What is the longest day in 2022? In 2022, it will coincide with the summer solstice, when the distance from the largest star to the celestial equator is maximum. If you watch the sun at noon, it seems as if it, having reached its zenith, has stopped its usual movement. It becomes apparent that the night of June 21 is the shortest. That is why in many countries this date is considered mystical.
A bit of astronomy
During the summer solstice, the angle between the axis of rotation of the planet Earth and the direction to the celestial body is only 23.4 degrees.
To determine what is the longest day of the year, astronomers analyze the trajectory of the sun and determine the time of the celestial body hitting the peak point of the ecliptic. Astronomers have calculated a period of 4 days, when the northerners will get the maximum sun. Depending on the number of days in the year, the date of the summer solstice may fall between June 19-22. In this case, the calculation method is also taken into account, in which the zero meridian and the corresponding time zone are taken as the starting point. The difference in time zones explains the different timing of the onset of the longest day in certain regions of the northern hemisphere.
Astronomical summer in the northern part of the globe in 2022 begins on June 21. Astronomical winter begins in the southern part of the planet.
The specific climatic zones determine the length of the longest day in different regions:
City | Length of longest day |
Vladivostok | 15 hours 15 minutes |
Volgograd | 16 hours 1 minute |
Barnaul | 16 hours 50 minutes |
Omsk | 17 hours 11 minutes |
Moscow | 17 hours 28 minutes |
Yekaterinburg | 17 hours 51 minutes |
St. Petersburg | 18 hours 49 minutes |
Vorkuta | 24 hours |
The longest daylight hours in a leap year are 24 hours earlier due to the extra day in February.
The length of the day on June 22 will remain unchanged. After the end of the summer solstice, the length of daylight begins to decrease. So, on June 23, 2022, daylight hours will decrease by 1 minute. The minimum daylight hours are at the end of December. The nights during this period of the calendar year are the longest.
history of the holiday
Since the days of paganism, the date of the summer solstice has been considered a holiday. Prayers to the Sun have existed in many cultures. During the summer solstice, people asked the gods for fertility, happiness, good luck, and made wishes. Traditional holiday amusements among the Slavs and people of other nationalities were:
- round dances;
- rituals and conspiracies for large families and health;
- collection of medicinal plants;
- festivities;
- divination of girls for grooms.
Pagan traditions were banned with the advent of Christianity in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church offered an alternative holiday - the day of John the Baptist (June 24). But people could not remember what date to celebrate it. But the reverent attitude towards the summer solstice among the people has been preserved.
Signs
Signs associated with the summer solstice are:
- Abundant dew is a good sign. If you wash your face with dew on June 21, your skin will look young and beautiful for many years.
- Watching the sunrise on June 21 was recommended for those who dream of a comfortable life.
- The young man accidentally doused the girl with water - it means that they will get married.
- It was possible to attract good luck with the help of coins, which were left on the doorstep of the dwelling for a day. The coins had to be taken from a personal wallet.
- If it is hot outside on June 21, it means that the fields will be drought, the yield will be low.
- If the shortest night is starry, then there will be a lot of mushrooms in the forest in autumn.
- The thunderstorm on June 21 foreshadowed problems with the preparation of feed for livestock.
- In order for the sick child to recover, the mother on June 21 had to burn some item of his clothing. If a person wanted to get rid of damage or the evil eye, he jumped over the fire.
- It was believed that people born on June 21 have magical powers. People were wary of them.
- People believed that if you go to bed on the shortest night, you can "sleep through" your health and happiness.
- Cloudy weather and rain on June 21 foreshadowed poor yields.
- Wanting to change their lives for the better, people turned over all things in the house, saying: “Everything is upside down! New life will come with a new day! " A day later, they did a general cleaning in the house and put things in their places.
How the summer solstice is celebrated in different countries
Today, many countries celebrate the time of the summer solstice. For instance:
- this date is recognized as a public holiday in Finland;
- in Latvia on June 21, the Janis and League music festivals are organized.
- the British turn to the philosophy of the Celts, try to visit the sacred places of the ancient Druids and touch the shrines;
- in Spain, it is customary on June 21 to do a general cleaning, throwing out old and unnecessary things from the house.
Thus, the longest day in 2022, according to astrologers, is a time of renewal and energetic cleansing. Many people look forward to this date with particular trepidation.