Did you know that today is the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere?

Cape Town - Today marks the official midpoint of the year, known as the winter solstice.

Essentially, the winter solstice means that today, June 21, marks the day with the shortest daylight and the longest night of the year.

The June solstice is known as mid-winter in the Southern Hemisphere and will mark the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

So what does this all mean for Africa?

The June solstice (winter solstice) in South Africa is at 11.13 am on Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere.

In summer in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and all southern Africa countries, the southern hemisphere is tilted closer to the sun, and in winter, the southern hemisphere is tilted away.

The winter solstice is the moment the southern hemisphere is tilted furthest from the sun.

Hence, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year - and the beginning of summer in places such as Australia, Chile and South Africa.

According to Newsweek.com, Celtic, Slavic and Germanic people often marked the solstice by lighting bonfires as it was believed that this would boost the strength of the sun for the remainder of the crop season and ensure a good harvest.

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