The winter solstice arrives on December 21st

MARQUETTE — December 21st is this year’s winter solstice which means the day will be quite shorter and the night even longer.

It occurs annually between December 20 and December 23.

The winter solstice is marked by the point at which the North Pole is at its farthest from the sun during its yearly orbit around the sun.

It will be approximately 23 degrees away from the sun. This will also affect the weather in the Upper Peninsula to some degree.

“The Winter Solstice is actually the day where the earth in the Northern Hemisphere will receive the least amount of energy from the sun as well,” said Meteorologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Marquette, Jordan Wendt. “But we are going to continue to cool after that as well. So our coldest temperatures are usually sometime into late January.”

Even historically around the world, celebrations, festivals, rituals and holidays recognizing the winter solstice have varied from culture to culture.