Longest night this year in the Philippines, time to reflect on the past

Solstice sunset at Bahaghari

During the Winter Solstice, when darkness looms and the sun appears to almost standstill, so maybe it's time to think about letting go of the old to make room for the new. As a new year looms, it's not just a time to prepare for the holidays but also a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future.

The Philippines has experienced this year's longest night on December 22, with peak darkness slated around midnight, state weather bureau PAGASA said. "Philippine nights will be longer than the daytime" as the winter solstice begins”.

This flower bloomed on solstice morning

The solstice is the beginning of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere when the nights are at their longest and the days are at their shortest. For the southern hemisphere, it’s the opposite—the beginning of summer.

On Sunday, December 22, 2019—the sun hangs over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at midday before turning back. As the sun creeps northwards, it will appear higher in the sky above the equator and the days will slowly get longer.

What's left of a picnic hut in my place, Bahaghari, Amoingon that was completely destroyed by a December typhoon is set on fire by these boys before solstice sunset.