Did you know that today is the longest day and the shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, including Pakistan?
The longest day of the year is called Cancer or Summer Solstice and it is believed that it is followed by the real beginning of summer and various rituals are performed in this regard.
Cancer refers to the state of the earth when the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun and the Sun is farthest from the Equator.
As a result, the northern hemisphere has the longest day of the year (the day when sunlight is the longest) and the shortest night on Earth.
The longest distance from the equator of the sun in Pakistan is 2:14 pm.
Interestingly, the longest day of the year keeps changing, as it will be on June 21, 2023, but in 2024 and June 2024, June 22 will be the longest day.
After June 22, the duration of the day will gradually decrease and in the third decade of December, the Northern Hemisphere will have the shortest day of the year and the longest night.
On the occasion of the longest day of the year, the duration of the day in Pakistan will be between 14 to 15 hours depending on the place.
The longest day in the world will be in the central part of the US state of Alaska where the duration of daylight will be 21 hours 41 minutes.
In comparison, people in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, will not notice much difference, as daylight will only increase by 7 minutes.
In the Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, today will be the shortest day of the year and the longest night, and there will be a regular onset of winter.
The Antarctic continent, the center of the South Pole, is currently in a state of 24-hour darkness.
Traditions of some countries
In some countries there are interesting traditions in this regard.
As in the European country Sweden it is called Mid Summer and is always celebrated on Friday ie the longest day of the year there will be June 24.
On this occasion, fairs are held there.
People also gather at Stonehenge, a historic site in the UK, and take part in various activities.
Cancer is also linked to fertility because of the increase in crop cultivation during this period.
