Winter Solstice Celebrations
What is Winter Solstice?
Winter Solstice marks the onset of winter when the Earth’s poles reaches the maximum tilt away from the sun. This is why many people call it the shortest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, this day is usually December 21 or 22. Additionally, in the Southern Hemisphere this happens in June, typically June 20 or 21.
Three Winter Solstice celebrations
Soyal
Soyal is the celebration of the northern Arizona Hopi native Americans. They have rituals that include dancing, purification and occasionally, giving gifts. During Winter Solstice, the Hopi welcome kachinas which are protective mountain spirits.
Yalda
This Persian festival (also known as Shab-e Yalda) is an Iranian celebration that began in ancient times. It makes the final day of the Persian month of Azar. It’s viewed as the victory of light over dark and the birthday of the sun god Mithra. Many families will celebrate together with special food and some stay awake all night to welcome the morning sun.
St. Lucia’s Day
In Scandinavia, St. Lucia’s Day is a festival of lights around winter solstice. Girls will dress up in white gowns with red sashes and wear wreaths of candles on their head to honor St. Lucia. This celebration has also been connected to earlier Norse traditions. For example they will light fires to ward off spirits during the longest night.
There are many other ways different cultures celebrate Winter Solstice while a lot of us are happy that the days will get longer and we hope to see more sun. The sun can have an important impact on a person’s happiness and mental health.
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