Why were solstices

First things first! The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the end of spring and the start of the astronomical summer.

Both the summer and winter solstices form part of a wider astronomical calendar, flanked by two equinoxes in the spring and the autumn, and other daily and monthly cycles throughout the year. On these two dates, day and night are of equal length before the days begin to get either lighter in the spring, or darker in the autumn.

The hemisphere tilted most towards the sun sees its longest day and shortest night the Summer Solstice , whilst the hemisphere tilted away from the sun sees its shortest day and longest night the Winter Solstice.

We know that the solstices certainly held importance for Neolithic humans, who may initially have started to observe the Summer Solstice as a marker for planting and harvesting crops.

Stonehenge, our most famous Neolithic monument, was certainly built to reflect the solstices, and it has long been debated whether one of its functions was to act as ancient solar calendar. According to some ancient Greek calendars, the Summer Solstice marked the start of the New Year, and began the one-month countdown to the opening of the famous Olympic games.

It seems somehow wrong, though, to end such a day on a down note. The options are many. You can light a bonfire—and jump over it if you dare. Succeed, and you may find yourself finding your true love. You can leave a piece of gold jewelry in the sunlight, and wait while it soaks in its power. Wear the jewelry later, and you may find that power transferred to your own life in the coming year.

I, for one, may have missed my window. As I found out earlier today, I would have done well to have spent the last night keeping wakeful watch amidst a circle of standing stones how sad that Stonehenge is so far from New York. Zongzi: Chen Zhao , Flickr. Diurnal and seasonal mood vary with work, sleep, and daylength across diverse cultures. Science New York, N.

Rosenthal, N. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Maria Konnikova is a science journalist and professional poker player.

Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. In addition, planets such as Mars have less circular orbits than Earth's, which means that their distances from the sun vary more dramatically than ours do, with correspondingly bigger effects on seasonal temperature. Earth makes its closest annual approach of the sun about two weeks after the December solstice , during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.

Earth is farthest from the sun about two weeks after the June solstice, during the Northern Hemisphere's summer. For millennia, cultures around the world have devised ways to celebrate and revere these celestial events—from building structures that align with the solstice to throwing raucous festivals in its honor. Though the purpose of the enigmatic English structure Stonehenge remains unknown, this 5,year-old monument has a famously special relationship with the solstices.

In Egypt, the Great Pyramids at Giza appear to be aligned with the sun as well. When viewed from the Sphinx, the sun sets between the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre during the summer solstice—though it remains unclear precisely how the ancient Egyptians oriented it this way. Many cultures have found unique ways to mark the summer solstice. The traditional Scandinavian holiday of Midsummer welcomes it with maypole dancing, drinking, and romance. During the Slavic holiday of Ivan Kupala , people wear floral wreaths and dance around bonfires, while some plucky souls jump over the fires as a way of ensuring good luck and health.

In a more modern tradition, the people of Fairbanks, Alaska, swing in the summer solstice with a nighttime baseball game to celebrate the fact that they can get up to The Midnight Sun Game has been played times now since The winter solstice has had its share of celebrations, too.

The festival is still celebrated throughout the Andes, and since , a reconstruction of Inti Raymi has been staged in Cusco, Peru, less than two miles from its Inca Empire home. Ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice with Saturnalia , a seven-day festival that involved giving presents, decorating houses with plants, and lighting candles.

And Iranians celebrate Yalda in December. In the U. Likewise, thermometers hit their high in the U. Striking to behold, eclipses often were viewed as supernatural phenomena.

They also allowed ancient civilizations to develop The ancient Along with amazing technological advances, the Industrial Revolution of the midth century introduced new sources of air and water pollution. By the middle of the 20th century, the effects of these changes Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Longest Day of the Year The Northern Hemisphere receives more daylight than any other day of the year on the summer solstice. Solstice in Ancient Cultures According to some ancient Greek calendars, the summer solstice marked the start of the New Year.

Recommended for you. History of Summer: The Tan and the Bikini. History of Summer: School's Out. The Origins of Summer Camps. History of Summer: At the Boardwalk. Winter Solstice The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Freedom Summer Freedom Summer, or the Mississippi Summer Project, was a voter registration drive aimed at increasing the number of registered Black voters in Mississippi. Spring Equinox The vernal equinox takes place on March 20 or March 21 and signals the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.