Ancient Pagans
With ancient societies so focused on the sun, it easy to understand why they celebrated when days started getting longer again.
And if some of the Winter Solstice pagan customs and words (like yule, mistletoe, or decorating your home with greenery) sound familiar, it’s because they were later incorporated into what are now considered Christmas traditions.
Dongzhi Winter Solstice Festival
This ancient Chinese Winter Solstice celebration involves traditions like worshipping the Heaven and ancestors, counting Nines of Winter, and eating rice and dumplings.
Newgrange
Some 400 years before the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, people in Ireland built Newgrange, a passage tomb designed so that when the sun rises on the day of the Winter Solstice, the chamber is flooded with sunlight.
Soyal
The Indigenous Hopi people of northern Arizona marked the Winter Solstice with a celebration called Soyal. It involved rituals incorporating purification, dancing, gift-giving, and making prayer sticks.
Midwinter
Not all Winter Solstice customs are ancient, including the Midwinter celebrations in Antarctica. On this day, scientists and other residents enjoy special meals, films, and handmade gifts.
Yalda
Also known as “Shab-e Yalda,” this is the ancient Persian Winter Solstice celebration, which still takes place in modern-day Iran. Traditions include eating nuts and pomegranates, and staying up all night in order to see the sunrise.
St. Lucia Day
While the modern Scandinavian holiday marking the beginning of the Christmas season honors St. Lucy, many of the traditions associated with the day — including bonfires, gingersnaps, saffron-flavored buns, and glogg — were passed down from local pagan Winter Solstice traditions.
Stonehenge
Although Newgrange predates the first phase of Stonehenge by 1000 years, it’s still a pretty ancient Winter Solstice celebration, involving the sun rising through the monument’s iconic stones.
Lantern Festival
Every year, Vancouver’s Secret Lantern Society puts on a Winter Solstice celebration in the form of a Lantern Festival. Those participating make their own lantern, take part in a procession, then watch some fire performances.
Santo Tomas Festival
Each year, Catholics in Chichicastenango (Chichi), Guatemala take part in a weeklong celebration leading up to the Winter Solstice. Incorporating both Mayan and Christian traditions, the festivities include brightly colored clothing, masks, parades, fireworks, and music.
Burning the Clocks
In the days before mechanical clocks, people (roughly) kept the time by observing the sun and moon and were only able to during evening hours with the help of fire. This all comes together in Brighton, England’s annual Burning the Clocks festivalmarking the Winter Solstice, where people dress up like clocks and burn lanterns made of wood or paper.
Illuminations in California
Similar to Newgrange, some of the churches built in California by Spanish missionaries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries were also designed so that the sun illuminates the altar. It was thought to be an attempt to combine Indigenous and Catholic traditions as a way of appealing to (and converting) Indigenous people in an area.
Montol Festival
Another one from England, the Montol Festival is a modern version of ancient Cornish winter traditions, held during the Winter Solstice. Rituals include traditional costumes, music, dancing, and performances.
Toji
In Japan, the Winter Solstice celebration is known as Toji, and features traditions like eating a winter squash called kabocha and taking a hot bath with yuzu citrus fruits.
Chaomos
Each year, the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people of northern Pakistan celebrate the Winter Solstice with a festival called Chaomos. The weeklong celebration includes traditions like ritual baths, singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, and bonfires.
Saturnalia
This ancient Roman festival is celebrated similarly to Christmas. It happens around the winter solstice and celebrates the end of the plating season. This festival is filled with feasts and gift-giving. During this time, people are encouraged to show generosity and kindness. It is a weeklong celebration and even courthouses and schools are closed.
Shab-e Yalda
This Iranian holiday happens on the longest night of the year and is meant to celebrate the history of Mithra, a sun God’s triumph over darkness. Shab-e Yalda translates to “Night of Birth”. People partake by burning fires and doing good deeds, which are meant to ward away evil spirits. Yummy foods are also included like nuts and pomegranates. It’s a night of poetry readings and some stay up all night, cautious of intruding evil spirits and wait for the morning.
