Winter Solstice conjures up images of bare trees and bleak weather, roaring log fires, and flickering candles. It marks both the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice falls in December (in 2024, it will be on December 21). In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, it occurs in June.
The solstice signifies a turning point: the days will gradually grow longer, promising the eventual return of warmth and light. For ancient cultures, who tracked time by the stars, the solstice was a crucial marker. Before artificial light and heating, winter was a time of hardship. Even today, many people find comfort in celebrating the winter solstice, including SAD researcher Hester Parr.
“Staging the sense of a winter that changes over the months has become really important to me,” she says. “The winter solstice is meaningful, because I know that on that day the light is rising again. It helps me forget about the relentless winter – it’s a special moment which you can mark by building a fire in your garden or lighting a candle. It's comforting, and it makes me think about winter in a new way.”
What is the Winter Solstice?
The Earth orbits the Sun on a tilted axis of 23.5°, and the winter solstice occurs when the Earth’s axial tilt is furthest away from the Sun. Although technically a specific moment, it is often celebrated as a full day and night. During the solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole tilts away from the Sun, causing it to take its lowest arc across the sky. This results in the longest shadows at noon and the longest night of the year.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. When the Northern Hemisphere experiences the winter solstice, the Southern Hemisphere enjoys the summer solstice. The length of daylight on the winter solstice varies depending on latitude. For example, in London, the day lasts 7 hours, 49 minutes, and 42 seconds, whereas areas within the Arctic Circle experience 24-hour darkness.
Winter Solstice Traditions and Festivals
Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been celebrating the solstice since the Neolithic period, from 10,000 to 3,000 BC. The Goseck Circle – a circular henge structure in Germany, built in 4,900 BC – is one of the oldest known solar observatories, with two gates in its outer circle that align with the sunset and sunrise of winter solstice.
Stonehenge (built between 3,000 and 2,500 BC) was also designed to align with the sun on solstice days, with the stones in the south-west of the stone circle framing the winter sunset. Excavations from Durrington Walls, the closest Neolithic settlement, reveal vast repositories of animal bones, suggesting huge midwinter feasts were held to celebrate the solstice. Modern pagans still gather in their thousands at Stonehenge to watch the sun set.
Across the world, solstice traditions and rituals have taken various forms, many of which influence modern holiday customs. Here are some notable examples.
Yule
Yule, one of the oldest midwinter festivals, originated from the Viking celebration of Jól, which featured sacrifices to Norse gods (blót) and feasts with meat from ritual hunts. Over time, Jól evolved into "Giuli," a 12-day celebration observed by Germanic tribes like the Norse and Anglo-Saxons.
Yule traditions included burning a large log to last the festival, decorating homes with evergreens, and using mistletoe, a fertility symbol, in ceremonies. The Deer Mother, a shamanic figure said to carry the sun between her antlers into the new year, was also honoured. By the 10th century, King Haakon the Good merged Yule with Christian Christmas, and remnants of this syncretism remain today in customs like kissing under the mistletoe, the chocolate yule log, and Santa's reindeer.
Inti Raymi, Peru and Ecuador
The Inti Raymi festival, established by Inca Pachacutec in the 1430s AD, was a grand 15-day celebration of the winter solstice in Cusco, the Inca Empire's capital. This event honored the sun god, the Inca’s primary deity, and their connection to the Sapa Inca, the empire's leader. Ritual ceremonies and dances, coca leaf offerings and chicha drinking, were all dedicated to the sun’s life-giving power.
Suppressed by Spanish colonisation and banned in 1572 by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, Inti Raymi was revived in 1944 by Quechua writer Faustino Espinoza to restore pride in Incan identity.
Today, it is celebrated every June 24 in Peru, Ecuador, and parts of Argentina, with Cusco hosting the largest festival. The event begins with rituals at Santo Domingo Church, followed by a procession and culminating at Sacsayhuamán – the historic Incan capital – with a recreation of traditional ceremonies, including a simulated llama sacrifice. Over 25,000 performers bring this ancient tradition to life annually in Cusco.
