NEWS

Chillai Kalan, harshest 40 days of winter begins in Kashmir

DETAILS

• Chillai Kalan is a Persian term which means ‘major cold’
• Ongoing cold wave is said to reach its peak with Kashmir’s mountains covered in snow for weeks
• Famous Dal Lake also reaching freezing point until the fag end of January.
• It all begins with WINTER SOLSTICE
• Snow during the period lasts longer and replenishes the streams, rivers and lakes of Kashmir.
• The bone-chilling cold conditions is followed by a 20-day-long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and 10-day-long ‘Chillai Bacha’.

MAHITI FOR PRELIMS

WINTER SOLSTICE

• Occurs when a particular hemisphere is experiencing winter season
• One of its pole tilts is farthest from the sun, causing the day to become the shortest of the year and the night to become the longest.
• Countries situated around the poles experience opposite weather conditions
• India – December 21-22
• Happens twice every year, once in the northern hemisphere and once in the southern hemisphere
• In ancient times the winter solstice was celebrated as the death and rebirth of the sun. In India, many festivals are held post this period, a popular one being that of Makar Sankranti.
• Word ‘solstice’, in Latin, is translated to ‘sun stands still’.
• Winter solstice is also known as ‘hiemal solstice’, ‘hibernal solstice’, ‘brumal solstice’.