June 22 equinox. What is a solstice and an equinox. Let go ritual

Solstice(also solstice) - an astronomical event, the moment of passage of the center of the Sun through the points of the ecliptic, the most distant from the equator of the celestial sphere and called the solstice points.

Equinox- an astronomical phenomenon when the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator. When the Earth is observed from space on an equinox, the terminator passes along the geographic poles of the Earth and is perpendicular to the earth's equator.

These dates were among the most revered in the pre-Christian period. Solstice, rotation, equinox, solstice - the names of solar holidays, which are also called the four hypostases of the Slavic Dazhdbog, which is the Sun itself - the son of Svarog.

• Kolyada- winter solstice (December 21-22)
• Maslenitsa or Komoyeditsy- the day of the spring equinox (March 21-22)
• Kupailo (Kupala)- summer solstice (June 21-22)
• Radogoshch (Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen)- autumnal equinox (September 22-23)

Kolyada The winter solstice or the longest night of the year. During this period, the young sun Kolyada replaces the old sun Svetovit. Because the daylight hours from this day begins to increase. Replaced by the church on Christmas Day.

Maslenitsa or Komoyeditsy- the day of the spring equinox (day and night are equal in time), farewell to winter, burning of the effigy of Marena, meeting of spring and the Slavic New Year. The date March 21-22 is also the beginning of astronomical spring. From now on, the day becomes longer than the night. Yarilo-Sun replaces Kolyada and drives away Zima-Marena. Traditionally, this circle was celebrated for two whole weeks.

Kupailo- the day of the summer solstice. The longest day and shortest night of the year. The last day of the Rusal Week or Mermaids. Kupala is one of the oldest holidays that has preserved many traditions and customs unchanged to this day, for example: the funeral of Yarila, who is replaced by the God of the summer sun Kupala, the collection of medicinal herbs, the search for a fern flower, etc. Kupailo is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.

Radogoshch(Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen) - the day of the autumn equinox (day and night are equal in time). On this day, the Sun-Old Man Svetovit takes over. The night is getting longer than the day. It is both a solar holiday and a holiday of the end of the harvest. Replaced by the church on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The position of the sun at the solstice

The periods between solstices are the time when the sun moves either higher above the horizon or lower.

Astronomers note that the movement of a hot star is similar to a sinusoid:

• after the winter solstice it rises daily
• after the summer - on the contrary, it falls lower

The angle created by the sun and the earth's horizon, in other words, the astronomical longitude of a hot star, is:

• 90° in June
• 270° in December

In astronomy, from the moment the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Taurus in June, summer is counted, and winter is counted in the sign of Sagittarius in December. A few days before and after the solstice, the hot celestial body “freezes” at one point at noon.

However, you won't see the sun directly overhead on the solstices.

If you are a resident of the northern hemisphere of the Earth, then:

• go 23.5° above the equator before the summer solstice to see the hot planet vertically above you,
• visit 23.5° south latitude to see a similar phenomenon during the winter solstice.

The position of the sun on the equinoxes

The equinoxes represent a milestone when the sun moves from the northern to the southern hemisphere in autumn and vice versa in spring. This is for the part of our planet that is located above the equator. The sun these days directs its rays in such a way that they evenly heat the entire part of the Earth turned towards it.

Another feature of these calendar dates is that the day before and after, as well as during the equinox, the sun rises clearly in the east and sets in the west. True, this phenomenon is typical only for 23.5 ° north or south latitude. Elsewhere there is a slight shift to the north or south.

Days of equinox and solstice: magic

These 4 days of the year have maximum energy, not only because of the change of times. The Slavs knew this very well and harmoniously built their lives in such a way as to streamline and develop their relationship with nature.

A common moment during the celebrations of all solstices and equinoxes among our ancestors were mass festivities.

The whole village gathered together:

• there were different games and fun
• there were round dances
• everyone ate
• praised the gods
• commemorated ancestors

Everything was fun, easy and natural.

• We still celebrate the summer solstice as Kupala. We are looking for the cherished fern flower in the hope of good luck and the fulfillment of a cherished dream.
• On the autumn equinox, the ancestors held a harvest festival. Adults cleaned the house, yard, and fields. Children decorated their homes with bunches of rowan. It was believed that she would protect the house and its inhabitants from evil all year round.

