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Q. What is the winter solstice? How is it celebrated?

A. The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and longest night of the year (shortest amount of sunshine / longest amount of darkness). The Earth rotates at an angle to the sun, so it moves closer and further from the sun throughout the year. When Earth is closest to the sun, it’s summer, and when furthest from the sun it’s winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs in December, and in the Southern Hemisphere, June. The winter solstice also marks the official beginning of winter. This year in the United States the winter solstice will occur on Monday, Dec. 21 at 4:02 a.m. CST.