6 ways to celebrate the winter solstice

Dec 17, 2024

“And so the Shortest Day came and the year died

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.”

- Susan Cooper

Darkness to light. Stillness to life. The winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year – signals the imminent stretching of daylight hours, the re-awakening of the world, and the welcome return of the sun.

Through the ages, civilisations have honoured this tilt back towards the light, with many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas having far deeper roots in pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. We can trace familiar rituals like decorating dwellings with evergreens, lighting candles, and convivial feasting back to pre-Christian times.

From watching the sunrise at Stonehenge from the comfort of your bed to spending the evening by the light of a yule log fire, read on for some of our favourite winter solstice rituals to create a portal to the past, remind us of our wild connection to the natural world, and make this year’s shortest day a memorable one.

1. Make a 'yule log'

Not just a chocolate-coated dessert, the ‘yule log’ has roots in the ancient folk ritual of bringing a log from the forest into the home, adorning it with greenery, soaking it with ale, and then burning it on the fire as a celebration of the imminent return of the sun’s rays and cleansing of sins.

Follow your ancestors by foraging a fallen branch, and covering it with foliage, cloves, clementines, and candles to create a festive table centrepiece. Or forgo the candles and place your chosen log on the fire as you take stock while the flames lick and crackle.

Isabella Greenwood, expert on pagan rituals, offers a slightly different take: “In Druid midwinter tradition, each family member sat upon the communal log, saluted it and made a wish,” she writes, suggesting the committed could “straddle a nearby moss-shrouded fallen log in the forests” and make a wish to recreate this ancient custom today.

2. Gather symbolic evergreens to decorate your home

From the glossy, spiny leaves of the holly tree to the snow-white berries and delicate oval foliage of mistletoe and wandering tendrils of ivy, evergreens are a familiar symbol of the festive season. But the tradition of bringing evergreens into the home travels back to pre-Christian, pagan times, and is entwined with ancient folklore. With luscious green leaves that last throughout the bitterest winter months, and flowers and berries that continue to bloom through snowfalls and frost, evergreens have long been potent symbols of life, rebirth and renewal. Holly was thought to ward off evil spirits, while mistletoe Mistletoe was seen as a symbol of peace and love.

This winter solstice, take a meditative walk to gather your favourite evergreens – whether holly, laurel, mistletoe, ivy or fir. Then, once the sun has set, adorn your home with these eternal emblems of resurrection, hope and the sun’s return amid the longest, darkest night.

Or why not give back to nature by decorating a living outdoor Christmas tree for local wildlife using edible decorations? Make strings of dehydrated or fresh fruit slices, popcorn and cranberry garlands and homemade birdseed ornaments to keep birds and other small animals going when food becomes scarce.

3. Watch the sun rise and set on the shortest day

At just 7 hours and 49 minutes long, the winter solstice is 8 hours and 49 minutes shorter than its counterpart, the summer solstice. So (clear skies permitting), you should be able to catch both the winter solstice sunrise and the sunset without waking up at an unholy hour.

As the sun peeps over or sinks behind the horizon, watch out for the first or last burst of brightness, memorising the moment and the sensation it stirs within. But where to watch from? Why not hike up to a local hilltop, coastal headland, favourite open field or stretch of shoreline? Traditionally, people gather at the ancient Neolithic site of Stonehenge, a “monument aligned to the movements of the sun,” where huge stones “have silently marked the winter solstice for thousands of years.” Interestingly, archaeologists believe that the winter solstice may have been more important to the people who built Stonehenge than the summer solstice, seeing them gather for feasts, ceremonies and celebrations – and prepare for the harsh winter months ahead.

If you can’t make a personal pilgrimage to Stonehenge, you can still experience the solstice sun’s rays rising between its stone pillars – all from the comfort of your bed. Tune in to the English Heritage YouTube channel for free on the morning of 21 December to see this symbolism-steeped event streamed live from Stonehenge. Watch from home here.

4. Spend the evening by candlelight

How often do you switch off the electrics and illuminate your space with candlelight? This winter solstice, as night falls, celebrate the life-giving light and warmth of the sun – and hasten its return – by filling your home with the soft glow of candles and lanterns. We favour natural, non-scented, clean-burning options like beeswax candles. You could also recreate the energy of the sun in scent by burning invigorating pure citrus essential oils above a candle.

5. Feast, drink and be merry

Archaeologists believe Neolithic people held huge, celebratory feasts around the winter solstice, with excavations near Stonehenge revealing piles of discarded pig and cattle bones.

As the final festival before deep winter, the solstice would have been a time for slaughtering livestock so that they wouldn’t need to be fed during leaner months to come – meaning an abundance of fresh meat, all washed down with wine and beer and accompanied by celebrations to honour the return of the sun god.

Host your own solstice dinner party by cooking up a hearty feast of roasted meats, nourishing stews and root vegetables. Or create a colourful grazing platter filled with all your favourite seasonal treats. Raise a toast and drink to the days growing longer, a return to the light and the gradual reawakening of the natural world.

6. Reflect and release

As a celebration of the end of one cycle and the start of the next, the winter solstice poses the perfect opportunity to let go of the old and welcome the new.

Reflect on your successes and disappointments from the past year. Write down anything that weighs heavy on your heart and mind, and then throw the paper into the yule log fire as a symbolic cleansing of your spirit on this so-called ‘dark night of the soul’. Feeling lighter from your ‘letting go’, capitalise on this solar standstill to quietly contemplate and set positive intentions for a brighter year ahead.