The winter solstice, or the birth of Kolyada, the young sun, was celebrated on a special scale. There was also a place:

• fortune-telling about the betrothed, marriage, weather for next year, harvest
• caroling and dressing up as animals to scare away dark forces
• jumping over the fire to burn all resentment, envy and similar sins

Three days before and the same after Kolyada had a special power. Mistresses put things in order in their heads and houses, attracted health and well-being to the life of the family. They watched the events of 12 days after Kolyada in order to understand what the coming year would bring for the family.

• The vernal equinox had a special power. Nature was waking up from its winter sleep, a new year was beginning to work on the earth.
• At that time pancakes were baked, there was Maslenitsa. But it lasted 2 weeks - one before, the second after the day of the equinox.
• Housewives baked larks, small birds made from sweet dough.
• In the evening, everyone jumped over the fires to renew themselves for a new round of life. For example, if an unmarried girl jumped, then she will definitely become the mother of a hero.

Solstices and Equinoxes in 2020. Features of the position of the sun relative to the earth.

The forces of nature are harmonious and consistent. No matter how a person tries to unravel them, make attempts to predict and / or correct, but to no avail. The only sure and easy way to interact with them is to accept and harmoniously weave them into your life. What our ancestors did well in ancient times. The days of the solstices and equinoxes from time immemorial were milestones in the calendar, when the seasons changed. They had a special power, so it was simply impossible to live them quietly. Let's talk about these days from the point of view of the calendar and astronomy, touching in passing on the magical rites of our Slavic ancestors.

What are solstice days?

Solstice days are astronomical situations when the sun is at its highest or lowest position relative to the earth's horizon.
In other words, when day and night have a maximum and minimum duration.

We see this phenomenon twice a year:

• June 21 or 22
• December 21 or 22

The shift in dates is due to the peculiarity of the year. It is either regular or leap year.

Solstice days are named:

• summer for the northern hemisphere and winter for the southern in June
• winter for the northern hemisphere and summer for the southern in December

The summer solstice is characterized by:

• the longest day
• shortest night

At the winter solstice, the duration of the day and night are opposite to the summer ones.

Date of the summer solstice in 2020: day length, shortest night

Its duration will be 17.5 hours, respectively, the night will last only 6.5.

Date of the winter solstice in 2020: day length, shortest day

Now the night will make up most of the day - about 17 hours, and a little less than 7 hours will remain for the day.

The position of the sun at the solstice

The periods between solstices are the time when the sun moves either higher above the horizon or lower.

Astronomers note that the movement of a hot star is similar to a sinusoid:

• after the winter solstice it rises daily
• after the summer - on the contrary, it falls lower

The angle created by the sun and the earth's horizon, in other words, the astronomical longitude of a hot star, is:

• 90° in June
• 270° in December

In astronomy, from the moment the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Taurus in June, summer is counted, and winter is counted in the sign of Sagittarius in December.

A few days before and after the solstice, the hot celestial body “freezes” at one point at noon.

However, you won't see the sun directly overhead on the solstices. If you are a resident of the northern hemisphere of the Earth, then:

• go 23.5° above the equator before the summer solstice to see the hot planet vertically above you,
• visit 23.5° south latitude to see a similar phenomenon during the winter solstice.

How does the day decrease after the summer solstice: graph

The sun from the most distant point from our planet begins to reduce the degree of deviation. The day is slowly getting shorter.

So from + 23.5 ° it comes to 0 ° on the day of the autumn equinox. Then the northern hemisphere receives less warm sunlight, and the southern hemisphere receives more.

The figure below shows a table of changes in the length of the day after the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere by months.

How does the day increase after the winter solstice: graph

Having reached a deviation of -23.5 °, the hot luminary comes to the closest point to the planet, the winter solstice begins. After that, the day gradually grows.

At 0° on the vernal equinox, the sun begins to warm the northern hemisphere more. So the duration in the latter increases.

Below in the picture is a table of the increase in the longitude of the day after the winter equinox for the northern hemisphere by months.

What are equinoxes?

The equinoxes are the points from which the seasons begin.

In the first months of spring and autumn, our sun reaches points when day and night are almost equal in duration. These dates are for:

• northern hemisphere - March 20 and September 21/22/23, respectively
• southern hemisphere - vice versa

The sun on the equinoxes is in the zodiacal signs of Pisces in spring and Virgo in autumn.

The days of the equinox are interesting in that the hot luminary passes from one hemisphere to another. That is, from March 20/21, there is more warm sun in the northern hemisphere, and from September 22/23 - in the southern.

