Although the 22 December is the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight, it does not have the latest sunrise and earliest sunset of the year, because of a discrepancy between modern-day timekeeping methods and how we measure time using the Sun.
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After this date, the days start getting longer. It represents the exact moment when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted at its furthest point away from the sun.
Winter solstice traditionally falls on December 21, although this year it will fall on the 22nd for the same reason we have leap years: the Earth’s orbit of the sun actually takes 365.5 days, so each year the solstice is pushed back by six hours.
This lag in temperature occurs because even though the amount of daylight is increasing, the Earth’s surface continues to lose more heat than it receives from the sun.
The winter solstice is a major pagan festival, with rituals of rebirth having been celebrated for thousands of years.
You can see where sun will rise and set here. Druids and Wiccans celebrate Yule by decorating their homes in red, green and white, by exchanging gifts, and by lighting Yule lights.
Monday, Dec. 21 marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This year, it’s on the 22nd – but sometimes it can be on the 20th or the 23rd, although both are rare.
The opposite happens after the Summer Solstice.
Stonehenge is an ancient monument in England that is often mentioned in the same breath as the winter solstice.
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Built between 3,000 to 2,000 BC, Stonehenge was hugely significant to our ancestors, allowing us to carefully monitor the skies. Others, say it’s a landmark for visits from space aliens.
