Winter solstice

 

Winter Solstice
Also called	Midwinter, DōngZhì, Yule, Şabe Cele/Yalda, Soyal, Şeva Zistanê, Solar New Year, Longest Night
Observed by	Various cultures, ancient and modern
Type	Cultural, Seasonal, Astronomical
Significance	Astronomically marks the beginning of shortening nights and lengthening days, interpretation varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth
Date	The Solstice of Winter Between December 20 and December 22 (NH) Between June 20 and June 24 (SH)
Celebrations	Festivals, spending time with loved ones, feasting, singing, dancing, fire in the hearth
Related to	Winter Festivals and the Solstice

The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer's hemisphere.[clarification needed] The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradually lengthening nights and shortening days. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice occurs some time between December 21 and December 22 each year in the northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and June 21 in the southern hemisphere, during either the shortest day or longest night of the year. Though the winter solstice lasts an instant, the term is also colloquially used like "midwinter" to refer to the full 24-hour period of the day on which it occurs.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

The word solstice derives from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).