Spring equinox day in 2020: date, longitude of the day

As follows from the word "equinox" itself, the light and dark parts of the day become equal in duration.

Autumn equinox day 2020: date, longitude of the day

The date of the autumnal equinox of 2020 in the northern hemisphere of our planet falls on September 22.

Up to this point, the day was shrinking, giving its minutes to the night. It caught up with it in duration on this calendar date.

The position of the sun on the equinoxes

The equinoxes represent a milestone when the sun moves from the northern to the southern hemisphere in autumn and vice versa in spring. This is for the part of our planet that is located above the equator.

The sun these days directs its rays in such a way that they evenly heat the entire part of the Earth that is turned to it.

Another feature of these calendar dates is that the day before and after, as well as during the equinox, the sun rises clearly in the east and sets in the west. True, this phenomenon is characteristic only for 23.5 ° north or south latitude. Elsewhere there is a slight shift to the north or south.

Days of equinox and solstice: magic

These 4 days of the year have maximum energy, not only because of the change of times. The Slavs knew this very well and harmoniously built their lives in such a way as to streamline and develop their relationship with nature.

A common moment during the celebrations of all solstices and equinoxes among our ancestors were mass festivities. The whole village gathered together:

• there were different games and fun
• there were round dances
• everyone ate
• praised the gods
• commemorated ancestors

Everything was fun, easy and natural.

• We still celebrate the summer solstice as Kupala. We are looking for the cherished fern flower in the hope of good luck and the fulfillment of a cherished dream.
• On the autumn equinox, the ancestors held a harvest festival. Adults cleaned the house, yard, and fields. Children decorated their homes with bunches of rowan. It was believed that she would protect the house and its inhabitants from evil all year round.

The winter solstice, or the birth of Kolyada, the young sun, was celebrated on a special scale. There was also a place:

• fortune-telling about the betrothed, marriage, weather for next year, harvest
• caroling and dressing up as animals to scare away dark forces
• jumping over the fire to burn all resentment, envy and similar sins

Three days before and the same after Kolyada had a special power. Mistresses put things in order in their heads and houses, attracted health and well-being to the life of the family. They watched the events of 12 days after Kolyada in order to understand what the coming year would bring for the family.

• The vernal equinox had a special power. Nature was waking up from its winter sleep, a new year was beginning to work on the earth.
• At that time pancakes were baked, there was Maslenitsa. But it lasted 2 weeks - one before, the second after the day of the equinox.
• Housewives baked larks, small birds made from sweet dough.
• In the evening, everyone jumped over the fires to renew themselves for a new round of life. For example, if an unmarried girl jumped, then she will definitely become the mother of a hero.

Read more about traditions, rituals and actions aimed at harmonizing fate in the next article.

Video: solstices and equinoxes

The summer solstice or summer equinox is the day when summer begins in the Earth's northern hemisphere and winter begins in the southern hemisphere. The summer solstice occurs at the moment when the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation in the direction of the Sun takes on the smallest value. The day of the solstice is also called the solstice.

Depending on the calendar shift, the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and on December 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere (winter solstice). In 2018, it will take place in Ukraine on June 21 at 13.07 Kyiv time. The longest day is 17 hours and 33 minutes long.

This holiday has many names among the people: Ivan Kupala, Ivan the herbalist, Yarilin's day, Soncecres, Spirits' day, Feast of Dew - these are all the names of the summer solstice at different times among different peoples. And in some countries, such as Finland and Sweden, the summer solstice is even a day off and a national holiday.

With the adoption of Christianity, the pagan holiday of Kupala did not disappear from Slavic culture, but was transformed into the day of John the Baptist, which, according to the old style, fell on June 24th. But after the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the day of John the Baptist shifted to July 7th. in Ukraine, the celebration of Ivan Kupala does not coincide with the summer solstice.

Summer Solstice: Holiday Traditions

The Midsummer Festival is a pagan and Zoroastrian holiday, the shortest night of the year. Scholars still cannot agree on when the pagans began to celebrate the solstice. We only know that it was long before our era. Many years ago, the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancestors, who obeyed the cycles of nature. In the times of the pagans, the sun had divine power over all living things, and the summer solstice meant the highest flowering of all the forces of nature.

