The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year and can fall anywhere from December 20 to 23, but the 21st and 22nd are the most common dates. For 2021 here in the East Coast, it falls on Tuesday, December 21, at 10:59 am EST.
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Today Yule also marks the winter solstice although this is far from how it originated. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year - as the Sun gets its lowest elevation in the sky. Apart from the marking of a new season, the winter solstice also holds a significant symbol for the Sun.
It appears to stand still on this day, it’s believed that the Sun is going through a rebirth. It would then gain momentum after the solstice. The holiday also depicts several pagan beliefs, especially that of the Holly King handing over power to the Oak King, ushering in a new season of light.
Although the solstice marks the astronomical beginning of winter, meteorologists view the first day of winter as December 1, which is the start of the coldest three months in the Northern Hemisphere.
Most locations don't have their earliest sunset or latest sunrise on the solstice. Those events occur either weeks before or after December 21.
The solstice is typically not the coldest day of the year either. There's a bit of a lag between the solstice and the day with the coldest average temperatures for most spots in the USA.
This lag in temperature occurs because even though the amount of daylight is increasing, the Earth's surface continues to lose more heat than it receives from the sun.
Slow down and breathe - breathe with the earth as night does - slow, deep, long. The dark has its own rhythm and beat - that can cast its own spell.
"We walk through the wisdom of the seasons and learn even more how to love what we love." ~ Maeanna Welti for Mother Tongue Ink, 2020
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