Shab-e Yalda, Iran
Shab-e Yalda is a Persian winter solstice festival that dates back to 502 BC, and is still celebrated today in Iran and Central Asia. According to the Iranian solar calendar, it falls on the last day of the month of ‘Āzar’ when the forces of Ahriman (‘darkness’) are at their peak. This is followed by the month of ‘Dey’; the first day of which is known as ‘Khorram rūz’, and symbolises the creator, Ahura Mazda. Shab-e Yalda is therefore a festival marking the end of the winter darkness (its name means ‘rebirth of the sun’).
Ancient Persians built fires at sundown of Shab-e Yalda and kept them burning until sunrise. They gathered with family and friends to listen to stories, drink songs, and feast – all of which is still done today. Nuts and fruits are often eaten during this holiday – watermelon and pomegranates are particularly significant, since their red colour signifies the rising sun. Special dishes are cooked, like Iranian chicken stew with walnuts and pomegranates (khoreshe fesenjoon) and ash reshteh, a noodle soup with fresh herbs.
Tōji, Japan
In Japan, the winter solstice is known as Tōji. It’s believed that ‘yin’ energy of cold and darkness is at its zenith at the shortest day of year, before warm, light ‘yang’ energy comes into play – so the solstice represents the harmony and balance between these two life forces.
Tōji is less a festival and more a series of traditions. One of the most well known is to take a hot bath or onsen infused with yuzu, citrus fruits said to ward off bad luck and stimulate the circulation. Another tradition is to eat ‘Toji no Nanakusa’, seven foods said to bring good luck. These are: nankin (pumpkin); ninjin (carrot); kinkan (kumquat); kanten (agar); ginnan (ginkgo); renkon (lotus root); and udon noodles.
Saturnalia, Ancient Rome
Saturnalia was a week-long festival coinciding with the winter solstice to honour Saturn, the god of farming and the harvest. Pigs were sacrificed at a temple dedicated to Saturn, and then eaten at a public feast. Work was suspended – even for slaves – and the week was devoted to singing, feasting, partying and generally indulging. In fact, the word ‘saturnalia’ is used in the modern day context to refer to a bout of indulgence and revelry.
Many traditions originating in Saturnalia have found their way into our modern Christmas celebrations. These include decorating our homes with wreaths and sprigs of greenery, wearing colourful clothes (known as synthesis) and giving gifts to each other. A popular gift were wax candles known as ‘cerai’, which symbolised the return of the light after the solstice.
Soyaluna, Hopi
Soyaluna (also known as Soyal) is the winter solstice celebration of the Hopi, Zuni and Pueblo Indians. It signifies the rebirth of the sun and the start of a new agricultural cycle, with important rituals to bring back the sun from its slumber, and is still practiced today.
Soyal ceremonies involving chanting and dancing take place in kivas, underground ceremonial chambers that serve as spiritual centres for the Hopi people. It’s believed this paves the way for the arrival of the ‘Kachinas’, guardian spirits who carry prayers to the gods for good harvests and plentiful rain. Before the ceremony, special altars and sacred objects, including brightly painted kachina dolls, are prepared.
Donghzi, China
In China and other East Asian countries, winter solstice is known as Donghzi – which means ‘winter’s arrival – and it has been celebrated since the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). On Donghzi, Chinese people traditionally worship heaven as it was believed this would result in a good harvest. People also visit their ancestral temples, paying homage to them by burning incense and laying out ceremonial food.
It’s tradition to drink rice wine on Donghzi night in southern China, as well as to eat glutinous rice balls called tangyuan. In Northern China, people make and eat dumplings, which were said to have been created by doctor Zhang Zhongjing in ancient times as a cure for frostbite.
How to Celebrate Winter Solstice Today
Celebrating the winter solstice today can provide comfort on the darkest night of the year, and serve as a reminder that by Christmas, the days are already getting longer again. If you live in the United Kingdom, you could be one of the 6,000 people gathering at Stonehenge to watch the first sunrise after the winter solstice. You’ll be sharing the stone circle with modern day pagans and druids, historians and other interested parties.
The solstice is also an opportunity to create your own traditions and rituals. In Brighton, winter solstice is celebrated with the Burning of the Clocks, a lantern parade culminating in a bonfire on the beach. This is a tradition which started in 1993 as an alternative to commercialised Christmas. Winter solstice swims and hikes are held across the United Kingdom, providing a way to connect with nature during the winter months.
Inspired? Check out our trips departing in December to celebrate winter solstice in the snow and the mountains.