Many beliefs are associated with the summer solstice, which are still rightfully worthy of our attention, because on the day of the summer solstice there is a powerful surge of energies of goodness, love and prosperity. It is believed that on the day of the summer solstice, all magical rituals, rites and conspiracies have a special power.

On the day of the summer solstice, they celebrated the midsummer festival, which was called Leta. On this day, they jumped over the fire, sang songs and just had fun.

In ancient times, rituals involving fire and water were performed on this day. For example, it was believed that bathing in ponds cleanses the soul. Also, the flame had the properties of cleansing: mothers burned the shirts of sick children. According to legend, illness burned along with clothes.

The ancestors had a tradition to meet the dawn on the day of the summer solstice, the ancestors were convinced that this gives strength and health for the whole year and protects from troubles.

The summer solstice was considered a lucky day for a wedding. However, now weddings are not celebrated this week, because June 21 falls on fasting.

Signs for the summer solstice

On this day, they found out what the harvest and the weather will be like in summer.

If thunder rumbles on this day, then expect a protracted bad weather.

Well, if on this day you take a steam bath. Collect the broom on this day. So you can "knock out" all the bad thoughts and illnesses. The body and mind will be cleansed.

To give strength for the whole year, as well as to get a strong amulet, the morning dawn, met by you alone or in a circle of close people, will help.

Make your cherished wish and on this day climb over any twelve fences.

If the sky is starry, then this summer expect a big crop of mushrooms.

All misfortunes and troubles will bypass the house if you hang a bouquet of flowers from Ivan da Marya on the threshold.

The water that was collected on the morning of June 21 is considered healing. Water was collected from wells and springs, washed with it on the same day and drank.

But the rain that day did not bode well. In the evening, everyone went to jump over the fire, which promised a rich harvest and prosperity for the family. Rain and wet grass made it difficult to kindle fires and perform all the rituals.

And so that unclean forces would not enter the house, it was necessary to put a burning or prickly plant, nettle or wild rose in the openings of windows and doors.

Incredible Facts

From December 21 to 22, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the shortest day and longest night. This phenomenon is called the winter solstice.

The winter solstice marks the beginning of astronomical winter.

What happens during the winter solsticewhen this date falls, and what traditions exist on this day.

Here are 10 of the most interesting facts about the shortest day of the year.

What date is the winter solstice in 2018

The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year and can fall from December 20 to 23, but most often occurs on December 21 or 22.

The reason is that the tropical year, the time it takes for the Sun to return to the same point relative to the Earth, is different from the calendar year. The next winter solstice, which will fall on December 20, will occur in 2080, and on December 23 only in 2303.

The winter solstice in 2018 falls on December 21 at 22:23 UTC ( December 22 at 1:23 am MSK).

2. The winter solstice occurs at a certain short moment

The winter solstice occurs not only on a certain day, but also at a certain time of the day, when the angle of inclination of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun is 23.5 degrees. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun is at its lowest position above the horizon, and beyond the Arctic Circle, the Sun does not even rise above the horizon.

As the winter solstice approaches, the daytime shortens, and after it gradually lengthens. On the day of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night.

For example, in Moscow the length of the day during the winter solstice will be 7h 0m 20s compared to 17h 33m 40s during the summer solstice. In Helsinki, Finland, the day will last 5 hours 49 minutes, and in Murmansk there will be no sunrise at all - you can watch the polar night there.

4. Ancient cultures saw the winter solstice as a time of death and rebirth.

The apparent death of the world and the real threat of famine during the winter months weighed heavily on many cultures. Therefore, various holidays were often held at this time, calling for the return of the Sun and hope for a new life.

During the rituals, fires were lit and cattle were sacrificed, after which a feast was held with dishes from the last fresh meat. The Druid tradition honored the death of the old Sun and the birth of a new Sun.

5. The day is marked by new and unusual discoveries

Interestingly, on this day in 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium, which marked the beginning of the atomic era. And on December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 was launched, the first time humans entered lunar orbit and reached the Moon.

6. The word "solstice" is translated as "the sun stands still"

This is due to the position of the Sun in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, which rises or falls throughout the year and seems to stop at the solstices.

We are currently looking at this phenomenon in terms of cosmic location. In ancient times, people thought about the trajectory of the Sun, how long it stood in the sky, and what kind of light it cast.

7. Stonehenge is aligned with the sunset on the winter solstice.

For a long time, for many people, the famous Stonehenge monument was a kind of sundial. Its main axis directed towards the sunset, while another Newgrange monument points to the rising line of the Sun at the winter solstice.

