THE winter solstice is the shortest day of the year with the longest night, when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky in the northern hemisphere.
Here is everything you need to know about the annual celebration, which is now a matter of days away.
When is the winter solstice 2018?
This year’s winter solstice, which is also known as midwinter, is on December 21 at 10.23pm.
The world “solstice” comes from the Latin solstitium meaning “sun stands still” because the apparent movement of the sun’s path north or south stops before changing direction.
It is the shortest day of the year.
Across Europe it is known as Yule, from the Norse word Jul (or juul), meaning wheel.
In the northern hemisphere it is when the North Pole is pointing away from the sun.
After the winter solstice the amount of daylight hours in the UK will increase.
How is it celebrated?
The day has been celebrated by various cultures around the world for thousands of years and is generally a recognition of rebirth.
Most notably it is associated with the druids who mark the start of the solar year with a celebration of light and the rebirth of the sun.
The Feast of Jul was observed in Scandinavian countries around the solstice.
The feast was seen as the last celebration before the winter began, making food scarce.
Fires would be lit to symbolise the heat and light of the returning sun and a Yule log was gathered and burnt in the hearth as a tribute to the Norse god Thor.
LATEST ON SPECIAL DAYS OF THE YEAR
Pagan homes are often decorated with supposedly sacred herbs and red, green and white colours.
Holly, ivy, evergreen boughs and pine cones are usually put around the home, especially in places where socialising takes place.
A sprig of mistletoe is put up above a threshold and is meant to be left there until the next Yule.
Pagans see it as a charm for good luck throughout the year but has now taken on a symbolic meaning for kissing beneath it and the opportunity for romance.
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News Pictures When is the winter solstice 2018 and how’s the shortest day of the year celebrated?
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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