Winter Solstice 2021 – Shortest Day of the Year TODAY as crowds gather at Stonehenge; plus horoscope, traditions & myths

Explained: History of Newgrange (Continued…)

Newgrange is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the Winter Solstice sun.

Above the entrance to the passage of the mound there is an opening called a roof-box.

On mornings around the winter solstice a beam of light penetrates the roof-box and travels up the 19 metre passage and into the chamber.

As the sun rises higher, the beam widens so that the whole chamber is dramatically illuminated.

For the second year in a row, the Office of Public Works (OPW), in partnership with the National Monuments Services (NMS) will broadcast the phenomenal event that marks the passing of the longest night of the year live.

Explained: History of Newgrange

Newgrange is in County Meath, Ireland.

The prehistoric passage tomb covered by a grassy mound.

It was build 5,200 years ago making it about 200 years older than the Pyramids in Egypt.

Although it’s difficult to estimate how long it would have taken to build the monument it did tell experts a great deal about the people at the time.

Solstice meaning

The world “solstice” comes from the Latin solstitium meaning “sun stands still” because the apparent movement of the sun’s path north or south stops before changing direction.

It is the shortest day of the year, having the least amount of daylight, and will generate the longest night.

Across Europe it is known as Yule, from the Norse word Jul (or juul), meaning wheel.

When do the clocks go forward?

It will get much lighter in the evenings when the clocks go forward in the spring.

This always takes place on the last Sunday in March, which is March 27, 2022.

It will add an extra hour of sunlight, as we head into the summer months.

Extra hour of daylight will come in January

After the winter solstice the we will start seeing more daylight by an average of two minutes and seven seconds every day.

The date of the winter solstice can change from December 20-23, but usually lands on 20 or 21.

By January 18 an extra hour of daylight will come, and every four weeks thereafter, an hour or so of sunshine should lighten the day up.

After this, the days will continue to get brighter until the summer solstice on June 21, 2021.

Conspiracy theories

The Winter solstice is here and some conspiracy theorists think it’s the end of the world.

Bonkers theories predicting our impending doom have been fuelled by the Mayan calendar for years.

Wacky Christian evangelist Pastor Paul Begley forecast that doomsday would strike on December 21, 2020.

He’s predicted the same thing again for 2021.

He cited the Mayan calendar and recent solar storm activity as evidence for his claims.

According to Pastor Begley, the Mayan calendar has been resurrected once again and points to this date as one of apocalyptic significance.

Relevance of Stonehenge

The stones of Stonehenge have silently marked the Winter Solstice for thousands of years.

They were shaped and set up to frame at least two important events in the annual solar cycle. 

One is the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice – the other is the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice.

In Newgrange, Co Meath, during sunrise on the shortest day of the year, direct sunlight can enter the monument for 17 minutes.

Not through the doorway, but through the specially contrived small opening above the entrance known as the “roof box” where it illuminates its chamber.

When is the Winter Solstice?

Today is the day of the Winter Solstice.

It occurs twice – once for the northern hemisphere, and then again for the southern hemisphere.

A winter solstice happens when one of Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

Nights will be their longest, and the Sun will appear at its lowest elevation in the sky.

In London, the sun rise happened at 8.03am.

And it will set at a painfully early 3.53pm, giving Brits just 7 hours and 49 minutes of daylight.

Winter Solstice messages (Continued…)

“Winter forms our character and brings out our best.”
– Tim Allen

“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.”
– Khalil Gibran

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon.”
– Gary Zukav

Winter Solstice messages

People can greet others on winter solstice by saying “Happy Solstice,” “Merry Yuletide,” and “Happy Yule”.

Here are some inspirational messages to get you in the spirit for winter solstice.

“The Winter Solstice is the time of ending and beginning, a powerful time – a time to contemplate your immortality.” 
– Frederick Lenz

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
– Charles Dickens

Watch from home

Enlgish Heritage will be live streaming the sunrise on the morning of 22 December for free on our digital channels.

Visit the official Stonehenge or English Heritage Facebook page, or the English Heritage YouTube channel.

Remember – beware of fake/scam Facebook pages, events and groups that might have been set up.

What is the Winter Solstice?

Since the Earth is tilted on its axis, the arc the Sun moves through during the day will rise and fall across the year as the Earth’s pole points either towards or away from the Sun. 

The winter solstice occurs at the minimum point for the northern hemisphere, when the Sun is lowest in the sky.

At this time, the Earth’s North Pole is pointing away from the Sun (which is why it is so much colder in the northern hemisphere). For people living in the southern hemisphere, the South Pole is pointing towards the Sun, making it summertime ‘Down Under’.

Does it cost any money to watch Solstice at Stonehenge?

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge will take place on Wednesday 22nd December 2021.

Admission is free of charge.

Entry to the monument will be from approximately 07:45 (or when it is light enough to safely enter) until 10:00.

All vehicles must vacate the car parks by 11am.

How old is Stonehenge?

Stonehenge is around 5,000 years old.

