(Describer) Title: All About the Holidays. Each letter in 'holidays' has a different colorful pattern. Pages of a calendar turn.

(male narrator) The day with the shortest period of daylight, around December 22 in the United States, is called the winter solstice. At the winter solstice, ancient people knew the days would start to get longer,

(Describer) A fire burns.

and they celebrated the return of light. Today Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrated around the solstice too.

(Describer) The Earth turns.

Why do the days seem to get longer or shorter? An imaginary axis runs through the center of Earth. Earth's spin axis is tilted, and the intensity of sunlight falling where we live changes as Earth orbits the sun. On the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice, we're tilted away from the sun and receive the least direct sunlight. The day with the longest period of sunlight, exactly six months later, is called the summer solstice. That's when the Northern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight. If you lived in the Southern Hemisphere it would be opposite. Our summer solstice is their winter solstice. The days that fall exactly in between the two solstices are called the spring equinox and the fall equinox because, at those times, the day is exactly equal to the night.

(Describer) Title:

Check a calendar. Are you closer to the winter solstice or the summer solstice?

(Describer) Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www dot ed dot gov.