Longest day of winter. A short and long day of the year. Winter solstice magic rituals
Anna Moderska,
teacher, sex consultant for Fun Factory, an adult toy manufacturer
Then, due to the discrepancy between the Julian calendar and solar cycles, the day of Ivan Kupala began to be celebrated on July 7, but many traditions, games and signs are still alive. On July 7, they are not very "real" and effective, because the sun has already turned for winter, but on June 22, the shortest and brightest night of the year, it is truly magical. Where and how to conduct it?
By the water
It is not recommended to sleep on Kupala night: last hours evil spirits walk on the ground and can do great harm to a sleeping person. Night in nature near the reservoir - perfect option... And it is not at all necessary to spend this time together. If you're ready to experiment, you can celebrate with friends, go swimming, play wish games, dance in circles, retreat for love, and even swap partners.
For many peoples, this night was permeated with eroticism, including the Slavs. And it was customary to perform some rituals without clothes, since, stripping naked, a person united with nature, gaining her strength.
So on this night you can swim naked in the river and not be afraid of mermaids - from that day on they go to sleep at the bottom of rivers and lakes, no longer bothering people. Water, as was believed by the people, on this day acquired magical properties and helped lovers and those who dream of offspring. And the starry sky above the serene surface of the rivers is the best way affects the strength of the family union.
Light bonfires and jump over them holding hands. If the hands do not open, the couple is guaranteed a long and happy relationship. An integral attribute of the Kupala night is the tradition of making a cleansing fire, when a fire is kindled from an immortal source obtained by rubbing wood against wood. They danced around the cleansing fires and jumped over them to be happy. It was believed that in such a fire all ailments and damage are burned. And in ancient times they jumped over such a fire naked.
Kupala night in the forest is more of a bachelorette party format. Sing songs and dance until dawn. Collect wildflowers and herbs and make wreaths. The herbs and flowers collected on a festive night among the Slavs were considered especially healing, a kind of amulets. The girls wove wreaths from such flowers and plants with their own hands, put them on their heads and made wishes. Of course, about the betrothed and happy love.
If you don't have a couple yet, collect your own bouquet of 12 different flowers and herbs, make a sweetheart and put a wreath under your pillow overnight. In the old days, in the morning of the next day, lonely girls burned such bouquets, but it is unlikely that urban residents now have such an opportunity. Although, probably, it is possible in the grill.
Among women's rituals, the rite that has come down to us from Polesye is also noteworthy: before dawn, the girls chose the most beautiful one, naked it and decorated it from head to toe with flower garlands. Then all the girls went to the forest, where the chosen beauty, called "dzevko-kupalo", was blindfolded. Without seeing anyone in person, she gave out pre-prepared wreaths to all the friends who were dancing around her, and by the flowers woven into the wreath, the girls wondered about their future fate. You can take this rite into service.
If you are not ready for adventures in nature, or the weather is not conducive to this, or tomorrow you need to go to work, then you can arrange Kupala's night at home. We do not suggest making a fire in the apartment and jumping over it - the neighbors and the fire department will not appreciate your desire to connect with nature. But no one will stop you from lighting and placing candles around the apartment, spreading wildflowers and fragrant herbs and
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 times when our ancestors worshiped the forces of nature, considering the Sun and Heaven as formidable deities.
The length of daylight hours is determined by the time spent by the star 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 disappearing 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.
Longest day of 2018
Depending on the year, the solstice can fall on different numbers. 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 20, or 21, or 22 June. 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 not far off, when the day is equal in duration to 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 legend, the color of ferns - kvetka - 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 area - 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 remained 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 from the beginning of flowering. The evil spirits protecting the shrimp frightened, confused the tracks, beckoned, dizzy 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 - Ivana Kupala - has Christian roots. According to historians, the name comes from the popular version of the name 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.
Longest day: customs of other countries
As the researchers say, the day of the summer solstice was known several thousand years ago. So, the famous pyramids of Egypt were built with an orientation to this natural phenomenon: on the longest summer day, the sun sets exactly between two pyramids, if you look at them from the third.
The ancient Celts also knew about the solstice: Stonehenge was erected with an eye on this day. On June 21-22, the sun rises just over a freestanding 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 inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula also celebrate the solstice. So, in Finland it is celebrated as a public holiday included in the official list of holidays and memorable dates of the country. The Finns called the holiday Johannus, the Swedes called Midsummer.
When are the shortest and longest nights of the year? The answer to this question is simple and has been known to many for a long time.
The longest daylight hours (it is still accompanied by the shortest night of the year) and the shortest have their own scientific name and are designated by the term "solstice".