Experts say that the monument was constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC.

Instantly recognisable from the surrounding roads, Stonehenge is made up of a ring of standing stones – each of which are around 13ft (4.1 metres) high, 6ft 11in (2.1m) wide and weighing 25 tons.

It was built in three stages.

Best places to view Solstice

It’s worse news for Alaskan residents, however.

If you live in Anchorage, you’ll get just 5 hours and 27 minutes of daylight.

That’s with a 10.14am sunrise and a 3.41pm sunset.

Anywhere is lucky compared to Norway’s Tromsø, however.

The extreme-north town not only has no daylight on December 21, but experiences total night for the entire month.

If you live there, you’ll have to make do with polar light and artificial illuminations throughout December.

Explained: Where is Stonehenge?

The site of Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain in Amesbury, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.

Stonehenge was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986, and is one of the most Instagrammed tourist attractions in Britain.

It can be seen from the A303 as you drive past.

The site is a two-and-a-half hour drive from London, and an hour from Bath or Southampton.

Is the solstice on the same day every year?

The winter solstice always falls between December 19 and 22.

Most years, it falls on the 21st in the UK, but sometimes it lands a little bit off-kilter, because it takes the Earth 365 and a quarter days to go around the sun.

This extra quarter day is why we add a day to the calendar every four years with a leap year – to stop the dates drifting gradually through the seasons.

For the same reason, solstices and equinoxes are not always on the same day every year.

How to get to Stonehenge for Wednesday’s sunrise

There will be a bus service on the morning of 22 December operating between Salisbury New Canal Street, Salisbury Rail Station, Amesbury The Centre and the Stonehenge Car Park.

Please visit Salisbury Reds website for a timetable nearer the time.

The Visitor Centre is approximately a 20 minute walk from the Stonehenge Monument Field. Visitors with accessibility needs will take priority on shuttle buses. Those visitors who are able to do so should dress for the walk in sturdy shoes and bring a torch.

Is December 21 the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere?

December 21 marks our winter solstice, but it’s the summer solstice if you head beneath the equator.

In the southern hemisphere, the seasons are flipped compared to ours.

That means December, January and February are the height of summer in countries like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

So the December 21 solstice falls in the middle of their summer, while the June solstice is their winter.

Live stream the Stonehenge event from home

Enlgish Heritage will be live streaming the sunrise on the morning of 22 December for free on our digital channels.

Visit the official Stonehenge or English Heritage Facebook page, or the English Heritage YouTube channel.

Remember – beware of fake/scam Facebook pages, events and groups that might have been set up.

When is winter solstice 2021 date?

The winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight each year.

It occurs twice – once for the northern hemisphere, and then again for the southern hemisphere.

The winter solstice 2021 date for the northern hemisphere is December 21.

A winter solstice happens when one of Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

Nights will be their longest, and the Sun will appear at its lowest elevation in the sky.

Covid regulations in place for Stonehenge gathering

Winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge will take place at sunrise on Wednesday 22 December 2021, subject to public health advice and guidelines nearer the time.

English Heritage encourages attendees to take a lateral flow test before arriving, and remind you that you must not attend if you test positive or have Covid symptoms.

Masks are mandatory on our shuttle buses and on public transport to and from the event.

Guests are also encouraged to wear masks during the event to help keep everyone safe. Hand sanitising stations will be provided.

Where to see the Solstice from around the world

The sunrise on a winter solstice will be much later than in summer months.

In London, you’ll be able to see the sun rise at 8.03am.

And it will set at a painfully early 3.53pm, giving Brits just 7 hours and 49 minutes of daylight.

In New York, the city gets a little more daylight. The sun will rise at 7.16am and set at 4.31pm, giving Manhattan residents 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight.

And it’s even better over in Los Angeles. The Californian city sees sunrise at 6.54am and sunset at 4.47pm – a much more generous 9 hours and 53 minutes of daylight.

Who built Stonehenge?

Part of what makes Stonehenge so mysterious is that it was produced by a prehistoric culture with no written records.

Scientists regularly debate over how and why Stonehenge was built, and what it was used for.

Archaeologists believe it was constructed by three groups – the Neolithics, the Beaker people and the Wessex Peoples – who are said to have finalised the site into what we see today.

The latest theory, advanced by archaeologist and writer Mike Pitts, is that the rocks were there “millions of years before humans arrived”.

His theory, which was published in British Archaeology, suggest that the rocks’ alignment with the solstice sun was merely a coincidence.

How is Winter Solstice celebrated at Newgrange?

The winter solstice was one of the most important celebrations in the pre-Christian world.

It usually occurs on 21 or 22 December, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

All over the Northern Hemisphere, there were ancient festivals marking the shortest days of the year when the sun appeared to “stand still.”

Solstice is from the latin sōlstitium which translates as Sun stop or Sun still.

Several of these festivals have survived to this day and others have been incorporated into modern festivals.

In Ireland, the winter solstice has been marked for at least 5000 years.