What date and month is the longest night. When is the longest day and shortest day of the year. Solstice - what is it

With the advent of spring, it becomes noticeable that the sun rises higher above the horizon at noon and later disappears behind it in the evening. Finally, at the beginning of summer, the luminary reaches its highest point - the summer solstice comes. The date of the longest day of the year varies by hemisphere and year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20, if there are 365 days in a year, and on June 21, if there are 366. And in the Southern Hemisphere, in a leap year, the longest day will come on December 22, and in a normal year - December 21.

After the longest day comes the shortest night. According to old Slavic beliefs, it was a magical time: the strength of useful plants increased many times over, suitors were certainly shown to the girls who gave fortune. Swimming before this day was strictly forbidden, as it was believed that in the water. On the summer solstice, the devils left the water until the beginning of August, so they bathed and doused themselves with water all day.

When pagan traditions were supplanted by Christian ones, this holiday was called the day of John the Baptist. And since John baptized by dipping in water, it turned out to be the day of Ivan Kupala. Planted on the fertile soil of ancient beliefs, the holiday has taken root and has come down to our days as a dousing.

In the old calendar, the summer solstice and Ivanov's day coincided, but according to the new style, the holiday has shifted to July 7th.

Winter solstice

After the summer solstice, the day begins. Gradually, the Sun reaches its lowest point of ascent. In the Northern Hemisphere, the shortest day of the year occurs on December 21 or 22, and in the Southern Hemisphere on June 20 or 21, depending on whether it is a leap year or not. After the longest night, the countdown begins - now the day will begin to arrive before the summer solstice, and after it - again decrease to the winter one.

The winter solstice was celebrated even in primitive communities, when, before the long winter, people slaughtered all the cattle that they could not feed, and arranged a feast. Later this day received a different meaning - the awakening of life. The most famous holiday of the solstice is Yule among the Germanic peoples. On the night after which the sun begins to rise higher, they burned bonfires, consecrated the harvest, and brewed cider.

In Greek mythology, the lord of the underworld, Hades, was allowed to visit Olympus only two days a year - on the summer and winter solstices.

Later, Yule merged with the celebration of Christmas, adding pagan traditions to Christian ones - for example, under the mistletoe. Traditionally, in early September, residents of the Russian capital celebrate the birthday of their beloved city.

City Day in Moscow in 2019(or, briefly, ) in accordance with Law No. 56 of September 22, 2004, may be appointed on the first or second Saturday in September, depending on the decision of the city authorities.

Earlier, the day of celebration of the Day of the capital of Russia was always the first Saturday of September.

However, after the tragic events in Beslan in 2004, the Day of Solidarity in the Fight against Terrorism was appointed on September 3, and a memorable date could also fall on Saturday. Carrying out festive events dedicated to the Day of Moscow, simultaneously with such a tragic date, of course, is unacceptable. Also, the first Saturday of autumn may coincide with September 1 (Knowledge Day), which remains a holiday and is an important date for the inhabitants of the Russian Federation. On September 1, many thematic festive events are traditionally planned throughout Moscow, which should not be combined with events dedicated to the celebration of the City Day in Moscow. In this regard, it was decided to officially fix the possibility of transferring the Day of the City of Moscow to the second Saturday of September.

When is City Day in Moscow in 2019:

Due to the existing uncertainty (the fact that the date of the celebration can be set both on the first and on the second Saturday of September), residents and guests of the capital are interested in the question When will Moscow Day be celebrated in 2019: September 7, 2019 or September 14, 2019.

Every year at the beginning of July, the Decree of the Government of Moscow is issued, which determines the date of the city day in the capital of Russia.

Before its release, it can be assumed that Moscow Day 2019 will be celebrated on the first Saturday of September - September 7, 2019.

That is, City Day in Moscow in 2019 will be celebrated by:
* September 7, 2019.

Twice a year the Sun passes the points of the ecliptic farthest from the celestial equator. With this position of the luminary relative to the Earth, the duration of the day reaches a maximum in summer, and a minimum in winter.

Solstice - what is it?

