Winter Solstice
Today is the Winter solstice, the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. From today and till the summer solstice, the days will only get longer.
Winter solstice is described as the moment in the year where the Earth is tilted the furthest away from the sun. This occurs two times a year, the 21st or 22nd of December in the northern hemisphere, and the 21st or 22nd of June in the southern Hemisphere. The whole day is typically called the winter solstice as well, and it is known to have the longest night, as the sun travels the shortest path through the sky. The exact moment of the winter solstice this year, when the northern pole will be tilted the farthest away from the sun, will happen today at 22:48 (German time).
The day of the winter solstice also marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere.
The winter solstice has been an important date for many cultures since prehistory. Nowadays some cultures still celebrate the winter solstice. One of these celebrations is the Dōngzhì festival, celebrated in China, Japan (Tōji), Korea (Dongji) and various East-Asian countries. It is a time for families to come together and eat traditional food.
What are you going to do on the longest night of the year?
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice
https://mandarinmatrix.org/winter-solstice-festival-dongzhi/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongzhi_(solar_term)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice