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Photos show winter solstice traditions around the world as celebrations mark 2023’s shortest day
The 2023 winter solstice arrives on Thursday, Dec. 21, with the Northern Hemisphere marking the shortest day of the year, in which most people in the U.S. will get only about 9 or 10 hours of sunlight, and in parts of Europe even less.
Known also as the “longest night,” the solstice this year is at 10:27 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the National Weather Service.
While the solstice typically occurs on Dec. 21 or 22, it can be as early as Dec. 20 or as late as Dec. 23, the Weather Channel explains. This happens because our calendars aren’t an exact match for the solar year.
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As the longest night fades, more sun will be in the forecast as the days begin to get longer bit by bit, until the longest day of the year six months later. The Southern Hemisphere has opposite seasons, so those regions will not observe the winter solstice until June.
The annual event is marked by winter solstice traditions around the world, including parades, festivals, spiritual gatherings and other observances, and thousands of people flock to Stonehenge and other neolithic monuments.
What does the winter solstice signify?
The winter solstice is the moment when the Earth is the most tilted away from the sun, University of Massachusetts astronomer Stephen Schneider told CBS News in 2017. The closer you are to the Arctic, the shorter the day will be.
There is a long history of ancient celebrations for the winter solstice, as CBS News previously reported. In ancient Persia, the event marked the birthday of the Sun King Mithra, a mythological deity. In the Roman Empire, it was honored with a feast day known as Die Natalis Invicti Solis, or “The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.”
Saturnalia, a sort of Thanksgiving, was also celebrated around this time in ancient Rome.
Many celebrations also include the exchanging of gifts.
Winter solstice traditions in pictures
Across the world, the solstice is celebrated with festivals, parades and more. Some of the largest celebrations are held at England’s Stonehenge, a neolithic monument that was built to align with the sun on solstice days. On the winter solstice, the sun sets to the southwest of the stone circle.
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About 8,000 people attended a summer solstice celebration at Stonehenge in 2023, with over 145,000 more watching on live stream. A similar livestream will be set up for the winter solstice, said the English Heritage charity, which cares for historical sites in England.
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Revelers also gather at smaller neolithic monuments like the Newgrange, an ancient burial monument in Ireland. The 5,000-year-old monument was constructed in such a way that sunlight only enters the inner sanctum on mornings around the winter solstice. The central chamber of the monument is lit by the sun as it sets for just 17 minutes a year, according to the monument’s website.
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People can enter a lottery for a chance to celebrate the solstice there, and like Stonehenge, the festivities at Newgrange are livestreamed on digital channels.
Charles McQuillan / Getty Images
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the solstice is celebrated with the “Burning The Clocks,” a community event that includes a parade and bonfire on the beaches of Brighton. The event is meant to celebrate the shortest day of the year and “provide an antidote to the excesses of Christmas,” according to its website, and has taken place almost every year since 1993.
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In Riga, Latvia, the winter solstice is celebrated with a parade and a log-dragging event where a log that represents negative thoughts and misfortunes of the past year is dragged through the city’s Old Town and burned. The burning is accompanied by folk songs and dancing, according to local media.
GINTS IVUSKANS
In Toronto, Canada, the Winter Solstice is celebrated with the Kensington Market Winter Solstice Festival, an annual event that has been going on since 1988. The festival incorporates theatrical elements, street performances and more to create a community event that welcomes the return of the sun.
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Architecture and ancient monuments constructed in alignment with the solstice sun patterns will be aglow. In Egypt, the Karnak Temple, a 4,000-year-old shrine to a sun god, will be lit up by the rising sun and illuminated throughout the day.
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At the Pömmelte ring sanctuary, also known as the “German Stonehenge,” dozens of wooden pillars, first constructed 4,000 years ago, will be illuminated by the sun.
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How Southern Hemisphere celebrates the winter solstice
It’s currently summer in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter solstice won’t arrive till June. But the date is still marked in a variety of ways.
In El Salvador, people gather to burn offerings and take part in other celebrations.
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In Bolivia, the solstice will mark the beginning of a new year in the Andean Amazon calendar. Priests present gratitude ceremonies to the sun and the earth, according to a site outlining tourist attractions in the country; such ceremonies include chants, rituals and burnt offerings.
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There is also a night walk from La Paz to see the sunrise in Tiwanaku, where the solstice is observed. The event is also celebrated at archaeological sites around the country.
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In Cusco, Peru, an event known as the Inti Raymi Sun Festival is held each year to celebrate the solstice. Cusco was once the center of the Incan empire and is near Machu Picchu, which was built by the Incans in 1450 to honor the solstice.