Although the purpose of this ancient structure is still a matter of debate, it still holds great significance during the winter solstice, bringing many people from all over the world to celebrate the event.

Winter Solstice Festival

8. The ancient Romans celebrated the holiday of reversal of roles - Saturnalia

At this time, the Saturnalia festival was held, when everything turned upside down. Social roles changed, masters served slaves, and slaves were allowed to insult their masters. The holiday was named after the god Saturn, the patron saint of agriculture.

The wearing of masks and pretense was also part of the Saturnalia, where a king of revelry was chosen in each house. Over time, Saturnalia was replaced by Christmas, although many of its traditions in the west migrated to Christmas.

9. Many believed that dark spirits walked the earth during the winter solstice.

The ancient Iranian festival of Yalda, which is celebrated on the longest night of the year, heralded the birth of the ancient sun god and his victory over darkness.

Zoroastrians believed that on this day evil spirits roamed the earth. People tried to spend most of the night in each other's company, arranged feasts, conversations, told stories and poems in order to avoid any clashes with dark entities.

The presence of evil spirits on the longest night is also mentioned in Celtic and Germanic folklore.

10. During the winter solstice of 2012, they foretold the end of the world.

December 21, 2012 corresponds to the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar used by the ancient Maya. It meant the end of the 5126-year cycle. Many believed that such a combination of circumstances would lead to the end of the world or another cataclysm.

The longest day of the year, also called the Summer Solstice, marks the transition of the planet into the phase of astronomical summer - in other words, real summer from the point of view of astronomy. The date of the summer solstice changes every year, and in 2018 it will come on June 21 at 13.07 Moscow time.

The summer solstice will last as long as 17 hours and 33 minutes. At this time, the Sun will reach its farthest position from the equator, and the Northern Hemisphere will experience the longest daylight hours and the shortest night.

What is the summer solstice

After the Sun rises to its peak, it will continue to stay at this height for some more time - this is why this phenomenon is called the solstice. After that, the position of the Sun will begin to sink to the south, and the daylight hours will gradually decrease.

The summer solstice is always accompanied by beautiful natural effects. So, in St. Petersburg on this day, white nights come, and north of 66 latitude, a polar day sets in. Residents of Murmansk have the hardest time: there the sun does not set below the horizon for about two months in a row, from May 22 to July 22.

© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich

History of the Summer Solstice

The day of the summer solstice has been shrouded in secrets and folk legends since ancient times. Our ancestors attributed a deep mystical meaning to this day, as evidenced by countless legends and signs that have survived to this day.

The ancient Slavs on the Day of the summer solstice celebrated the holiday of summer - Kupala. The celebration was accompanied by rituals and magical rituals in which people praised higher powers and nature. It was believed that special rituals for the Summer Solstice had supernatural power: they determined a person's life for the next year, his health and good luck. Of course, ignoring them was considered a bad sign, and rarely anyone could dare to do so.

Signs for the Summer Solstice

Many signs on the Summer Solstice are related to the weather, which is not surprising: the harvest depended on it, and hence the life of the family for the whole next year.

For example, bad, rainy weather on the Midsummer Day predicted a crop failure. Moreover, even a couple of clouds in the summer sky were considered bad weather.

A lot of dew on the leaves, on the contrary, spoke of a bountiful harvest. Dew was collected by hand in small vessels and attributed to her magical healing power.

There are many stars in the sky on the night of the summer solstice - there will be many mushrooms in the fall.

If a guy pours water on a girl on the Summer Solstice, they will soon get married. On the other hand, in order to attract female happiness, the girls danced all night around the fire with songs.

© Sputnik / Egor Eremov

Do's and Don'ts on the Summer Solstice

As with any holiday, on the Summer Solstice it is better to avoid negative emotions, not to quarrel and not to shout, not to be discouraged.

The summer solstice is considered by many cultures to be a successful time for entering into any alliances and agreements, including marriage. As our ancestors believed, on this day the Sun splashed out a lot of positive energy, which provided protection and prosperity to all people.

Girls on the Day of the summer solstice wove wreaths of flowers, along the way making wishes. If you wear such a wreath on your head, your wishes will surely come true, our ancestors believed.
To attract money and success to your family, put coins under the door. And very soon you will notice how money will begin to appear on your own and in sufficient quantities.