It has long been of great importance in the annual cycle of time. Due to the fact that they have always ruled the way of life of people, many peoples have in their own cultures traditional customs, rituals and holidays associated with such days.
In modern life, the duration of the solstice (summer and winter) can be calculated with an accuracy of one minute for several years in advance.
When is the shortest night of the year? About the traditions, rituals associated with such specific astrological phenomena (solstice and the shortest night), as well as about the dates themselves, you can learn from this article.
Solstice types, traditions
During the solstice periods, planet Earth has the longest and shortest light days.
In winter, the solstice is December 21 or 22. The length of the day is 5 hours and 53 minutes. And, of course, the longest night falls on the same date. Then the length of the day begins to grow.
On one of three days, from 20 to 22 June, the summer solstice is observed (at the same time the shortest night of the year comes), lasting 17 hours and 33 minutes. After this, there is a gradual shortening of daylight hours and lengthening of the night period.
Various curious traditions are associated with the above natural events. In the old days in Russia and in some of the neighboring countries it was popular. It was dedicated to the shortest day and was timed to Christmas and Christmas.
Even the ancient Egyptians, who built giant pyramids, once knew about the longest day, according to historians. This is evidenced by the fact that the highest of them are located so that the sun set on that day between them (this phenomenon becomes visible if you look at these buildings from the side of the Sphinx).
What happens during the longest and shortest days of the year?
All people notice that with the arrival of spring, the sun is higher and higher above the horizon at noon and every day it leaves the firmament later in the evening. At the beginning of summer, it reaches its highest point - this is the summer solstice.
The date of this phenomenon depends on the year (whether it is a leap year or not).
June 20 occurs the summer solstice in the Northern Earth Hemisphere, if and June 21 - if there are 365 days in a year. In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest day in a leap year is December 22, and December 21 in a normal year.
What date is the shortest night? The answer is simple. It comes after the day of the solstice.
Ivan Kupala Day
According to ancient Slavic beliefs, this time is magical: the strength of all useful plants increases many times over, the girls who are betrothed are shown in dreams and visions.
Before this time, it was forbidden to swim. It was believed that devils were sitting in the waters. And during the summer period, they left the water until the very beginning of August.
But the time came when these pagan traditions were supplanted by the Christian ones, and this ancient holiday received a different name - the day of John the Baptist. But since John baptized by dipping in water, he began to be called the day of Ivan Kupala (this is the shortest night in the summer). This holiday has taken root well and has reached the present day.
The night on Ivan Kupala among the Slavs is considered magical, magical. On this night, people are guessing, jumping over the fire (purification by fire occurs), collecting medicinal herbs. Mass swimming is considered an important attribute on this day.
So how long is the shortest night of the year? 6 hours 26 minutes.
According to the old calendar, the summer solstice and the famous day of Ivan Kupala coincided, but now (according to the new style) this holiday has moved to July 7.
Winter solstice, celebration
The day gradually begins to wane after the summer solstice. Slowly the Sun reaches its lowest point of ascent.
The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is December 21 or 22 (depending on the year), and in the southern hemisphere, June 20 or 21, respectively. And again, after the longest night, the countdown begins.
Even in ancient times, it was celebrated. Before the long winter, people slaughtered all the cattle and made a feast. Then this day received the following meaning - the awakening of life.
This holiday is the largest and most famous among the Germanic peoples - medieval Yule. On the night after which the luminary gradually rises higher and higher, they burned fires in the fields, consecrated plants (trees) and crops, and cooked cider.
And the shortest night of the year, accordingly, comes six months after these events.
In today's world, these significant dates do not have so much of great importance as it was before with our ancestors. However, modern pagans continue to consider them holidays and certainly celebrate, as was customary in the old days.
The shortest day in 2018 - 22 December 2018, Saturday. And, accordingly, the longest night in 2018 is the night from December 22 to December 23.
On this day at 12:28 Moscow time - the December solstice (winter solstice).
The shortest day in 2018 is 7 hours, 20 seconds (7:00:20). In terms of daylight hours, the shortest December day in 2018 is 10 hours, 33 minutes shorter than the June solstice (Thursday, June 21, 2018).
Also, it will be interesting to know that:
- The earliest sunset in 2018 is December 14th.
- The latest sunrise in 2018 is December 29.
All living organisms feel the need for sunlight and feel a lack of it in those seasons when the days are shortened and the nights are lengthening. Any cycle has critical points of change in the nature of the cycle. In the cycle of changing the length of daylight hours are the days of the equinox and the days of the solstice.
When the phase of increasing daylight begins
The phase of increasing daylight hours begins on the day of the winter solstice and ends on the day of the summer solstice. The intensity of the increase in daylight hours depends on the angle of declination of the Sun and the speed of its rotation. Practically, the day in the northern hemisphere begins to increase on December 24-25 by several minutes a day, then the intensity of the increase in the length of the day increases.
