What is it?
It marks the day of the year when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun, and is also the day with the fewest hours of light: the sun is at its lowest point in the sky for us as the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from it. This means that the winter solstice for the North Pole marks the summer solstice for the South pole. Daylight today will last for around 7 hours and 50 minutes, which is nine hours less than it would at our summer solstice. The solstice today occurred at 04:49 GMT, and the sun rose over Stonehenge at 08:04. Seven thousand people were at the site to watch, including plenty of “druids”–people who see the solstice as a chance to party like they’re ancient celts: robes and all.
The word "solstice" itself means “sun stands still”. The sun’s arc is so low today that it will appear to rise and set in the same place.
Is it always on the same date?
No, it isn’t. Our calendar of 365 days per year doesn’t quite match up with the solar year, which is 365.242 days. In practice, this means that the solstice can happen on 20th December through to the 23rd. However, the 21st and 22nd are by far the most common: the solstice was last on 23rd December in 1903, and won’t be again until 2303.
Does it link to Christmas?
Yes–very much so. The winter solstice was initially celebrated in the West to mark the time of year the cattle were slaughtered, so that they didn’t have to be fed over winter, and the time of year when beer and wine would finally be fermented. Once Christmas did become a time of celebration, traditional solstice celebrations bled into it, including the hanging of Mistletoe for romantic reasons. The plant was hugely significant for ancient Celts celebrating the solstice: they believed that it represented the sperm of the Gods.
How else has it been celebrated throughout history?
Through the ages it’s been marked by rituals which range from the sacrificial to the downright bizarre. In Ancient Rome they would mark the solstice with a seven-day festival called “Saturnalia”–named after their God, Saturn. The Romans would usually throw a sacrifice in at the Temple of Saturn for good measure, and then spend the days banqueting. During this period, all wars were postponed. They were far from the only ones in on the act; thousands of years ago in Scandinavia they would host “Feasts of Juul.” Logs would be lit to symbolise the returning heat and pay tribute to the Norse God Thor. It’s from here that we get the term “Yule log”.
All these thousands of years, though, and there’s one problem we haven’t solved: what should we say to one another today? “Merry Winter Solstice” just sounds silly.
