Winter has officially begun, and Google is marking the occasion with an animated doodle. The new doodle is being displayed on Google Search in response to the chilly waves that have already swept through several regions of the world. Tuesday, December 21 is also known as the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere - the day when daylight lasts the shortest period and night lasts the longest. It is also known as the Year's Longest Night.

Google's website has an animated hedgehog playing in the snow to commemorate the start of the winter season throughout the world. By clicking on the doddle, users can get search results based on the season.

According to Google's Doodles site, the Winter 2021 Google doodle is currently active in a number of countries, including India, Canada, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Along with the start of winter, Tuesday marks the Winter Solstice. It is at this point in the year when the Sun reaches its lowest daily maximum height in the sky that the shortest day and longest night of the year occur in the northern hemisphere. The day on which this occurs is referred to as the winter solstice or hiemal solstice. Additionally, it astronomically denotes the start of winter and the end of fall in the western hemisphere. According to the Norwegian website Time and Date, the Winter Solstice of 2021 will occur at 3:59 UTC (9:29 pm IST). Winter Solstice has always been regarded as an important day and time of year in many cultures throughout the world. It is also considered the start of the Northern Hemisphere's winter season.