Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, occurring between December 21 and December 22 in the northern hemisphere. Its religious and celebratory meaning changes across cultures, but the most frequent theme across solstice celebrations is the idea of rebirth. Pagan religions see this as the darkness before the dawn, a time of gestation or lack of harvest to mark the cycle before new life can begin.

Because Winter Solstice is an event which marks the ebbing of the sun, it is often associated with the death and rebirth of sun gods. It is also symbolic of cleansing, as in allowing the past year’s problems, events and joys to fade in order to make room for such things in the new year – literally out with the old and in with the new, a mandatory refreshing of the psyche.

As the darkest day of the year, solstice rituals and ceremonies have been thought to be a source of great comfort, particularly among those with depressive tendencies or seasonal affect disorder. In ancient times, these tendencies may actually have been recognized and the need for a celebration punctuated by the natural tendency to feel down when humans receive fewer of the suns rays. This is, however, speculation based on modern interpretation and it is far more likely that the origins of such celebrations are more closely connected to the cycles of the earth, hunting and harvest seasons.

Observances of solstice in the modern day world continue – neopagans honor the Solstice itself, without having to give the astronomical event another name. In the Christian tradition, we have Christmas, but other religions and cultures have their own mid-winter holidays and celebrations as well. December 26th in Celtic tradition is Mummer’s Day, which generally entails parades of dancers and spinners dressed in elaborate tribal animal costumes. In Ancient Greece, the week of December 17th was the Saturnalia, a celebration of the god Kronos during which reversals of hierarchy were instituted; slaves could do as they pleased for that one week and disrespect their masters, gambling was allowed and colorful celebratory clothing was worn, rather than the day to day toga. The Zuni and Hopi Indians of North America celebrated Solstice in order to awaken the sun from its slumber. New Year’s celebrations, although mostly occurring on January 1, have also been linked to winter solstice.