Longest Night in The North Hemisphere

The instant the Sun's position in the sky is at its greater angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane, is the winter solstice. Depending on the shift of the calender, this event occurs sometime between December 20-23 each year in Northern Hemisphere, and between June 20-23 in the Southern Hemisphere, and today on the 21st December 2008 marks the Winter Solstice.

In terms, today will mark the longest night in the year or the shortest day in the year, and in praying time it will be the earliest Magreb prayer in the year (4.06pm kot). This time of the year plays a significant part in the annual cycle of the year in the Neolithic time. It shows in the archaeological site like Stonehenge in Britain (the primary axis of it is aligned on a sight line framing of the winter solstice sunset) and the New Grange,Brú na Bóinne in Ireland (the primary axis aligned with the winter solstice sunrise)

Other major historic event during this time of the year are:
1) 69 - Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian becomes the fourth Emperor of Rome within a year
2)1913 - Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World
3)1937 - The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.
4)1973 - The Geneva Conference on the Arab-Israeli conflict opens
5)1995 - The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control

A lot cultures mark this day with festivals, such are Amaterasu Festival in Japan, Chaomos by the Kalash of Pakistan, Dongzi Festival by the Buddhist in East Asian, Inta Raymi in Peru, Feast of Saint Lucy by the Eastern Orthodox, Makara Sankranti by the Indians and Nepalese Hindus, Şeva Zistanê by the Kurdish and many more!

Plus it is also the birthday of Jane Fonda, the greatest fitness aerobic video maker ever:p

Cest la vie people, happy holidays! Peesseee out