We are only a few days away from the winter solstice and the beginning of the quadrangle period

Weather of Arabia - On Tuesday, December 21, 2021, the winter solstice falls in the northern hemisphere, including the Arab world, and on this day the official start of the winter season will be based on astronomical calculations.

What happens on the winter solstice?

Tuesday (21-12-2021) will have the shortest day and longest night of the year , as on the day of the winter solstice the sun is completely perpendicular to the Tropic of Capricorn, located south of the equator. Turning northward until it reaches the northernmost point in Earth's sky on the summer solstice in June.

Since ancient times, humans have been able to distinguish this day before the existence of modern technology and even before the arrangement of days and months, as is happening in our current era. People noticed in the past that the sun begins after this day to rise to the north in its apparent movement, as the length of the night decreases and the length of the day gradually increases until it is equal Night and day on the vernal equinox in March.

The relationship of the winter solstice to the beginning of the square

It begins with the day of the winter solstice, the beginning of the “ winter square ” period in the Levant and many Arab countries, which extends for 40 days from December 21 until the end of January, as this date is associated with the arrival of the coldest cold and most rain in the year.

These changes occur due to the angle at which the Earth rotates, which after this date increases the number and activity of air depressions that affect the Levant region and the Arabian Peninsula during this period, and the path of the depressions becomes suitable for the region to be affected more by them.

This is proven by climatic records, as the square period witnesses the lowest rates of heat throughout the year in the region, and this period usually witnesses the highest rates of rain.

The “square” between science and the folklore rooted in the memory of our ancestors

Entering the square does not necessarily mean the intensification of rain and cold directly

Entering the region astronomically within the so-called quadrangle period, does not necessarily mean the intensification of rain and cold as soon as this period begins, as there were years in which the quadrangle was dry and with low rainfall rates, and years came in which the quadrangle began with a stable atmosphere that later changed to become cold winter during The 40-day period.

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