The shortest day in a year is called the Winter Solstice. Just a few days before Christmas when the festive season is in full swing. It spells cosy nights and Santa Claus as we hunker down for the holidays.
We all know that the days are shortest and darkest in the middle of winter. But did you know there’s almost a whopping nine hours less of daylight on the shortest day than there is on the longest! That’s definitely the longest night!
Winter Solstice – the Shortest Day
The Solstice happens twice a year – when the sun reaches its most northerly or southerly limit relative to the equator. Many countries determine the seasons of the year by the solstices and the equinoxes.
The day when it happens is also known as the Solstice. In our northern hemisphere the Winter Solstice is also known as the shortest day, and the Summer Solstice is the longest day. This is because these two days have the least and most daylight. Obviously in the southern hemisphere it would be the other way round!
The word is derived from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”), because at the solstices the Sun appears to “stand still”. In other words the Sun’s daily path (as seen from Earth) pauses at a northern or southern limit before appearing to reverse direction.
When is the Shortest Day in a Year?
Two solstices occur annually, the winter one – the shortest day – around 21/22 December. Six months later, the summer one is around 21/22 June.
Not to be confused with the Spring and Autumn Equinox – which is when the days and nights are of equal length!
The solstice marks the point at which the Sun is exactly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn. This year it’s Sunday 21 December 2025 at 3:03pm. There’s some interesting facts about the Winter Solstice on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.
It also marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar. The weather (and the meteorological calendar) will tell us that we’re already three weeks into the coldest season of the year!
Why can it be on a different day?
The Earth doesn’t take exactly 365 days to make a complete revolution around the Sun. It actually takes about 365.25 days on average for the Earth to travel once around the Sun.
We use the Gregorian Calendar which accounts for this slight discrepancy by adding an extra day (February 29) every 4 years. This means that each solstice occurs about 6 hours later than the previous year’s. Is also why the date of the shortest day in a year can change.
A Season of Change…
Winter and the shortest day in a year spells cosy nights in front of the TV. Tucked up at home, warm, enjoying winter hobbies and pastimes. Long walks on cold days and red cheeks when you head inside. Bare trees and watery, low sunsets as the evening sun heads off to longer days elsewhere.
As December comes to an end and the New Year dawns, the difference in daylight hours is barely noticeable. On grey days it can seem as if it’s dark all day and you might be putting the lights on at 3pm! But by February the shortest day in a year feels like a distant memory. With daylight hours stretching by two minutes a day we can see a difference. By March the hours of daylight are noticeably longer and Spring is definitely in the air.
…and Celebration!
Many cultures celebrate various combinations of the winter and summer solstices. They celebrate the equinoxes and the midpoints between them, leading to various holidays arising around these events.
And the Winter Solstice was celebrated in Britain long before the arrival of Christianity. Celtic priests (the Druids) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Hence why we still use it as a festive token today.
In fact the winter solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures since pre-history. The shortest day in a year is seen to mark the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun. It’s the time when the waning of daylight hours reverses. The longest nights gradually get shorter and daylight hours begin to grow again – signalling a new spring ahead and season of bounty.
Take a look at Wikipedia if you’re interested in the science behind the Solstice.
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