LEONARDO FERNANDEZ / Getty Images
The night sky in Los Angeles lit up with fireworks after the Dodgers captured their latest World Series title against their historically bitter rival, the New York Yankees.
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Downtown LA streets closed
“We know you want to celebrate the Dodgers World Series win, but please do not head to the Downtown LA area,” the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted before announcing a citywide tactical alert. “There are many streets closed in the Downtown LA area and traffic will be heavily impacted. Please celebrate responsibly.”
Police also closed the 6th Street Bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic from Mateo Street and Boyle Street.
Officers showed up in riot gear near downtown Los Angeles after a large group of Dodgers fans took over some of the streets closed near Crypto.com Arena.
“Figueroa is closed between Olympic and Pico. Surrounding streets around LA Live have also been closed to all vehicle traffic,” the department tweeted.
Police issued a dispersal order at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street near the stadium. Officers began to move the crowd away from LA Live after fireworks exploded near them. After pushing the celebration out of the area, officers mounted on horses stayed around the arena and patrolled the area.
A dispersal order has been issued at Olympic Blvd and Figueroa due to an unlawful assembly. Leave the area immediately westbound on Olympic Blvd and follow all officers orders.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) October 31, 2024
After getting kicked out of LA Live, the celebrations continued nearby with hundreds of people filling the intersection of 9th and Flower Streets. They continued to block traffic and light fireworks as officers gathered nearby.
Fans gather at Dodger Stadium
Outside of Dodger Stadium, fans gathered next to the entrance and blocked the street while also lighting some fireworks. It caused the LAPD to issue another dispersal order at Sunset and Vin Scully because of the “unlawful assembly.”
Crowds take to the streets in East LA
Elsewhere, fans in East LA also took to the streets to celebrate with fireworks shows as traffic tried to force their way past the revelers. The crowds continued to grow, blocking all lanes of Whittier Boulevard near Atlantic Boulevard.
Nearly an hour later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declared an unlawful assembly and started to disperse the crowd.
As deputies moved closer to the gathering, the celebrations morphed into a street takeover with a car doing donuts around a group of fans near the historic Whittier Boulevard sign.
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Dodgers’ historic World Series comeback against the Yankees brings title back to Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the 2024 World Series Champions after staging a stellar come-from-behind victory on Wednesday evening in the Bronx. The Boys in Blue swatted away a five-run deficit to defeat their bitter, longtime rivals in the New York Yankees and earn their eighth championship in franchise history.
A bizarre fifth inning saw the Dodgers storm back and score five runs, turning the tide of the series that seemed to have suddenly shifted in New York’s favor after their 11-4 victory in Game 4.
Unlike the high-powered offense that got them to this point, the Dodgers relied on small ball to eke out Wednesday night’s win, using several sacrifice flies and crucial base running to slowly claw their way back, and eventually climb ahead late in the game.
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty was flat out of the gate, allowing back-to-back homers to Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm in the first inning and an RBI single to Alex Verdugo in the second, which led to him getting the early hook.
The Yankees tacked on another run in the bottom of the third when Giancarlo Stanton crushed an opposite-field homer off of reliever Ryan Brasier.
Despite holding a 5-0 lead, the Yankees faltered in the fifth inning, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game after a couple of fielding blunders, a two-run single from Freddie Freeman and a two-run double off the bat of Teoscar Hernández.
With Flaherty out of the game after just four outs, the Dodgers were forced to undergo their second-straight bullpen game, which saw manager Dave Roberts throw six arms in relief.
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With the game knotted, Stanton drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring Juan Soto from third base.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole nearly went seven innings, and despite the rough fifth inning, walked off the field to a standing ovation from the fans in New York.
In the top of the eighth with a one-run lead, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle loaded the bases without securing an out, making way for Luke Weaver, who has been incredible in October. He was able to limit the damage, but still allowed both the tying and go-ahead runs to score on sacrifice flies.
Lux first roped a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game and make way for Shohei Ohtani in a situation that seemed to be the makings of a Hollywood film. However, in a bizarre turn of events he made his way to first base after just two pitches on catcher’s interference from New York backstop Austin Wells.
Outside of that at-bat, Ohtani was silent again, going 0-for-four with a strikeout.
With the bases once again juiced, star outfielder Mookie Betts hit his own sacrifice fly to drive in the go-ahead run, giving the Boys in Blue a 7-6 lead.
Roberts left right-handed reliever Blake Treinen in the game for 41 pitches, in which he was able to get an incredible seven outs, sending the game into the ninth inning.
Though he’s traditionally a starter, Roberts called on Walker Buehler in the bottom of the ninth inning to face the Yankees lineup and he did just that, mowing down the bottom three batters and locking up the title.