At 10.44pm GMT tonight, the Northern Hemisphere will be at its farthest tilt of 23.5 degrees away from the sun which also means that in the Southern hemisphere they will be the closest to the Sun for another 364 days so will have their longest day of the year.
The shortest day of the year lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 41 seconds in Britain but the day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.
One of the places to be this evening is Stonehenge which is a prehistoric monument aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset.
Might be a bit chilly though and a Pagan white sheet and fancy pillow case on your head won't cut it so you may need a fire and by great coincidence according to Scandinavian legend, 21st December is the very day to burn the yule log and collect the ashes to place under your bed to stop it from getting hit by lightning.
You could also take along a snack and as luck would have it, according to Iranian myth, tonight is the very night to eat watermelon, carrots, pears, garlic, pomegranates and green olives to ensure your health and well-being.
So grab you best bed sheet and a box of matches, take an axe to the City Center Christmas Tree and raid the vegetable tray in the fridge and you should not only stay in good health but you also won't be woken up by a billion volts of electricity going through your mattress.
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