In nature, there are such natural phenomena as the increase and decrease of daylight hours. The longest day is observed on June 22, then it gradually decreases in the future. Daylight hours decrease until December 22, at this moment you can observe the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the future, the day begins to gradually regain its positions. This happens imperceptibly, the difference is in minutes. A more visible result can be observed in about a month. March 20-21 day almost corresponds to the night - the vernal equinox. This process takes place from year to year, so 2018 is no exception.
At the end of June 2018, the days began to slowly decrease, and by December they will reach their minimum. In the northernmost cities, the polar night will even come. Everyone will be looking forward to the moment when the day begins to increase. This turning point will be the Winter Solstice Day, which falls on December 21-22. During it, the day is the shortest. And the very next day - December 23, 2018 - the day will become several seconds longer. Here in this table, with the time of sunrise and sunset in St. Petersburg, you can clearly see how the length of the day will increase:
Winter solstice magic, rituals on this day
The winter solstice is one of the four main solar days in astrology, along with the summer solstice and the autumn and spring equinoxes.
In pagan times, the day on the eve of the winter solstice was called Karachun, which means "death" or "destruction." People believed that evil forces could make it so that the sun would not rise in the morning, so they helped him “to be born” in every possible way: even before dawn, they gathered and kindled ritual bonfires from oak and pine logs and brought gifts to the forest gods - they baked pies and cooked uzvar, which brought to the forest. Bread or pies were placed on the branches of old trees, sweet drinks were poured on them - as an offering to forest deities, to be sent good harvest... Perhaps this is the origin of the custom of decorating the Christmas tree.
In the morning, when the sun rose, they celebrated its rebirth - in fact, the winter solstice was a pagan New Year. That night they also carolled, and the girls also wondered about the betrothed. Subsequently, with the adoption of Christianity, these classes were transferred to the Christmastide period.
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 fell on June 21. Several days, the days were just as long (17 hours 33 minutes), and since June 24, the days began to decrease.
When, from what date in summer, will daylight begin to decrease?
If we take the 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 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 - 2 hours 8 minutes, a day lasts 13 hours 51 minutes
- Until the day of the equinox (September 24), the day will decrease by 1 hour 45 minutes, the length of the day is 12 hours 2 minutes
"The sun is for the summer, winter is for the frost!"
Proverb
On December 21, at 21:11 (Moscow time), the Earth's axis will deviate to the maximum angle in relation to the Sun, which means that the northern hemisphere, which is far from the center of our system, will receive the least amount of light. In Moscow, the day will last about 7 hours, in St. Petersburg - less than 6 hours, and beyond the Arctic Circle, even at noon, there will be twilight. This is the winter solstice, after which the astronomical winter begins.
People noticed this phenomenon in ancient times and noted its importance. Such famous Paleolithic monuments as Stonehenge and Newgrange are oriented towards the summer and winter solstice, respectively. Located in Ireland, Newgrange is a mound with huge boulders at its base. It was both a burial ground and a religious building with an altar, to which a narrow corridor leads. For several days before and after the winter solstice, the rays of the celestial body tear out the dark corners of the underground chamber from the darkness for only 15-20 minutes.
Photo: http://www.knowth.eu/newgrange-aerial.htm
For communities leading a primitive economy, this day marked the beginning of the most difficult time of the year, when nature did not provide any food, and one could rely only on their own supplies. B O Most of the livestock went under the knife due to lack of feed. At the same time, young wine was ripening. Before tightening their belts, our ancestors were not averse to feasting.
The reason for the holiday was the birth of a new star at a time when the forces of darkness are already ready to triumph and plunge the earth into chaos.
Solstice were central events in the life of peoples who worshiped the Sun as one of the supreme deities. In Egypt, Amon-Ra was revered, the Incas called themselves "sons of the Sun", in Babylon the resurrection was dedicated to the sun god Shamash (cf. Sunday(resurrection), lit. "Day of the sun"). Greco-Roman agrarian and solar holidays had a huge influence on the formation of modern Christmas and New Year traditions.
In the second half of December, celebrations were held in Rome in honor of the god of earth and fertility Saturn (by the way, Saturday was dedicated to him, Saturday). People believed that when he was an earthly ruler, his subjects did not know need, inequality, slavery and war. The Saturnalia briefly restored the Golden Age. For a short time, the slave was equalized with the master, the criminals received a mitigation of the sentence, and debts were paid. Rural work was over, people were eager to complete other business as well.
