The shortest day of the year marks the winter solstice – Prensa Libre

SPAIN – The official announcement of winter in the northern hemisphere is scheduled to begin Monday at 0:03 pm (in the Peninsula and Balearic Islands); while in the southern hemisphere summer will begin. L a winter season will last 88 days and 23 hours and end on March 20, 2015 , when spring will coincide with a total solar eclipse will be partially visible in Spain, according to estimates of the Astronomical Observatory National, part of the National Geographic Institute.

The start of the seasons is given by those moments when Earth is in a certain position in its orbit around the sun. In the case of winter, occurs in the point of the ecliptic in that the sun reaches its southernmost position.

The variations from one year to another is due to the way that fits the sequence of years according to the calendar (a leap, other not) with the duration of each orbit of the Earth around the Sun (known as tropical year duration). If we call colloquially daylength the time between sunrise and sunset at a given location, Monday December 22 is the day of shorter duration.

Ancient fiestas in honor of Sol

In ancient

Rome used the Saturnalia celebrations held in honor of the god Saturn, god of agriculture. Were held from 17 to 23 December, by the end of the darkest time of the year and the birth of new light period, or birth of Sol Invictus, December 25, coinciding with the sun in the sign of Capricorn. This
around 217 BC

They were fun days, banquets and exchange of gifts. Subsequently, the rising of the sun and its new light period were replaced by the Christian Church, who did agree on those dates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with the aim of eliminating the ancient celebrations.

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