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Everything you need to know about the winter solstice

Winter has officially arrived. The winter solstice, otherwise known as the shortest or darkest day, marks the start of astronomical winter (in the Northern hemisphere).

So what exactly is the winter solstice? Is it always on the same day? And who traditionally celebrates it and why?

When is the winter solstice?

For Northern hemisphere dwellers, the 2019 winter solstice occurs on 22nd December, at exactly 04.19 GMT. This is the moment at which the sun is at its lowest position in the sky, closer to the horizon than any other time of the year, and delivers the fewest hours of sunlight in a single day. In the Southern hemisphere the opposite will be true, with the sun rising to its highest altitude, resulting in the longest annual period of daylight.

The exact moment of the winter solstice varies from year to year due to a slight misalignment between the Gregorian calendar and the actual rate of the Earth’s rotation around the sun.

The exact moment of the winter solstice varies from year to year due to a slight misalignment between the Gregorian calendar and the actual rate of the Earth’s rotation around the sun, but it usually falls on the 21st or 22nd of December.

How short is the shortest day?

In Britain, the shortest day of the year lasts for just 7 hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds. That’s 8 hours and 49 minutes shorter than the summer solstice!

But that’s nothing compared to Iceland. On the shortest day of the year there are just 2 hours and 14 minutes between sunset and sunrise.

What does 'solstice' mean?

The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'sun standing still'. 'Sol' means sun and 'sister' means to stand still or 'to come to a stop'.

Others use the teutonic term 'sunturn' to describe the event. That’s because astrologers say the sun seems to 'stand still' at the point on the horizon where it appears to rise and set, before moving off in the reverse direction.

Where is the best place to celebrate the solstice in the UK?

The ancient Stonehenge monument near Salisbury in Wiltshire was aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset. It is thought that the winter solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge, sometime between 3000 and 2000 BC, than the summer solstice. As a result, scores of druids and other worshippers flock to the prehistoric monument each winter solstice to mark the occasion, with allowing open access to the inner circle.

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Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Who celebrates the winter solstice?

For pagans it is the most important event of the year – even more significant than the summer solstice – because it welcomes in the new sun. For this reason, pagan and druid communities actually celebrate the first sunrise after the winter solstice.

Traditionally, the winter solstice was a time when cattle were slaughtered, to save feeding them through the winter and to sustain the community through the difficult months, and wine and beer was fermented.

The druid priests would cut mistletoe that grew on oak trees and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred trees and the fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months.

In Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe like Germany, 'Jul' was the name given to the old winter solstice festivals. This is where the word we know as 'Yule' comes from, and where the custom of the Yule log originates. Now we enjoy it in the form of a chocolate cake, but it was originally an entire tree trunk that was ceremoniously brought into the house. The end of the log was then inserted into the fireplace while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The burning of the log symbolised the continuation of light despite the darkness outside. It was also thought to banish evil spirits and bring luck for the year to come.

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