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The day of the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, the duration of which at the latitude of Moscow is 17 hours and 33 minutes.
But why exactly the solstice? The fact is that on June 21, an ordinary observer gets the impression that the Sun seems to freeze at its zenith and does not move anywhere throughout the day.
To understand why this happens, you need to turn to astronomy. After all, the solstice is an astronomical event, which, by the way, marks the beginning of the astronomical summer (if we talk about the Northern Hemisphere). The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation in the direction of the Sun reaches its lowest value – 23,4 degrees. In other words, at the moment when our planet “looks” with almost its entire Northern Hemisphere at the star.
When is the summer solstice in 2023
Usually the summer solstice falls on June 21, and only in leap years – on the 20th of the same month. So in 2023 this event will happen 21 June.
History
The sun has always played an important role in people’s lives. This explains the fact that the solstice began to be celebrated long before our era. According to scientists, at the dawn of mankind. True, at what exact moment of the “dawn of mankind”, historians have not yet figured out.
It is known that the holiday of the summer solstice was revered in the cultures of many peoples. Moreover, he was especially loved by the inhabitants of the north, who, after a long winter, had more reasons to enjoy the sun, summer and warmth than others.
The Slavs, on the day of the summer solstice, celebrated the main holiday of summer – Kupala (however, after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, it ceased to coincide with the longest day of the year).
During the time of the pagans, the summer solstice was at the height of its popularity. The rituals adopted on this day were so important that few people dared to ignore them: it was believed that they determine what a person’s life will be like for the next year (in particular, happiness, health, and luck depended on them).
But after the advent of Christianity, pagan traditions were not held in high esteem. The church tried to ban them in every possible way, but it failed to make people forget about the summer solstice. Until now, this day is celebrated in many countries around the world. And in Finland, the longest day of the year (they call it Juhannus) is even an official public holiday.
Signs for the Summer Solstice
Many folk signs are a kind of weather prediction, which is not surprising: the harvest depended on the weather, and life itself depended on the harvest. Many similar signs are connected with the day of the summer solstice.
For example, bad weather on the longest day of the year predicts crop failure. Moreover, as our ancestors argued, nothing good can be expected from the summer, even if the sun simply hides behind the clouds.
But a lot of dew in the morning – to a bountiful harvest. By the way, this dew was usually collected and poured into a separate vessel, as it was believed that it had a rejuvenating and healing effect, or, as our ancestors said, magical power. In general, according to the ancients, on the summer solstice all the water acquired magical properties, so any water procedures at the beginning of the 20th of June were considered very useful.
The starry sky on the night of June 21 (20) promised mushrooms in early autumn.
Another good sign is to meet the dawn on the day of the solstice: this should give strength and health for the whole year and protect from adversity.
Well, where without “wedding” signs. It was believed, for example, that if a young man poured water on some of the fair sex on the day of the summer solstice, they would soon get married (by the way, how to pour water on purpose or not did not play a special role). In addition, any girl could “deserve” marriage: people were sure that if they danced all night around nine fires, then marriage would be secured in the near future.
But there were legends about children born on June 20 or 21. Some considered them to be the owners of the “evil eye”, that is, those who can jinx it. Others were sure that these people did not pose any danger: according to these others, to be born on such a magically and energetically strong day means to be under the protection of the Sun all your life.
If you have some kind of cherished desire, then the day of the summer solstice is the best time to make it: if you do this, then, as stated in the signs, all dreams will become a reality. At the same time, in case of urgent need, you can speed up the process: it is believed that the wish will come true faster (namely, within a year), if it is not just made up, but also climbed over 12 fences.
Popular questions and answers
Does the summer solstice occur on other planets?
What is customary to do on this day?
How was the summer solstice celebrated in other parts of the world?
In ancient China, on the day of the summer solstice, yang gave all the power to yin: it was believed that until June 21 the world was ruled by yang, and after – yin (the latter’s rule continued until the day of the winter solstice).