exactly the same as our calendar year.
The sun sets over Ocean Beach in San Francisco on the 2020 Winter Solstice.
Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times/Getty Images
Below are some examples of what 21:48 UTC would be for different local times in places around the world. Due to time zone differences, most of Asia observes the winter solstice on Thursday, December 22.
• Tokyo: Thursday 6:48 am
• Hanoi, Vietnam: Thursday 4:48 am
• New Delhi: 3:18 Thursday
Istanbul: Thursday 12:48 am
Jerusalem: 11:48 Wed
• Copenhagen, Denmark: 10:48 Wed
• Charlotte, North Carolina: 4:48 Wednesday
• Winnipeg, Manitoba: 3:48 Wed
• San Francisco: 1:48 Wed
• Honolulu: Wednesday 11:48 am
Which places will see and feel the effects of winter the most?
The closer you get to the North Pole on December 21, the less daylight there is.
The illuminated Pont Alexandre III spans the Seine River, adding to the magic of Paris in winter.
Frederick Soltan/Corbis News/Getty Images
What makes winter even happen?
Because the Earth is tilted on its axis, we have different seasons. As the planet moves around the sun, each hemisphere faces winter as it turns away from the sun and is tilted toward the sun.
hold up! Why is the earth tilted?
Scientists are not entirely sure how this happened, but they think that billions of years ago, when the solar system was forming, violent collisions occurred that caused the Earth to tilt on its axis.
What other seasonal transitions do we mark?
The spring and autumn equinoxes occur when the sun’s rays are directly above the equator. On those two days, the days and nights are of nearly equal length everywhere. The Summer Moon is when the Sun’s rays are farthest north of the Tropic of Cancer, marking our longest day and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter Solstice Traditions and Celebrations
A look at the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Many Christmas traditions have their origins in pagan holidays.
John Lamparski/Getty Images
It’s no wonder that many cultures and religions celebrate holidays—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or pagan festivals—that coincide with the return of long days.
Based on accurate knowledge of seasonal cycles, the ancients celebrated this first day of winter with great ceremonies and festivals. Spiritually, these holidays represent the opportunity for renewal.
“Christmas takes many of its customs and probably the date on the calendar from the pagan Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends,” Maria Kennedy, an assistant professor in Rutgers University’s Department of American Studies, told CNN Travel in an email.
Saturnalia began on December 17 Kalend It started on January 1, said Kennedy, who is a specialist in Christmas studies.
Kennedy cites academic research that early founders of the Christian church condemned the practices of these holidays, but their popularity has endured. Although there is no specific date for the birth of Jesus in the Gospels, the Christian celebration of Christmas eventually coincides with the same time in the calendar.
Here are some of those ancient customs:
Scotland Artan
Saturnalia
In ancient Rome, Saturnalia lasted seven days. He honored Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.
Dongzi
Ancient Europeans weren’t the only ones to celebrate the anniversary. The Dongzi Winter Solstice Festival has its origins in ancient Chinese culture. The name roughly translates as “extreme winter”.
Celebrations
Many places around the world traditionally celebrate the winter solstice. Some of these include:
Montol Festival
A choir sings at Stonehenge to celebrate the winter solstice.
Ben Birchall / PA Images / Getty Images
Stonehenge
Lantern Festival
CNN’s Katya Heiter and Autumn Spanne contributed to this article.
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