Answers to Go

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Q. What is the winter solstice? How is it celebrated?

A. The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and longest night of the year (shortest amount of sunshine / longest amount of darkness). The Earth rotates at an angle to the sun, so it moves closer and further from the sun throughout the year. When Earth is closest to the sun, it’s summer, and when furthest from the sun it’s winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs in December, and in the Southern Hemisphere, June. The winter solstice also marks the official beginning of winter. This year in the United States the winter solstice will occur on Monday, Dec. 21 at 4:02 a.m. CST.

People all over the world have celebrated the winter solstice since ancient times, and still celebrate it today. Ancient Romans held the festival of Saturnalia between Dec. 17-23 in honor of the agricultural god Saturn. Romans would spend the week of Saturnalia much like how we spend Christmas holidays today: feasting, drinking, giving gifts, and being joyful.

The Chinese celebration of the winter solstice, Dong Zhi (which means “Winter Arrives”), welcomes the return of longer days and a corresponding increase in positive energy in the year to come.

In Japan, the solstice period is known as Toji. According to Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice by Llewellyn Publications, “On the actual solstice, bonfires are lit on Mt. Fuji — Japan’s highest mountain — to welcome the return of the rising sun, Japan’s national symbol.”

For the Zuni tribe in western New Mexico, the winter solstice signifies the beginning of the year and is celebrated with a ceremonial dance called Sha’lak’o. The Sha’lak’o dance bids farewell to the old and asks for blessings in the new year.

In northern Arizona, the Hopi tribe performs a Soyal ceremony on the winter solstice to return the sun toward its summer path. The ceremony can last up to 16 days. During this time, sacred rituals are performed in underground chambers called kivas.

In Iran, they celebrate Yalda, which means ‘birth’ in Syriac. “With fires burning and lights lit, family and friends gather to stay up through the night helping the sun in its battle against darkness. They recite poetry, tell stories, and eat special fruits and nuts until the sun, triumphant, reappears in the morning” (Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice).

There are many other celebrations of the winter solstice not mentioned here, but you can always celebrate with your own unique traditions or rituals.