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The date of the winter solstice is the date with the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the northern hemisphere, this date usually falls on December 21/ December 22, while it falls June 21/ June 22 in the southern hemisphere. By definition, these dates are also the dates of the summer solstice in the opposing hemisphere.

In some reckonings, the winter solstice is the first day of winter. In Chinese calendarThe Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar formed by combining a purely lunar calendar with a solar calendar. Among Chinese, the calendar is not used for most day to day activities, but is used for the dating of holidays such as Chinese New Year (Spring, for example, the winter solstice is called dong zhi (winter's arrival) and is regarded in certain Chinese areas as an equally, if not more, important Jie ChiaThe Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar formed by combining a purely lunar calendar with a solar calendar. Among Chinese, the calendar is not used for most day to day activities, but is used for the dating of holidays such as Chinese New Year (Spring compared to the Chinese New YearChinese New Year (, or ), also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival one of the traditonal Chinese holidays, is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, which is usually the day on which the second new moon afte. The winter solstice is also the time when the germanicThe term Germanic peoples may refer to: the Germanic tribes that in the first millennium were seen as a barbarian threat by the Roman Empire and its successors; the Germanic Christianity that in the second millennium came to dominate much of Northern Euro festival of YuleFor information on Sir Henry Yule, please see Henry Yule. Yule is the midwinter solstice Blot (celebration) in Asatru, the pagan practices of the Germanic peoples prior to the arrival of Christianity. Today, it is one of the eight solar holidays, or sabba was celebrated, and is still celebrated today as a NeopaganNeopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism is a heterogeneous group of religions which claim to be a revival of mainly European Paganism. It is called Neopaganism by academics and many adherents to distinguish it from earlier forms of Paganism, from which it dif SabbatWicca In neopaganism, a Sabbat is one of the eight major seasonal festivals which make up the Wheel of the Year. These include the solstices and equinoxes, and four additional festivals sometimes referred to as the "cross-quarter days". The word derives f.

In addition to the above, many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near (by practically a few days) the winter solstice, examples of these include SaturnaliaSaturnalia (from the god Saturn) was the name the Romans gave to their holiday marking the Winter Solstice. Over the years, it expanded to a whole week, the 17th through 23rd of December. It also degenerated from mostly tomfoolery, marked chiefly by havin, ChristmasChristmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar which takes place on the twenty-fifth day of December and celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout mu, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and HumanLight.