Many customs of this period are inextricably linked with the onset of the new year. Some peoples celebrated New Year on the first new moon after the winter solstice. Julius Caesar tied the beginning of the next year to January 1, which in 45 BC. coincided with the first new moon. The month of January bore the name of the Roman god Janus, whose ancient face turned to the past, and the young to the future. He was revered as the divine gatekeeper, unlocking and locking doors between eras.
It was believed that with any change of seasons, passages to other worlds were opened. The souls of deceased ancestors could visit the world of the living. They were to be met and adequately received with memorial meals and prayers. Thus, commemorative dishes appeared on the festive table, in the Russian tradition - soyvo.
At the same time, the dark forces could also leave their domain and roam the earth in search of lonely and defenseless victims. For this reason, people at this time were supposed to stick together and defend themselves from evil spirits.
They defended themselves with the help of disguises and masks (it was assumed that the hostile spirits either did not recognize a a person, or they will consider that the place has already been taken by other evil spirits), with the help of various amulets (in certain places ritual figurines were exhibited, the doors and corners of the house were decorated with branches of sacred trees and wreaths from them). The most effective method of protection was considered to be fire.
If the darkness that reigns in December makes us, modern inhabitants, who have electricity in their homes and on the streets longing, what to say about those who only had an oil lamp and a torch? Light, the soul asks for light! Bonfires, candles, torches, fiery performances delighted the eye in the impenetrable night and sent a signal to the sun to return.
Among the Germanic peoples, this holiday was called Yule (in different languages Yule, Joll, Joel or Yuil), among the Slavic - in different ways, for example, Kolyada. It began with the appearance of the first star in the sky and lasted 12 days. The duration is probably related to the lunar cycles. The lunar month has 29 days (and 30 every 2 months), which is almost 12 days (11 s 1/4) less than the solar year. This difference was considered "nobody's" time, unfit for business.
Fire was not spared on Yule. All 12 days a Yule log smoldered in the hearth, which represented the world tree. It was burned from a piece of last year's log, which helped to tie the times. East Slavs burned a stump of a log and rolled it around the village. Rolling it back into the fire, burning, meant guaranteeing the well-being and prosperity of the entire settlement in the coming year. Among the southern Slavs, such a block was called badnyak. Sometimes a beard was attached to him - the badnyak embodied the old year, giving way to the young.
The celebration on the Twelfth Night ends with a flaming bonfire, a round dance and performances. Like, for example, at Hogmanay in Scotland. Formally, he sees off the last day of the year and is celebrated on December 31 with fireworks, a torchlight procession and concerts. Be sure to perform a song reworked from a folk ballad by the beloved Scottish poet Robert Burns (18th century), whose birthday on December 25 is celebrated with a feast with traditional dishes.
Holly (holly), ivy and mistletoe are other traditional late December elements. They have been used for decoration since the time of Saturnalia. The idea of the miraculous power of mistletoe goes back to ancient times. For the Romans, she personified life and facilitated conception. For the Scandinavians, it was a symbol of peace. The enemies who met under the mistletoe had to make peace. This custom has moved into the modern tradition of kissing under the mistletoe: young Harry Potter first kissed a girl under the mistletoe at the Yule Ball.
Holly, on the other hand, is known not only for its decorativeness, but also for a number of useful properties... Healing drinks are made from some varieties. In addition, the shrub is an excellent hedge. For the druids, he personified the sun. It was customary for them to decorate houses in the darkest time of the year to protect them from hostile spirits.
Yule has its own overseers. In Iceland, for example, for some reason it is a cat. It was believed that by the holiday one should have time to process all the sheared wool and make clothes from it. The Yule cat walked around and checked for new items. From lazy idlers, that is, from those who had nothing, the "terrible beast" took away a festive dinner; or ate the lazy one himself.
The goat or goat has long been associated with the end of December, since the point of the winter solstice was previously in the constellation Capricorn (now it has shifted to the constellation Sagittarius). Finnish Santa Claus is called Joulupukki, which means "Yule goat". The Germanic, Slavic and Scandinavian peoples had a similar custom of "driving a goat." The young men put on a fur coat turned out with fur outside, a horned mask, went from house to house, acting out performances and joking with the owners. The goat teased the girls, caressed the children, then suddenly "died" and "resurrected" only after the treat. All this symbolized the eternal renewal of nature.
The festival timelessness of the solstice (both winter and summer) abolished behavioral norms and allowed ritual atrocities. So, some "goat" songs and performances had a frivolous content - for the sake of increasing fertility. Depicting rampant evil spirits, young guys could turn over carts, break fences, steal inventory, etc. On Epiphany (12th night of Yule), a "bean king" was elected - a man who found a bean in his piece of pie, became a buffoonish ruler and gave ridiculous orders to his "subjects".
