Winter Solstice 2010: Shortest Day Of The Year, December 21, Marks First Day Of Winter For Northern Hemisphere (PHOTOS)

Winter officially begins December 21, 2010 with the shortest day of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere, known as the winter solstice.

According to TimeAndDate.com, the Earth's axis will hit full tilt -- the North Pole angled 23.5 degrees away from the sun -- at 6:38 p.m. EST, after which the days will gradually grow longer until the summer solstice in 2011.

Many cultures have long celebrated the turning point throughout history. According to Chiff.com, in ancient Rome the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, while the Feast of Juul -- or Yule -- was celebrated in pre-Christian Scandinavia. Candlegrove.com reports that according to one book, the Mesopotamians were first to recognize and celebrate the day with a 12-day festival of renewal, though no one knows for certain when humans first began to honor the occasion.

This year marks an especially rare alignment, as a total lunar eclipse will occur on the solstice for the first time since 1638, according to NASA. CLICK HERE to learn more about the lunar eclipse, and when to see it.

Check out some photos below of past winter solstice celebrations around the world. Do you celebrate the occasion? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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STONEHENGE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 22: Hundreds of druids and pagans celebrate the winter solstice at Stonehenge on December 22, 2009 in Wiltshire, England. Hundreds of people gathered at the famous stone circle to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

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STONEHENGE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 22: Hundreds of druids and pagans celebrate the winter solstice at Stonehenge on December 22, 2009 in Wiltshire, England. Hundreds of people gathered at the famous stone circle to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

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I'd Rather Stay Home What A Party!

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Comments

[mamacat]

07:08 AM on 12/23/2010

There is still such a thing as a winter solstice? Dude, that just goes to prove what I have been saying all along; Al Gore is a fraud, and there is no such thing as Global Warming! Everybody knows that if the world is heating up, and the ice caps are melting, then the part of the calendar from December to March would just up and disappear.

[rodealer]

10:56 AM on 12/22/2010

As it always has. Learned that in 4th grade. I think it was snowing that day

[Matthew Harrold]

09:36 AM on 12/21/2010

And now we get celebrate another pagan virtue of surviving winter till now by stuffing ourselves silly...on December the 25th. Hence the Christmas tradition huge, elaborate dinners.

[david1967]

11:39 AM on 12/21/2010

CHRISTMAS!...I hope i get that new putter to go with my new driver...

[lastpost]

08:23 AM on 12/21/2010

7 of 17
Ye Olde E.U. Legend (dating back as far as 1957) Stateth: He who lofts a Henge Stone, shall henceforth exhibit a distinctive gait.Yet for his fortitude, be thereafter freed from all future payment of Drain Geld.

[larrym32]

05:01 AM on 12/21/2010

i'm just glad the days start getting longer ad we get back to warmer weather.

at least a foot of snow piled up here in wisconsin already.

white christmas....bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[MsMeowMeow]

02:17 AM on 12/21/2010

It's been winter for me since late October. Nice to know though.

[Imzadi]

07:18 AM on 12/21/2010

Here in Minn. has been similar. I'm already sick of it, not to mention the 6" new snow yesterday.

[Benjo333]

11:03 AM on 12/23/2010

I am in Minnesota too...I cant wait until April...Or...maybe that will be May...

[alterego55]

12:40 AM on 12/21/2010

Sad in CA. Won't see it. It has been raining for 5 days out of the past week - continuously since Saturday and will continue through Thursday. A once in 400 year occurrence and we're having record downpours.

[OldGabe]

10:48 PM on 12/20/2010

Longest Night. Moon Gone.

Somebody gonna pay, that's all I got to say about that.

[yill danniel]

10:29 PM on 12/20/2010

The way things been where I'm at ,it feels like winter begun two weeks ago. But a lunar eclipse sounds cool, not sure I'm going to see it though. Oh Well.

[palindrom]

06:19 PM on 12/20/2010

Interestingly enough, though Dec 21 is the shortest day, the earliest sunset occurred around December 7 -- but not by much. The reason the day keeps getting shorter after December 7 is that the sunrise is getting later, at a faster rate than the sunset is getting later. The latest sunset occurs around January 3 or so. After that, the sun both sets later _and_ rises earlier every day.

[stormpilot]

06:21 PM on 12/20/2010

Did you have to go and confuse everybody now?! ;-)

[Fullbrigades]

04:14 PM on 12/20/2010

Thanks for the info. Now I know Winter is on. I would not have known otherwise. In Minnesota it is a toasty 10 degrees and five feet of "white Christmas decoration stuff" on the roads. Life is good.

[qzpm111]

09:43 PM on 12/20/2010

Hey, we are living the dream here in Buffalo also.

[EcoCatLady]

11:05 PM on 12/20/2010

Jealous... have barely had a flake in Denver!

[EcoCatLady]

04:11 PM on 12/20/2010

I'm thoroughly amazed that people can find something to argue about even in this simple article!

Ah well...

May the returning of the light fill all of your lives with peace, prosperity and happiness...

[ThinkCreeps]

07:59 AM on 12/21/2010

And also to you. It's definitely the right time of year for the midwinter shopping festival.

[Mickey B]

04:09 PM on 12/20/2010

I know Winter has begun. We just got dumped on by another Republican snow job. The snow just trickle-downed on us.

[Cailleach9]

06:40 PM on 12/20/2010

Too bad that the beginning of the sun's return has to be ruined by Republicans. (The sun's return is really what is celebrated at Solstice.)

[maxfax]

05:23 AM on 12/21/2010

You made my day, great eclipse viewing, and great remark!   2xf

[CintiBlue]

03:26 PM on 12/20/2010

I 1ove November through March so I'm happy. I'm happy when the time fa11s back and 1ove wa1king in the 25-40 range. My area doesn't get much snow (s1eet is our thing) so it is easier. And it's quiet. No mowers or constant b1owers.!!

[TexanResistance]

03:24 PM on 12/20/2010

Since you left-wingers are convinced that the Earth will burn up in a big FIREBALL, why are you even concerned about "Winter"?

[Mickey B]

04:10 PM on 12/20/2010

They don't want to drown from the melting snow.

[BillyMae]

04:28 PM on 12/20/2010

Huh?