Summer solstice occurs twice a year, once in each hemisphere. These days one of the Earth’s poles is maximally tilted towards the Sun. So, June 21 is the longest day of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere has the least amount of daylight today.
In some countries, the summer solstice marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer. Autumnal Equinox is the day when day and night are equal. It will be held on September 23. The ‘Summer Solstice’ occurs as the Earth rotates around itself and revolves around the Sun.
It is known that the earth rotates on one side. During such tilting, the north or south poles come closest to the sun, causing changes in the length of the day. The summer solstice begins when the Northern Hemisphere is closest to the Sun. It means that on that day, the daylight hours will be longer in the Northern Hemisphere.
On this day, the sun also shines at midnight in some other polar regions including Norway, Finland, Greenland and Alaska. Another feature is that the sun does not actually set in the arctic polar region. This is due to the tilting of the earth.
The word summer solstice comes from Latin. Sol in Latin means sun. Cystes means to be still. Also, summer solstice is celebrated in many places around the world. Britons visit the Stonehenge site. It has been recognized as a place of worship since 4000 years. On the day of the Summer Solstice the shadow of the central altar stone at Stonehenge meets the shadow of the Heal Stone. The sun shines in the north-east direction. A large number of people come to see it.
Swedes celebrate the welcome of summer. They gather around flower-decorated sticks and sing and dance to welcome summer. Today is an official holiday in Sweden. Iceland has 24 hours of daylight, so the summer solstice is called the Midnight Sun. Russians celebrate with concerts and water sports.
On this day there is no actual night above 23 1/2 degrees latitude due to the Sun’s rays shining vertically on the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. Because these regions come closest to the Sun. Summer Solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter Solstice occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. That means winter starts in the Southern Hemisphere. The summer solstice celebration in Norway is called Slinningsballet. Bonfires are lit in memory of John the Baptist. According to their beliefs.. these fires cleanse the air of evil spirits.
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