On my personal wheel of the year, I call the Winter Solstice WinSol, although some neopagan sources refer to it by the Germanic name for the midwinter and Christmas period: Yule.
The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day, the longest night, and the closing and re-opening of the solar year.
Here's some information about how this seasonal festival looks for me, in my secular, bioregional practice in the south-west of Australia. Feel free to take what resonates with you, and leave anything that doesn't.
Other names: Winter Solstice, Yule (Wiccan), Alban Arthan (neo-Druidic)
Traditional Date: Late June (21-23ish) (NH: late December)
2026 Astronomical Date: June 21 (NH: December 21)*
Themes: Introspection, inner strength, home and family.
Heralds: New green growth!
Associations
Moon Phase: New Moon
Colours: Gold, dark blue, green, dark colours
Native Botanicals: White Geraldton Wax
'Traditional' Botanicals: Cinnamon, frankincense, ginger, juniper, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, sage
Incense: Frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, sandalwood
Crystals: Clear quartz, garnet, pyrite, ruby, dark green crystals
Decorations: Candles, fairy lights, yule log
Foods: Gingerbread, mulled cider/wine, wassail, root vegetables (potato + rosemary), ‘Yule log’ cakes, roasts, stews
The winter solstice in Australia has always felt like a weird one to me. Most of us have grown up with ideas of winter from cooler climes — a time of scarcity, where the land goes to sleep, and cold and lack of food become severe risks (to wildlife and our pre-industrial ancestors).
But in Australia, winter is often a welcome respite from the oppressive heat of summer. It’s a break from bushfires, the wet/storm season that bring floods to the north, and the rain beginning in the south brings growth and abundance.
I feel like Australian winters can be a time of activity or rest — while some folks sink into the winter SADs (seasonal depression) as the sunlight declines, others emerge from their heat-induced summer SADs. Whichever category you’re in, it’s the perfect time to take stock, and prepare for the solar year ahead (whether that looks more active or introspective), and to enjoy some cosiness and comfort!
Observe whether winter is a time of activity for you, or a fallow period. Honour that.
Linked & Coinciding Festivals:
- Saturnalia (Ancient Roman: At least 3rd C. BCE–4th C. CE)
- Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birth of Sol Invictus, Ancient Roman: 3rd or 4th C. BCE. Immediately following Saturnalia; evolved into Christmas)
- Christmas (Christian: 4th C. CE)
- Modranicht (Anglo-Saxon) (so sayeth Bede)
- Yule (Germanic: around January): Mostly a month name. Maybe a pre-Christian festival (Bede). Only definitely a festival as of the early Medieval period
- Hogswatch (Discworld, fictional)
While a lot of Christmas symbols and traditions are frequently cited as being appropriated from pre-Christian celebrations, most are well-documented as first appearing within the past few hundred years.
That said, I don’t find European celebrations terribly relevant to the Australian winter experience.
I highly recommend Ronald Hutton’s Stations of the Sun (1996) for a thorough history of the British ritual year.
How to celebrate the Winter Solstice in Australia:
- Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year - connect with this by taking the time to watch the sunrise and sunset. Where on the horizon does the sun rise and set? Take note, and compare it to the equinoxes and summer solstice!
- Bring light to the darkness! Whether that’s lighting a fire, candles, fairy lights, or even just putting a fireplace video on the TV (this is my fave), bring some warm, cosy lighting to this dark point of the year.
- Keep vigil! Stay awake from sunrise to sunset, keeping the fire (literal or a representation thereof) burning from the sunset on one solar year until the sunrise on the next, to keep the dark at bay.
- Have a feast with loved ones! While our winters in Australia aren’t as severe as many other places, a lot of folks still tend to withdraw from social activity around this time, and plenty of people still experience the SADs (Seasonal Affective Disorder, or seasonal depression). Spend time with people you love, and share some hearty, warming food!
- This might be a great time to start planning your garden, possibly even starting some seeds - in a lot of Australian climates, winter is our primary growing season, and waiting until spring can mean your plants don’t get time to mature before the harsh summer sun kicks in!
- Winter is a difficult time for a lot of people - consider donating to a charity, or volunteering in the community.
- The dark season is also a time for reflection, introspection, and learning. What can you do in this season to move you towards the person you want to be?
- For some, winter is a time of activity, a respite from the heat, and a time to get stuff done. For others, it’s a time of rest. Which is it for you? Honour that.
What does the winter solstice mean to you?
I'd love to hear what this festival looks like for you - especially if you've personalised, localised, or otherwise adapted something unique!
For a little more about my own festival (including my ritual script and some of my favourite seasonal recipes), you can check out my WinSol zine!
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*: Southern Hemisphere dates based on Perth, WA (GMT+8); Northern Hemisphere dates based on GMT.
Find the date/time based on your location here.