This astronomical period is called "solstice". The longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere usually falls on June 21st. In leap years, this date can be shifted by a day.

Sometimes the solstice falls on June 20th. The shortest winter day, and therefore the longest night, can be observed each year on December 21 or 22.

It is the summer solstice that is considered the day when astronomical spring ends and summer begins. Winter, according to astronomers, also comes not on the first of December and not on the day of the first snow, but only after the winter solstice.

The longest and shortest days of the year in pagan cultures

Unusual astronomical phenomena have always seemed mysterious and significant to people. The appearance of comets, meteor showers, eclipses were too noticeable to exist "just like that." They had to have some secret meaning.

In the same way, our ancestors distinguished the days of the equinox, the shortest and longest day. There were only four such dates in a year, but each had a special sacred meaning. They served as a kind of milestones between the seasons - which means they also had special properties.

In the most dissimilar cultures, these days evoked the same associations. The day of the spring equinox necessarily turned out to be a holiday of rebirth, resurrection.

Echoes of these traditions are still visible - the symbol of spring Easter is the egg, the classic cosmogonic symbol of rebirth. Diametrically opposite in meaning was the day of the autumn equinox - the harvest period, but also the time of the withering of nature, death. At this time, the afterlife is dangerously approaching the world of the living, and dark spirits come into the light. Autumn Halloween is an obvious confirmation of this. Pumpkins as a symbol of the harvest, the frightening content of the holiday as an echo of pagan traditions that connected this date with the world of the dead.

Duality of summer and winter solstice

People who had no idea about astronomy knew perfectly well when the longest day and the shortest day of the year. The summer solstice is a celebration of the riot of life, its colorful, joyful flowering, a celebration of fertility. Therefore, the longest day of the year is a vital, joyful and carefree holiday. But the longest night of the winter solstice is a time that is amazing in its duality. These are the dark hours, when the dark autumn spirits rage for the last time, but this is also the hope for their speedy departure, for the purification of the world. It is the dream of nature, deep as death.

The traditions of the Slavs, Gauls, Britons, ancient Greeks miraculously repeat each other. They are so imprinted in the memory of people that even some Christian holidays have a clear echo of paganism. There was a kind of overlay of traditions.

Summer solstice in Slavic culture

Although a logical question arises: why do the longest day of the year, and the shortest, and the days of the equinoxes fall on Christian holidays? More precisely, if we take into account the chronology, why do Christian holidays fall on these days? This is hardly a coincidence.

Even Christmas, which we now celebrate on January 7, according to the old style, was two weeks earlier. And what is the night before Christmas, everyone knows.

The longest day of the year is the feast of St. John the Baptist. But this is also a crystal pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala - with jumping over a fire, night games, fortune-telling, rampant evil spirits, that is, spirits, forces of nature. The very name of the holiday is a hybrid of Christianity and paganism. John the Baptist, conducting the rite of baptism in water, and Kupala, the personification of a pagan festival, is the same as, for example, Maslenitsa.

The Meaning of the Summer Solstice

This is a festival of grass, water and fire. A celebration of life, love and passion. The girls bathed naked in the dew, exchanged wreaths with the guys - a classic symbol of virginity and purity, jumped over the cleansing fire, holding hands. After all, it's not just entertainment. These are echoes of ancient marriage rituals. And joint wanderings through the night forest in search of a flower of a plant that is not capable of blooming ... This had a completely different meaning - and everyone understands what it is. The longest day of the year was devoted to fertility, and hence the conclusion of marriage alliances. These young people were not hunting for treasure at all. Just in the night forest is empty and dark. Although the flower itself endowed the lucky person who found it with extraordinary talents and good luck.

From the point of view of the ancient Slavs, this was not at all depraved or immoral. The marriage union concluded on such a day was supposed to be successful and happy. Children conceived on Ivan Kupala will be born beautiful, strong, healthy. And the very fact of concluding an alliance on this very day, ritual passion in the night forest is a sacrifice, a dedication to Kupala, the great element of life.

Winter solstice

This aspect caused particular indignation of representatives of the church. The longest day of the year, dedicated to the great Christian martyr, was filled with not just pagan, but absolutely obscene meaning.

