Every day of the year is special and unique, because the natural and time frames are constantly changing. The astronomical length of the day directly depends on the speed of rotation of the Earth and such a thing as the solstice.
Instructions
Step 1
Scientists distinguish between two types of solstice, which correspond to two seasons: winter and summer. It is worth noting that the time poles are different, so the difference in dates can be a whole day. The day of the winter solstice falls on December 21 or 22 and is the shortest day in length, but the night that comes after this day, on the contrary, is the longest.
Step 2
The longest day of the year is, respectively, the summer solstice, which falls on June 20 or 21. This spread of dates is associated with the current year: if the year is a leap year, then the summer solstice will be on June 20.
Step 3
Previously, this day was called the day of the summer solstice and was considered one of the main Slavic holidays dedicated to the god who personifies the sun - Yarila. On this day, they prepared especially carefully for the holiday, the girls put on their best outfits and wove wreaths of flowers and herbs. Herbs among the Slavs had a special meaning: they played the role of amulets that protected from evil forces. Such amulets were attached to the belt and most often consisted of wormwood or St. John's wort. Young people on this day had their own mission, they found a suitable tree for the holiday. Most often, these trees were birch, willow or maple. The tree had to be small, since it was intended to be placed in the very center of the holiday. After the tree was established, the girls decorated it with colored fabrics and flowers. Among the people, such a tree was called madder. At the bottom of the madder, the images of the god Yarila were necessarily placed. The image was made in the form of a doll, collected from straw, clay and other scrap materials.
Step 4
In the evening, people played round dances and burned a fire, in which at the end of the evening, according to custom, they burned Yarila's doll. This burning was done for a reason, people believed that the sun was dying in order to regain a new life with dawn, and delight everyone with its rays. Now solstice is not celebrated with festivities. It is rather just an astronomical holiday, when all astronomers follow the longest day and calculate its time interval, and also observe the night phenomena of a short night.
