Winter Solstice Traditions: 19 Rituals To Help You Celebrate

If you’re someone who sees “Winter Solstice” on their calendar every year and always means to look it up, but never actually gets around to it, and then forgets again until the following year, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re unfamiliar (or only vaguely familiar with its history and connection to Christmas) with the Winter Solstice, it refers to the astronomical moment when the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn. It is also the shortest day of the year (meaning, the fewest hours/minutes of daylight) and the first day of winter. For people in the Northern Hemisphere, this year’s Winter Solstice takes place on Monday, December 21, 2020, at 5:02 a.m. EST.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still) because, on this day, it looks like the angle between the sun’s rays and the plane of the Earth’s equator stands still. For those who didn’t take Astronomy 101, this means that on the Winter Solstice, the sun rises in the lowest part of the sky, and then once it hits noon, it looks like it stays in the same spot for the days right before and after this astronomical occasion.

Another important part of the Winter Solstice is that once it’s over, the days gradually start getting longer again. For this reason, different cultures around the world saw it as a type of “rebirth,” and developed a variety of ceremonies and other activities around it. In fact, the pagan commemoration of Winter Solstice (also called “Yule”) is one of the oldest celebrations in the world. Here’s what you need to know about how pagans marked the shortest day of the year, and other Winter Solstice rituals and traditions.

1. Ancient Pagans

With ancient societies so focused on the comings and goings of the sun, it makes sense that they’d celebrate the point when days started getting longer again. And if some Winter Solstice pagan customs and words (like yule, mistletoe, or decorating your home with greenery) sound familiar, it’s because they were later incorporated into what are now considered Christmas traditions.

1. Dongzhi Winter Solstice Festival

This ancient Chinese Winter Solstice celebration involves traditions like worshipping the Heaven and ancestors, counting Nines of Winter, and eating glutinous rice and dumplings.

1. Newgrange

Some 400 years before the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, people in Ireland built Newgrange, a passage tomb designed so that when the sun rises on the day of the Winter Solstice, the chamber is flooded with sunlight.

1. Soyal

The Indigenous Hopi people of northern Arizona marked the Winter Solstice with a celebration called Soyal. It involved rituals incorporating purification, dancing, gift-giving, and making prayer sticks.

1. Midwinter

Not all Winter Solstice customs are ancient, including the Midwinter celebrations in Antarctica. On this day, scientists and other residents enjoy special meals, films, and handmade gifts.

1. Yalda

Also known as “Shab-e Yalda,” this is the ancient Persian Winter Solstice celebration, which still takes place in modern-day Iran. Traditions include eating nuts and pomegranates and staying up all night in order to see the sunrise.

1. St. Lucia Day

While the modern Scandinavian holiday marking the beginning of the Christmas season honors St. Lucy, many of the traditions associated with the day — including bonfires, gingersnaps, saffron-flavored buns, and glogg — were adapted from local pagan Winter Solstice traditions.

1. Stonehenge

Although Newgrange predates the first phase of Stonehenge by 1000 years, it’s still a pretty ancient Winter Solstice celebration, involving the sun rising through the monument’s iconic stones.

1. Lantern Festival

Each year, Vancouver’s Secret Lantern Society puts on a Winter Solstice celebration in the form of a Lantern Festival. Those participating make their own lantern, take part in a procession and then watch some fire performances.

1. Santo Tomas Festival

Each year, Catholics in Chichicastenango (Chichi), Guatemala take part in a weeklong celebration leading up to the Winter Solstice. Incorporating both Mayan and Christian traditions, the festivities include brightly colored clothing, masks, parades, fireworks, and music.

1. Burning the Clocks

In the days before mechanical clocks, people (roughly) kept the time by observing the sun and moon and were only able to during evening hours with the help of fire. This all comes together in Brighton, England’s annual Burning the Clocks festival marking the Winter Solstice, where people dress up like clocks and burn lanterns made of wood or paper.

1. Illuminations in California

Similar to Newgrange, some of the churches built in California by Spanish missionaries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries were also designed so that the sun illuminates the altar. It was thought to be an attempt to combine Indigenous and Catholic traditions as a way of appealing to (and converting) Indigenous people in an area.

1. Montol Festival

Another one from England, the Montol Festival is a modern version of ancient Cornish winter traditions held during the Winter Solstice. Rituals include traditional costumes, music, dancing, and performances.

1. Toji

In Japan, the Winter Solstice celebration is known as Toji, and features traditions like eating a winter squash called kabocha and taking a hot bath with yuzu citrus fruits.

1. Chaomos

Each year, the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people of northern Pakistan celebrate the Winter Solstice with a festival called Chaomos. The weeklong celebration includes traditions like ritual baths, singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, and bonfires.

1. Saturnalia

This ancient Roman festival is celebrated similarly to Christmas. It happens around the winter solstice and celebrates the end of the plating season. This festival is filled with feasts and gift-giving. During this time, people are encouraged to show generosity and kindness. It is a weeklong celebration and even courthouses and schools are closed.

1. Shab-e Yalda

This Iranian holiday happens on the longest night of the year and celebrates the history of Mithra, a sun God’s triumph over darkness. Shab-e Yalda translates to “Night of Birth.” People partake by burning fires and doing good deeds, which ward away evil spirits. It’s a night of poetry readings and food like nuts and pomegranates. Some people even stay up all night to protect their homes from demons.

1. Dongji

In South Korea, they celebrate the “Little New Year.” During this time, everyone eats red bean porridge called patjuk. In Korea, red is a lucky color, and eating this dish keeps bad spirits away and pulls in good wishes for the new year. People usually wish for snow and a great harvest. Calendars are a traditional gift, since Korean kings used to give them away in the past. Socks are also a common present.

1. Celebration of the African Goddess, Mawu

Mawu is a west African creation goddess. The moon is believed to be her eyes, which she uses to look into people’s souls. The holiday is about rest and taking a break. Mawu is in charge of writing destinies, which she gives to her son Legba to deliver to the world. Her messages are usually received through nature, the weather, strangers, or dreams. She also brings cooler weather to the continent.

What do you eat on the Winter Solstice?

Depending on your culture, it varies. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve rounded up several recipes that will leave you full, happy, and ready to celebrate the beginning of winter.

• Need a drink? Despite popular belief, the official drink of the cold is not pumpkin spice. Grab some cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Mix it with lemonade and, if you want to get tipsy, a little rum. It’s a spice-filled drink that is both warm and easy to make.
• Who doesn’t love a bowl of warm soup on a chilly day? Make a thick broth from root vegetables, like celeriac, potatoes, and celery. Once everything comes to a boil, add some roasted garlic, fennel, and thyme for extra flavor. It’s a simple dish that will keep you full all day.
• Get a goose! Instead of sticking to meats like ham or turkey, spice things up and set the table with this festive fowl. Rub your goose in butter, peppercorn, and other spices. Then stick it in the oven at 350 degrees. You can use the fat from the bird to cook your potatoes. Before carving your goose, let it sit for at least thirty minutes.

Looking for more traditions to add to the Winter season? We have winter date ideas, outdoor winter activities, Christmas games, and more.