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While December is known for its holiday spirit, this month also guarantees shorter and darker days. When the sun dips below the horizon before you even clock out of your 9-to-5 gig, it's a sure sign that autumn is ending. The December solstice, also known as the first day of winter, marks the shortest day and longest night of the calendar year. This year, it falls on Friday, Dec. 21, when the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky and the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun. And so begins the start of the astronomical winter season, which lasts until the spring equinox on March 20. During this annual event, there are only 7 hours and 50 minutes of daylight hours. The winter solstice is almost nine hours shorter than the longest day of the year in June, which boasts daylight for around 16 hours and 38 minutes. While this sounds bleak, there's reason to celebrate: After Friday, the days will start to get longer and the nights will become shorter. People around the world honor the occasion in a variety of ways, and celebration traditions date back to prehistoric times. For example, Stonehenge — which is famous for its alignment with the movements of the sun — has been a celebratory site of the winter solstice for thousands of years. " was shaped and set up in the neolithic to frame at least two important events in the annual solar cycle: the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice," Heather Sebire, the senior historic property curator at English Heritage, told Country Living. "Many people celebrate the midwinter sunset as part of the run up to Christmas and the holiday season; however, it is the druid and pagan communities who particularly celebrate the return of the sun in the sky from its furthest point in the Southern Hemisphere."This weekend, people will gather at the monument on Saturday morning at sunrise to celebrate the beginning of longer days. Other festivals will take place around the world, from Scandinavia to China, with bonfires, family gatherings, music and poetry used to symbolically celebrate the sun.