The winter solstice is the shortest day, and the longest night, of the year. It’s been celebrated by cultures around the world since our earliest history.

The winter solstice comes on or around December 21st—and 6 months later in the Southern Hemisphere. Leading up to it, the days appear to be dying.

The dawn comes later, the sunset earlier. Nights get longer and colder. In far northern and southern latitudes, this is very keenly felt.

Then on the solstice, things turn around. The day after is a little longer, and they keep getting lighter and brighter.

So the solstice has always been associated with rebirth—of the sun and of a new year.

Asian, Middle Eastern, North and South American cultures all had, and still have, festivals marking the rebirth of the sun.

The Romans, too, celebrated Saturnalia, dedicated to the sun god Saturn, characterized by charity and gift-giving.

In the 4th century when they converted to Christianity, they turned their festival of the sun’s rebirth into a celebration of a different son’s birth. This gave us Christmas, on December 25.

Later, when the Vikings became Christians, they brought Nordic solstice traditions: evergreen trees, holly, and mistletoe, all symbols of life in the dark winter.

So this holiday season, you might consider a solstice party.

It’s the astronomically correct way to ring out the old year and welcome the birth of the new.