A history of winter solstice celebrations around the world

Winter solstice conjures up images of bare trees and dreary weather, roaring firewood and flickering candles. It marks both the shortest day and longest night of the year. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice falls in December (in 2024 it will be December 21). In the southern hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, it occurs in June.

The solstice signifies a turning point: the days 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 harsh time. Even today, many people find solace in celebrating the winter solstice, including SAD researcher Hester Parr.

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“Staging the feeling of a winter changing 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 rises again. It helps me forget the relentless winter – it’s a special moment that 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 winter solstice?

The Earth orbits the Sun on an inclined axis of 23.5°, and the winter solstice occurs when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest from the Sun. Although it is technically a specific moment, it is often celebrated as an entire 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 by latitude. For example, the day in London lasts 7 hours, 49 minutes and 42 seconds, while 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 winter solstice sunset and sunrise.

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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 southwestern part of the stone circle framing the winter solstice. Excavations from Durrington Walls, the nearest Neolithic settlement, reveal huge caches of animal bones, suggesting enormous midwinter celebrations was held to celebrate the solstice. Modern Pagans still gather by the thousands at Stonehenge to watch the sun set.

Around the world, solstice traditions and rituals have taken on various forms, many of which influence modern holiday customs. Here are some notable examples.

Christmas

Christmas, one of the oldest midwinter festivals, originates from the Viking festival of Jól, which featured sacrifices to Nordic gods (blót) and feasts of meat from ritual hunts. Over time, Jól evolved into “Giuli,” a 12-day celebration observed by Germanic tribes such as the Norse and Anglo-Saxons.

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Yule traditions included burning a large log to hold the festival, decorating homes with evergreens, and using mistletoe, a symbol of fertility, in ceremonies. The Mother Deer, a shamanic figure said to carry the sun between her antlers into the new year, was also honored. In the 10th century, King Haakon merged Merry Christmas with Christian Christmas, and remnants of this syncretism remain today in customs such as kissing under the mistletoe, the chocolate Christmas, and Santa’s reindeer.

Inti Raymi, Peru and Ecuador

The Inti Raymi Festival, established by the Inca Pachacutec in the 1430s AD, was a grand 15-day celebration of the winter solstice in Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. This event honored the sun god, the primary deity of the Incas, and their connection to Sapa Inca, the leader of the empire. Ritual ceremonies and dances, offerings of coca leaves and chicha drinking, were all dedicated to the life-giving power of the sun.

Suppressed by Spanish colonization and banned in 1572 by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, Inti Raymi was revived in 1944 by Quechua writer Faustino Espinoza to restore pride in Inca identity.

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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 the Santo Domingo Church, followed by a procession and culminates at Sacsayhuamán – the historic Inca capital – with a reenactment of traditional ceremonies, including a simulated llama sacrifice. Over 25,000 artists 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 leave Ahriman (‘darkness’) are at their peak. This is followed by the month of ‘Dey’; the first day is known as ‘Khorram rūz’, and symbolizes the creator, Ahura Mazda. Shab-e Yalda is therefore a festival that marks the end of winter darkness (its name means ‘rebirth of the sun’).

Ancient Persians built bonfires at sunset 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 still takes place today. Nuts and fruits are often eaten during this holiday – watermelon and pomegranates are especially important, as their red color signifies the rising sun. Special dishes are prepared, such as Iranian chicken stew with walnuts and pomegranates (khoreshe fesenjoon) and ash reshteh, a noodle soup with fresh herbs.

Toji, Japan

In Japan, the winter solstice is known as Tōji. It is believed that the ‘yin’ energy of cold and darkness is at its peak on the shortest day of the year before warm, light ‘yang’ energy comes into play – so the solstice represents the harmony and balance between these two life forces.

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Tōji is less a festival and more a series of traditions. One of the most well-known is taking a hot bath or onsen infused with yuzu, the citrus fruit said to ward off bad luck and stimulate circulation. Another tradition is to eat ‘Toji no Nanakusa’, seven foods said to bring good luck. These are: nankin (pumpkin); ninjin (carrot); kinkan (kumquat); the edge (agar); ginnan (ginkgo); renkon (lotus root); and udon noodles.

Saturnalia, Ancient Rome

Saturnalia was a week-long festival that coincided with the winter solstice to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture and harvest. Pigs were sacrificed at a temple dedicated to Saturn and then eaten at a public feast. Work was suspended—even for the slaves—and the week was devoted to song, feasting, feasting, and general indulgence. In fact, the word ‘saturnalia’ is used in the modern context to refer to a fit of pleasure and enjoyment.

Many traditions originating in Saturnalia have found their way into our modern Christmas celebration. These include decorating our homes with garlands and sprigs of greenery, wearing colorful clothes (known as synthesis) and giving gifts to each other. A popular gift was wax candles known as ‘cerai’, which symbolized the return of 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 the sun back from its slumber, and is still practiced today.

Soya ceremonies involving chanting and dancing take place in kivas, underground ceremonial chambers that serve as spiritual centers for the Hopi people. It is believed that this paves the way for the arrival of the ‘Kachinas’, guardian spirits who carry prayers to the gods for good harvests and abundant rain. Before the ceremony, special altars and sacred objects are prepared, including brightly painted kachina dolls.

Dongzhi, China

In China and other East Asian countries, the winter solstice is known as Donghzi – meaning ‘the arrival of winter – and it has been celebrated since the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). At Donghzi, Chinese cultivate traditionally sky as it was believed that this would result in a good harvest. People also visit their ancestral temples and pay homage to them by burning incense and setting out ceremonial food.

It is 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 are said to have been created by the doctor Zhang Zhongjing in ancient times as a cure for frostbite.

This is how the winter solstice is celebrated 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 UK, you could be one of the 6,000 people who gather at Stonehenge to see the first sunrise after the winter solstice. You will share the stone circle with modern Pagans and Druids, historians and other interested parties.

Solstice is also an opportunity to create your own traditions and rituals. In Brighton, the winter solstice is celebrated with the Burning of the Clocks, a lantern parade that culminates with a bonfire on the beach. This is a tradition that started in 1993 as an alternative to commercialized Christmas. Winter solstice swims and walks are held across the UK, providing a way to connect with nature during the winter months.

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