June 22 was the year's longest day in the countries located in the northern hemisphere including Pakistan. The Met office spokesman told APP here Jun 22, that the longest day is called the "Summer Solstice".
"Solstice is defined as either of the two times of the year at which the sun is furthest north or south of the equator. While, the winter solstice falls on December 22 in these countries", he added. However, he said the longest day on June 22 marks the peak of summer when the sun comes closest to the northern hemisphere.
The countries located on the Southern hemisphere will experience the longest day on December 22, he added. The spokesman said the day-night equation will remain the same for a couple of days in Pakistan and the sun will shine around 14:30 hours but the process of a gradual shift in time like late sunrises and early sunsets will begin in the last week of June. On March 21 and September 22, the met spokesman said day and night were of equal length, adding that the process was known as equinox.
The word solstice is derived from the Latin words meaning "the sun" and "to stop". June is also the month of weddings in Europe. It is also interesting that the first or only full moon in June is called the honey moon. Earlier, this was the best time to harvest honey. Many societies in the upper latitudes in the northern hemisphere celebrate this day (June 22) as a festival.