Winter solstice: What is it and how is it celebrated?
- For the northern hemisphere, Dec. 21 is the longest night of the year
- Cultures around the world have celebrated the winter solstice
- Starting on Dec. 22, the days begin to grow longer once again
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(NewsNation) — On Dec. 21, those in the northern hemisphere will experience the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. Around the world, the solstice will celebrated as the days slowly begin to get longer.
At the darkest point of the year, many ancient cultures had traditions to honor the day and some still celebrate the solstice in the present. In 2023, the solstice also coincides with a nearly full moon, giving sky watchers a chance to view the moon and brightest planet Jupiter in the night sky as well.
For those dealing with seasonal depression, the solstice may also bring hope for relief as the days begin growing longer once again, at least until the summer solstice in June.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice happens when the sun is at the furthest point south from the Earth, which in 2023 will happen at 10:21 p.m. EST on the 21st. The day has the fewest hours of daylight and the longest night of the entire year, at least for those in the northern hemisphere.
Those in the southern hemisphere will be experiencing the summer solstice as the Earth’s southern axis tilts toward the sun. For those in the southern half of the globe, the day will feature the most hours of daylight in the entire year, along with the shortest night.
Summer solstice and winter solstice mark the seasons
The solstice also marks the first day of winter according to the astronomical calendar of seasons, which bases the seasons on the Earth’s position in orbit around the sun. Winter will continue until the spring equinox in March.
For those looking out at the cold and feeling that winter is already well underway, that’s because meteorological seasons are calculated differently. By that calendar, winter began on Dec. 1 and will last through the end of February.
Ancient monuments could revolve around solstice
Many ancient cultures observed the solstice and have left remnants of those observations behind, like the Cahokia mounds in Illinois. While it’s not entirely clear what the mounds were for, researchers observed the light striking a specific area only on the solstice.
Stonehenge is another monument that is believed to have been built to reflect the Earth’s movement around the sun. On the shortest day, the sunset aligns with the monument and many modern pagans and druids gather to celebrate the holiday.
Monkeys sit in the orange spa at the Ueno zoo in Tokyo, 22 December 2007. As Japanese takes orange spas on the day of winter solstice to keep good health, the zoo presented it to monkeys. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) 
Capybaras bathe with Yuzu, a citrus fruit at the Saitama Children’s zoo in Higashi Matsuyama city, Saitama prefecture on December 25, 2013. Bathing with Yuzu is believed in Japanese culture to keep a healthy body during cold winter days. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP) (Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) 
Stockholm, SWEDEN: Julia Phan, 11, stands still while Rose-Marie von Braun (L), and Anne-Marie Soderqvist (R) light candles on her crown of Lucia Queen of Lights and other girls dressed as her maidens stand in the background at the Johannes School in Stockholm 13 December 2005. In the darkest time of the year, near the winter solstice, Swedish tradition bids young girls to act Lucia and her maidens, waiting upon people on their bedside, offering them buns and coffee. Boys dress up like Santa Claus or Saint Staffan. Lucia originally was a Sicilian saint who had sufffered martyrdom. AFP PHOTO / JACK MIKRUT (Photo credit should read JACK MIKRUT/AFP via Getty Images) 
Students of Belarussian University of Culture perform a traditional winter solstice “Koliady” ritual in Minsk on December 20, 2008. Koliady is an ancient pagan holiday celebrated on the winter solstice but has since been appropriated to celebrate Christmas as well. AFP PHOTO / VIKTOR DRACHEV (Photo credit should read VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP via Getty Images) 
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 21: People carry lanterns at the Burning The Clocks Festival on December 21, 2011 in Brighton, England. The annual celebration is enjoyed by thousands of people who carry paper lanterns through the streets of Brighton culminating on Brighton Beach where the lanterns are burnt and the Winter Solstice is marked. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) 
People participate in winter solstice celebrations to complete the Christmas ‘Blukis’ (stump) burning ceremony at Lukiskes Square in Vilnius on December 21, 2012. In pagan traditions in Lithuania exists a popular myth of stealing and conquering the Sun.To free the Sun, the Blukis is dragged around a town, beat and later burned. AFP PHOTO / PETRAS MALUKAS (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images) 
An Iranian man arranges pomegranates in his shop in downtown Tehran on December 21, 2013, in preparation for the annual festival of Yalda, an ancient Zoroastrian rite held on the longest night of the year or the beginning of winter. The rite, which marks the victory of Good over Evil, is still celebrated by most Iranians even though Islam replaced Zoroastrianism as the official religion in the seventh century. Iranians traditionally spend Yalda at home with their families, reciting poetry and feasting on fruits and nuts. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images) 
A performer spins a burning baton during the 27th Annual Kensington Market Winter Solstice Parade in Toronto on December 21, 2016. / AFP / Cole Burston (Photo credit should read COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images) 
AMESBURY, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 22: People greet the sunrise at Stonehenge, on December 22, 2022, in Amesbury, United Kingdom. The famous historic stone circle, a UNESCO listed ancient monument and World Heritage Site, attracts visitors to celebrate the sunrise closest to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The event is claimed to be more important in the pagan calendar than the summer solstice, because it marks the ‘re-birth’ of the Sun for the New Year. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
Celebrating the winter solstice
The further north you go, the more extreme the solstice is. For those in Utqiagvik, Alaska, the day is midway through a period of two months of darkness where the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all. The Inuit and Athabascan people of Alaska would have traditionally celebrated with ceremonies and community feasts and still welcome the day with traditional dancing.
In Sweden, St. Lucia’s Day is now celebrated on Dec. 13 but in the Julian calendar would have fallen on the winter solstice. Celebrations include processions led by girls wearing wreaths of candles and making and eating saffron buns.
In China, the winter solstice is celebrated with a festival called Dongzhi, which includes prayer and ancestor worship as well as eating dumplings. In Iran, the holiday is known as Shab-e Yalda where families gather together, eat pomegranates and read poetry.
In Japan the day is known as Toji and is celebrated with traditions that include taking warm baths scented with yuzu. In South Korea, the day is Dongji, a traditional time for honoring ancestors where red is worn to ward off evil and red bean porridge is a traditional meal.
