The winter solstice has been linked to numerous cultural celebrations throughout history. For many pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the Mayans, the winter solstice was—and continues to be—one of the most important astronomical events on the calendar, as it marked the end of the agricultural year: the time to let the land rest for the next season. It is a date on the calendar on which the sun is thanked and celebrated for the benefits received from the harvests.
With the passage of time and the arrival of European cultures, these celebrations were replaced with festivities such as the posadas, the Virgin of Guadalupe, the birth of the Child Jesus and the Christmas, which are the ones that are currently most widespread.
What is the winter solstice
The winter solstice is the moment when one of the Earth's hemispheres reaches its greatest tilt away from the Sun, causing the day with the fewest hours of sunlight and the longest night of the year.
When is the solstice in 2026?
In the United States and the Northern Hemisphere, this astronomical phenomenon occurs every December and officially marks the beginning of winter. Beyond its scientific significance, the winter solstice has been celebrated for centuries by various cultures as a symbol of renewal, hope, and the gradual return of longer days.
In 2026 the solstice will occur on Monday, December 21 at 8:50 pm Central Time (CT).
The shortest day and the longest night
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, this Monday, December 21st, we will be able to experience the shortest day and the longest night of all of 2026.
To understand this astronomical event, here we leave you some data.
- The solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice a year, there is a Summer Solstice and one winter. The solstice marks the moment when the Sun reaches its maximum or minimum apparent height in the sky, as seen from Earth.
- The word “solstice” comes from the Latin “solstitium,” which is composed of the words “sol” (sun) and “sistere” (stop), meaning “the sun stops.”
- The winter solstice occurs around December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and around June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, it marks the beginning of winter.
- During the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day is the shortest of the year, and the night is the longest. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite occurs, marking the longest day and the shortest night.
- The main cause of the winter solstice is the axial tilt of the Earth. During this event, one of the poles (north or south) is tilted away from the Sun, resulting in fewer hours of sunlight in that hemisphere.
A curious fact: the last winter solstice that took place on December 23 was in 1903, and the next one after that will be in the year 2303.
You may be interested in:
“Tequio” is a form of community work that comes from pre-Hispanic times and whose purpose is to seek the benefit of all those who are part of the community. Listen to Luis's story on our Podcast, entrepreneur and Mexican migrant who found a way to successfully adapt Tequio to his new venture in Asheville, North Carolina.
December solstice on the calendar
According to the site timeanddate.com, the December solstices occur on December 20, 21, 22 or 23. The first two, that is, those that fall on December 20 and 21, occur more frequently than those on the 22nd and 23rd.
The reason why the dates of the solstices are not the same every year is due to two reasons
- Our calendar system is the Gregorian and is different from the actual duration of the Earth's orbit around the sun. The year in our calendar lasts 365 days and 366 in leap years. It takes our planet about 365.242199 days to orbit the sun.
- Our earth rotates around the sun like a top does, its axis of rotation describes a kind of how, this movement is known as “precession of the equinoxes.”
The time and date of the solstice depends on your location. For example, in Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, it will be on December 21st at 9:50 pm, and in Colombia at 3:50 pm. In Guatemala, it will be on December 20th at 2:50 pm.
What is the difference between a solstice and an equinox?
The solstice and the equinox mark key changes in the seasons, but they are not the same. The solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky, resulting in the longest or shortest day of the year. In contrast, the equinox happens when day and night are nearly equal in length, signaling the start of spring or autumn. While the solstice represents extremes of sunlight, the equinox symbolizes balance. Both phenomena have been important to cultures around the world, both for their astronomical significance and their symbolic meaning.
In this video the girls from Star Tres clearly explain to us what the solstices are and why they occur.
Sources: The Maya Day, TimeandDate.com, MatadorNetwork
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