The longest night of the year is at Christmas. More precisely, it was before the change of the calendar. The night before Christmas was considered the time when the evil spirits were especially active. She rages and rages, special rituals are needed to protect herself from evil spirits. This has a completely innocent explanation - after all, Christ is about to be born, which means that the power of evil spirits on earth will come to an end. But there was another meaning to everything that was happening. The world of the dead opened its doors on the day of the autumn equinox, and all this time the evil spirits were gaining strength. But the winter solstice completes this whirlwind. It's time for the spirits to return, so they rage on the last night, not wanting to accept defeat.

Surely most of our readers wondered - when is the longest day in 2018? After all, this is not just the longest day in terms of illumination, but also an ancient holiday, rooted in the depths of centuries, in those days when our ancestors worshiped the forces of nature, considering the Sun and Sky to be formidable deities.

The length of the daylight hours is determined by the time the luminary stays in the sky. That is, the longest day is the day when the maximum time passes from sunrise to sunset. This natural phenomenon has received its own name - the solstice. The name very accurately reflects the essence of the phenomenon - the sun seems to stop in the sky, slowly hiding behind the horizon.

There are two solstices - summer and winter. Summer is the longest day of the year, winter is the shortest. That is, in summer the sun is above the horizons for 17 hours 33 minutes, and in winter - only 5 hours 53 minutes.

The longest day of 2018

The solstice may fall on different dates depending on the year. So, in winter, the shortest day can fall either on December 21, or - very rarely - on December 22. In summer, the solstice is observed either on June 20, or 21, or June 22. After the solstice, the nights get longer and the days get shorter. At first, the difference is not noticeable - literally a matter of minutes, but by the end of summer you realize that the day of the autumn equinox is just around the corner, when the day is equal in duration to the night.

solstice festival

How could such an unusual phenomenon as the summer solstice go unnoticed? Of course no! And our ancestors celebrated the longest day of the year as one of the most important holidays of the annual cycle, full of deep sacred meaning.

Among the Slavs, this day was called Ivan Kupala - the day of the maximum flowering of nature. Moreover, the shortest night in the natural cycle was even more significant than the longest day. And the most important sign of the holiday was the flowering of the fern. According to the legend, the color of the fern - the flower - opened all the treasures, it was enough just to walk with it through the forest or field. However, getting the mysterious flower was not only difficult, but extremely dangerous. After all, the fern preparing to release the color attracted all the evil spirits in the district - and it was almost impossible to approach the flowering bush. Flowering began at the darkest time in the most remote place of the forest, and the flower itself stayed on the bush for a few minutes. Moreover, it was impossible to take a place at the fern in advance - it was necessary to approach the bush already from the beginning of flowering. The evil spirits protecting the kvetka frightened, confused the tracks, beckoned, turned their heads and could even kill the daredevils. However, from year to year there were brave adventurers who dreamed of picking the cherished flower.

Strictly speaking, the very name of the holiday - Ivan Kupala - has Christian roots. According to historians, the name comes from the popular version of the name of John the Baptist - the saint who baptized, that is, "bathed" Jesus. The pagan name has not survived to this day, but scientists are sure that the solstice is one of the most ancient holidays not only among the Slavs, but throughout the world.

The longest day: the customs of other countries

According to the researchers, the day of the summer solstice was known several thousand years ago. So, the famous pyramids of Egypt were built with a focus on this natural phenomenon: on the longest summer day, the sun sets exactly between the two pyramids, if you look at them from the third.

The ancient Celts also knew about the day of the solstice: Stonehenge was erected with an eye on this day. On June 21-22, the sun rises just above a separate stone, which is considered the main one in the entire structure.

For Latvians, the longest day is known as Ligo. This holiday can be safely called the most famous and popular folk holiday even in the modern calendar.

The solstice is also celebrated by the inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula. So, in Finland, it is celebrated as a public holiday, which is included in the official list of holidays and memorable dates in the country. Among the Finns, the holiday was called Juhannus, among the Swedes - Midsommar.