The December solstice will occur at 5:30 am GMT on Thursday,
December 22nd 2011. The December solstice is also known as the
winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer
solstice in the southern hemisphere. The December solstice has
played an important role the lives of many people in ancient
times. To this day, the world is still influenced by various
traditions linked to the observance of the December solstice.
The December solstice, in the Northern hemisphere, is unique
among days of the year — the time of the longest night and the
shortest day. At this time, the dark triumphs but only briefly.
The Solstice is also a turning point from which (until the June
solstice, the summer solstice), the nights grow shorter and the
days grow longer. Some friends, here in the Northern hemisphere,
feel we are plunged into winter, perhaps unfairly, by Mother
Nature. But we must remember, this point marks a much more
hopeful time, where our periods of light increase (by about one
minute) per day! This prospect