We know the shortest night of the year, it undoubtedly happens in summer, in the magical Night of San Juan. This day is celebrated on St. John's Eve, which is celebrated annually, with the Christian festival of birth of Saint John the Baptist, on June 24.
That night is of great celebration in many parts of Europe: Spain, England, Ireland, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden. In South America, it is celebrated in the same way, with the winter solstice, especially in Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Paraguay.
The shortest night of the year
It happens the June 24th, the night is shorter and the day lasts longer, causing the summer solstice. It does not mean that more hours are being added to the day than there are, but that everything happens due to the tilt of the Earth relative to the Sun. The northern hemisphere is closer to the Sun, the southern hemisphere further away, and this fact makes there be much more light during the day and less light at night.
What happens with the shortest night and the longest day of the year? According to the National Astronomical Observatory, they point out that the shortest night happens on June 20th and the longest day will be June 22nd. A day that has sunlight between 14 hours and 42 minutes.
It is a fact that it does not only happen on our planet, experts confirm that Many planets also have their solstices, if it has its rotational axis. In this way it can be concluded in which season each of them is located.
This solstice is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), endorsed by its research, reports that the northern hemisphere is tilted in an unusual way toward the Sun. Some countries are affected by the longest day and the shortest night, however, in the southern hemisphere the opposite occurs, the winter solstice occurs, experiencing the shortest day and the longest night.
Starting tonight, the countdown begins for the longest night. The summer solstice will continue until Autumn solstice, September 23 and successively until the following solstices, winter and spring.
The night of San Juan can change from one year to another
The night of San Juan leans towards the shortest night of the year, especially in the northern hemisphere, when the sun is above the horizon for longer and, due to its inclination, causes the shortest night. The same thing happens in the southern hemisphere, but in the month of December.
Another fact to analyze is when we observe that June 21 does not match in the same way from one year to the next. In other years, this date is different, it may fall on the 20th or 22nd. Why does the date change depending on the year?
The shortest night of the year does not coincide every year on the same date. It is all due to the Gregorian calendar, a calendar that challenges the theory of leap years, given that the Earth's orbit causes the years to have a specific duration and not fit exactly into those 365 years.
According to this Gregorian calendar, it makes an exception for years that are multiples of 100, an exception that in turn had another exception, and that is the one of the years multiples of 400, which are indeed leap years. That is, for this calendar, years that are multiples of 400 are leap years. Under this premise, we can now better understand why corrections are made and why The summer solstice can fall on the 23rd, 24th or 25th (instead of the 20th, 21st or 22nd).
Famous celebrations with the summer solstice
One of the most famous celebrations on the summer solstice is celebrated in Stonehenge, United KingdomIt is a magical place, a monument of stones and many people contemplating the solstice on the Heel Stone, which is located outside the main circle.
En Finland The summer solstice is also celebrated, a celebration that is known as Juhannus or celebration of Ukko, an honor worshipped to the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder, called Ukko. A large burning of bonfires is carried out on the shore of the sea, rivers or lakes, to drive away evil spirits and attract a good harvest.
En New YorkThe solstice is also celebrated, which has been taking place for 20 years. In the heart of the city, people celebrate by doing yoga with a large number of people.