The first day of the winter season suspends us in darkness just a little bit longer than the days before and after, lending us the shortest day and coldest night of the year.
Dec. 21 is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, also known by many other names. Midwinter, the hibernal solstice, the hiemal solstice, or the December solstice, to the common person. But this time has also been referred to as Yule, Dongzhi, Yaldā Night, and more throughout history and across cultures.
Science and cultural stories surrounding the winter solstice ultimately have intertwining roles. Early emerging sciences utilized such stories in order to make sense of the natural world. Now, modern science can help us factually understand the phenomena of the first day of winter, while cultural stories can help us celebrate it.
The Stories
Cultural tales told over centuries have been passed down and used to explain the prolonged darkness of midwinter.
For example, Finnish song-poems describe how the powerful witch Louhi traps the sun and moon within a mountain. Every winter solstice is a reminder of how the light and warmth vanished when these celestial bodies disappeared.
Celtic Pagans share the story of the Oak King and Holly King’s battle every solstice, either bringing darkness in the autumn and winter when the Holly King wins at summer solstice, or bringing light and warmth back in spring and summer when the Oak King wins at winter solstice.
In the ancient Greek myth of Persephone and her mother, the Goddess Demeter, Persephone is kidnapped to the Underworld. She must spend six months in the Underworld, during which Demeter’s grief turns the weather cold, but can spend the other six months above the land, during which light and warmth returns.
The day Persephone will return above land is the winter solstice, bringing longer days with her.
These are just a few examples. The folklore and mythology surrounding the winter solstice are fascinating insights into earlier understandings of the weather and astronomical events.
The Science
Today, we must thank modern science for our current understanding of the winter solstice.
As the Earth rotates on its tilted axis and continues its elliptical crawl around the Sun, the weather shifts and takes shape into the different seasons.
The Northern Hemisphere (the top half of our spherical planet) and Southern Hemisphere (the bottom half), due to this axial tilt, experience different seasons and weather patterns, which is why Dec. 21 is the winter solstice only in the Northern Hemisphere.
Every midwinter, the Northern Hemisphere tilts the farthest away from the Sun, experiencing the least amount of sunlight and warmth than it does the rest of the year.
As a result, we get just one longest, coldest, darkest night. And this is also why, when the Northern Hemisphere tilts the closest towards the Sun half a revolution later, we experience a summer solstice, the longest, warmest, brightest day of the year.
Both of these days inspire celebration across the world. While the summer solstice often elicits a longer day of play outside under the sun, the winter solstice often compels people to move inside. They move into the warmth of their homes, and turn within themselves in introspection, to prepare for the gradual return of light.
The Celebrations
Cultural celebrations of midwinter usually honor the balance between light and darkness, focusing on inward introspection but also fun festivities.
For example, the traditional midwinter festival Dongzhi in China embraces good food, family, and other festivities to enjoy the night before light returns. To prevent frostbitten ears, people eat special dumplings in the north and glutinous rice balls in the south.
This follows the advice from an old story in which a Han Dynasty physician prepared ear-shaped dumplings to ward off the cold from his many sickly patients’ ears.
Tōji in Japan is also considered a cause for celebration! To warm up, they enjoy bright bonfires and steaming baths filled with aromatic and vitamin-rich yuzu fruits. They also have a tradition of eating kabocha squash for good health.
Yaldā Night is an ancient Persian festival that has continued today. They would build bonfires and enjoy poetry and music. One myth says that eating watermelon on this night will help protect against the winter chill and even the summer heat.
The ancient Germanic celebration of Yule (or Jòl) is another tradition that exists today. To honor the balance of light and dark, people would decorate with evergreen trees, holly, and mistletoe. They would burn a Yule log in the fireplace and light candles to honor the returning light.
In ancient times, there were also sacrifices to the Nordic gods Odin and Freya.
Ultimately, the winter solstice allows us to appreciate the darkness and cold weather of winter before we head into the warmth of spring again.
How do you celebrate the winter solstice? Let us know at @HerCampusSJSU!