21st June is the longest day of the year.
Yoga Day is celebrated all over the world on 21st June. PM Modi practiced yoga on the Red Road of Kolkata in India on Sunday. Have you ever wondered why the date of June 21 has been chosen for International Yoga Day? This date has not been kept just like that. There is science behind this also. 21st June is the longest day of the year. This special day has been associated with Indian tradition and special astronomical phenomena of the universe for centuries.
June 21 is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also known as summer solstice. If we understand in simple language, on this day the sun is at the highest point in the sky. This is the reason why light lasts for maximum hours on earth and the night is short.
Why did PM Modi choose this date?
While giving a speech in the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed International Yoga Day. He had suggested the date of June 21st. Explaining the reason for this, he said that this is the longest day of the year. This day has special significance in cultures around the world.
International Yoga Day is celebrated all over the world on 21 June. Photo: PTI
177 countries of the world supported this proposal. In the history of the United Nations (UN), no proposal had ever received the support of so many countries. On 11 December 2014, the UN officially declared 21 June as International Yoga Day and thus the first International Yoga Day was celebrated on 21 June 2015.
What is the significance of 21st June in Indian tradition?
The date of June 21 is very special not only from the point of view of astronomy but also in the Indian yoga tradition. In Hindu tradition the solar year is divided into two parts. Uttarayan and Dakshinayan.Uttarayan is the period when the sun moves towards the north. It starts from Makar Sankranti. At the same time, Dakshinayan is the period when the sun turns towards the south. 21st June i.e. Summer Solstice is exactly the link between these two where Uttarayan ends and Dakshinayan begins. This period of Dakshinayan is considered very auspicious for spiritual practice, penance and self-purification.
On Yoga Day, Indian Navy demonstrated yoga postures under water. Photo :PTI
Summer Solstice has special significance not only in India but all over the world. On this special day, thousands of people gather near Stonehenge in England to watch the sunrise. This tradition is thousands of years old and is still important today. In Scandinavia it is celebrated with great celebration as Midsummer. Perhaps this is the reason why PM Modi said in the UN that this date is already important for many civilizations of the world.
The date of June 21 is very special not only from the point of view of astronomy but also in the Indian yoga tradition. Photo: PTI
sun, universe and yoga
Yoga itself means joining. The body is connected to the mind, the mind is connected to the soul and the soul is connected to the universe. Celebrating Yoga on the day when the sun is at its highest in the sky and when there is maximum light on the earth is not just a coincidence, it is a deep thought. That means June 21 is not just a date, it is the meeting point of sky, earth and India’s ancient knowledge tradition, which is celebrated with full enthusiasm across the world today.
Also read: PM’s yoga practice on the same Red Road of Kolkata where fighter planes used to land
