Next: 21 Dec 2026
Winter Solstice
The longest night: Yule fires, Newgrange lit at dawn, Yalda, Dongzhi, and the return of the light.
When is Winter Solstice in 2026?
Winter Solstice 2026 is on Monday, 21 December 2026. Other years: 2027, Tuesday, 21 December 2027; 2028, Thursday, 21 December 2028.
About Winter Solstice
The December solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the point at which the sun is lowest in the sky before it begins its return. It has inspired customs of fire and light across Eurasia. At Newgrange in Ireland, a passage tomb built more than five thousand years ago, a shaft of dawn sunlight enters the chamber and lights the floor for about seventeen minutes at the solstice. In Scandinavia and Germany, Yule is the old midwinter feast, with its logs, boar, and evergreens, many of whose customs passed into Christmas. In Iran, families keep Yalda Night awake, in China, Dongzhi has tangyuan and dumplings, and in Japan, Toji sees bathing in yuzu citrus. Modern pagans hold Yule.
Winter Solstice dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Winter Solstice date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday, 21 December 2026 |
| 2027 | Tuesday, 21 December 2027 |
| 2028 | Thursday, 21 December 2028 |
What is eaten
- yule log
- tangyuan
- pomegranate
- yuzu
Traditions of Winter Solstice
Also part of it, and being written: Newgrange (The tomb lit at the solstice dawn.), Dongzhi Festival (The Chinese winter solstice.).
More marked on Winter Solstice
🇵🇪 Cusco, Peru and 2 moreInti Raymi
A major Andean festival honoring the sun god Inti and marking the winter solstice in Cusco.Festival
🇯🇵 JapanYuzu bath柚子湯
A winter solstice soak in hot water with whole yuzu citrus, kept across JapanSeasonal
🇩🇰 Denmark and 3 moreNissenisse (Danish, Norwegian); tomte (Swedish); tonttu (Finnish)
A small farm spirit of Nordic folklore, given porridge at midwinterFolklore
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Winter solstice" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Yalda Night: M.Sadegh Nikgostar/Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, source
- Inti Raymi: Cyntia Motta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yuzu bath: Nori Norisa, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yule: Robert Chambers, Public domain, source
- Nisse: AlphaZeta, CC0, source