The Winter Solstice

As the crisp air turns even colder and the daylight length continues to shorten, the winter solstice emerged as a pivotal moment in the natural world. This celestial event marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. While many focus on the winter solstice as a day in the calendar, what we are actually talking about is a specific moment which is over almost as soon as it began. The solstice marks the point at which the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn, which happened at 9:21a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21.

As well as making the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar. While in the meteorological calendar, we are already three weeks into winter. During the winter solstice, the sun appears to stand still in the sky when it reaches the Tropic of Capricorn. The word solstice is a Latin. Sol meaning sun, and sistice meaning to stand still.

You’re probably aware that the day of the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year. Did you know that it’s almost nine hours shorter than the longest day of the year? The summer solstice in June is just short of 16 hours and 38 minutes long. While on the day of the winter solstice, the length of that day is a mere 7 hours and 50 minutes.

Logically, you’d expect the earliest sunset to fall on the shortest day, but the earliest sunset actually occurs a few days earlier. It all has to do with our clocks not mirroring the earth’s orbit. True ‘Solar Moon,’ the point at which the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, occurs around 10 minutes before noon. It is this discrepancy that means the sunset also arrives a little later on the solstice.

The winter solstice has historically held profound significance in ancient farming practices. Serving as a pivotal moment for agricultural communities to mark transitions in the seasonal cycles and to plan for the coming of next year’s crops. In many cultures the observance of the winter solstice was intrinsically linked to agricultural rituals and marked the onset of winter. A period when the earth lay dormant seemingly barren, and shrouded in the cold. Farmers recognize this phase as being crucial for rejuvenation and preparation for the upcoming planting season. The winter solstice served as a time of reflection and planning. Farmers would take stock in their reserves, evaluate the previous year’s harvest and make strategies for the forthcoming planting season. They would use this period of relative inactivity to repair tools, store surplus produce and plan crop rotations. Aligning their agricultural practices with the changing seasons and celestial moments.