Winter Solstice festival

The winter solstice means the return of the light, and cultures from the Middle East to Scandinavia to North America have been celebrating it for hundreds ...

[all-night](https://www.history.com/news/8-winter-solstice-celebrations-around-the-world) ceremony, there are bonfires, dancing and sometimes gift-giving. [5,000 years](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/06/dining/yalda-winter-solstice-pomegranate.html#:~:text=This%20victory%20of%20light%20and,the%20god%20of%20the%20sun.). The festival celebrates the triumph of [Mithra](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithra) — the sun god — over darkness. The Hopi will welcome kachinas — protective spirits from the mountains — and use various [crafted prayer sticks](https://www.britannica.com/list/7-winter-solstice-celebrations-from-around-the-world#:~:text=The%20winter%20solstice%2C%20the%20longest,or%2021%20in%20the%20Southern.) for rituals and ceremonies. 21 or 22 marks the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere) and is celebrated in various ways across various cultures. But Dongzhi is now a time for families to get together and reflect on the past year. The candles represent the way St. Celebrated in Scandinavian countries — mainly Sweden, Norway and parts of Finland — St. Lucia in a The winter solstice marks the return of the light, or if you’re a Doctor Who fan, being halfway out of the dark. Those who celebrate the day previously believed it was the shortest day of the year and the day St. [Christmas and Hanukkah](https://www.britannica.com/list/7-winter-solstice-celebrations-from-around-the-world#:~:text=The%20winter%20solstice%2C%20the%20longest,or%2021%20in%20the%20Southern.).