Monthly Spotlight: Winter Solstice

What is it?

The December solstice marks the sun’s southernmost point in the sky, for the entire globe, for this entire year. On this solstice, the sun will be overhead at noon as viewed from the Tropic of Capricorn.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice will mark the longest nights and shortest days of the year. For the Southern Hemisphere, it will mark the shortest nights and longest days. After this solstice, the sun will move north again.

In 2024, the December solstice falls at 9:21 UTC (3:21 AM CT) on December 21.

Information from EarthSky

What to expect:

In the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll notice late dawns and early sunsets, the low arc of the sun across the sky each day, and how low the sun appears in the sky at local noon. Look at your noontime shadow, too. Around the time of the December solstice, it’s your longest noontime shadow of the year. -EarthSky

Another way to think of this is that on the day of the solstice, the Sun’s path reaches its most southerly point in the sky. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this means that the Sun’s path is as low in the sky as it can get—even at “high noon.” -Almanac

Fun Facts

• While it is the Northern Hemisphere's shortest day, it is the Southern Hemisphere's longest day
• 2025 Winter Solstice will land on December 21st at 9:02 AM CST
• Solstice comes from the Latin sol “sun,” and sistere “to stand still.”
• When we reach the summer solstice on June 20, 21, or 22, the Sun will reach its most northerly spot, directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer
• It may be the shortest day of the year -thus less sun- but that doesn't mean it'll be the coldest day of the year
  • January 14th, 2024 was the coldest day last winter with wind chills ranging as low as 45 degrees below zero.
    • Dubuque at -15
    • Mason City -15
• For the ancient Celts, the calendar was based around the solstices and equinoxes, marking the Quarter Days, with the mid-points called Cross-Quarter Days
• It only lasts a brief moment, not a whole day, as many believe!
• Solstices define the longest and shortest days of the year, whereas equinoxes (which we see in the spring and fall) define days that have the same amount of daytime and nighttime.
• Some believe that Stonehenge, the famous English prehistoric monument, was built to celebrate the solstices.
  • See the picture above for Druids celebrating the Summer Solstice in June 2019
• According to NASA, each planet in Earth’s solar system has its own solstices and equinoxes.
  • The length of each season and when each solstice and equinox occurs depend on the planet’s tilt.
  • For instance, Uranus is tilted by 82 degrees, so it deals with seasons that last two decades.
• Some alternative names for the shortest day of the year include Yule, Midwinter, The Longest Night, and Solstice Night.

Information from Reader's Digest, Farmer's Almanac, and Des Moines Register

Recommendations

• The Shortest Day
  • Susan Cooper
• A Court of Frost and Starlight
  • Sarah J Maas
• Christmas in the Crosshairs: Two thousand years of denouncing and defunding the world's most celebrated holiday
  • G Q Bowler
• Winter Solstice: A Novel
  • Elin Hilderbrand
• Have a Little Faith: A True Story
  • Mitch Album
• Winter of the Ice Wizard: Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #4
  • Mary Pope Osborne
• The Longest Night
  • Kara Braden
• The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale
  • Jan Brett

How is it celebrated?

Since ancient times, people all over the world have recognized this important astronomical occurrence and celebrated the subsequent “return” of the Sun in a variety of different ways. Old solstice traditions have influenced the holidays we celebrate now, such as Christmas and Hanukkah. Here are some solstice traditions both new and old to help light your way to longer days.

• Soyal is the winter solstice celebration of the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona.
  • Ceremonies and rituals include purification, dancing, and sometimes gift-giving.
  • At the time of the solstice, Hopi welcomes the kachinas, protective spirits from the mountains. Prayer sticks are crafted and used for various blessings and other rituals.
• The Persian festival Yalda, or Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of the winter solstice in Iran that started in ancient times.
  • It marks the last day of the Persian month of Azar.
  • Yalda is viewed traditionally as the victory of light over dark, and the birthday of the sun god Mithra.
  • Families celebrate together with special foods like nuts and pomegranates and some stay awake all night long to welcome the morning sun.
• The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia is perhaps the most closely linked with the modern celebration of Christmas.
  • This festival happened around the time of the winter solstice and celebrated the end of the planting season.
  • There were games and feasts and gift-giving for several days, and social order was inverted—slaves did not work and were briefly treated as equals.
• Dong Zhi, the “arrival of winter,” is an important festival in China.
  • It is a time for families to get together and celebrate the year they have had.
  • It is thought to have started as an end-of-harvest festival, with workers returning from the fields and enjoying the fruits of their labors with family.
  • Special foods, such as tang yuan (glutinous rice balls), are enjoyed.

 Information from Britannica.

Why is it the shortest day of the year?

The apparent position of the Sun in the sky changes throughout the year. During the summer months, it rises higher in the sky and is above the horizon for longer. In the winter the Sun's position is lower and its time in the sky is shorter.

This variation happens because the Earth orbits at an angle: it is tilted 23.4 degrees on its axis. 

During summer in the northern hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, and therefore this part of the Earth receives more direct sunlight and longer daylight hours. During winter in the northern hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, resulting in fewer daylight hours. -Royal Museums Greenwich