Many neolithic and bronze age archeological sites in Europe are associated with the solstices, for example Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland. Many ancient Egyptian temples are also aligned with the Winter Solstice sunrise, these including the Temple of Amun.-Ra and Hatshepsut.

The ancient Romans celebrated "The Middle of Winter" at the 25th of December and called it the first day of the new sun.

The celebration of the return of daylight was celebrated in Scandinavia too! Sources from the 6th century describe that this time was one of the greatest festivals for the people of the north.
Northern Germanic people celebrated Yule and one of the sources is Snorri Sturluson. He described a Yule feast hosted by none other than the Norwegian King Haakon the Good (920-961). Haakon aligned these celebrations more with the Christian Christmas celebration. The word Jul is still the term used in modern Northern European languages.

In the Druidic tradition Alban Arthan is a seasonal festival at the Winter Solstice. The druids would gather by the oldest Mistletoe-clad oak. The Chief Druid would cut the Mistletoe, while the other druids would make sure none of it would touch the ground. It was part  of a sacrifice to invoke prosperity from the gods.

The holiday is also observed in a manner that commemorates the death of the Holly King (the Oak King dies during Midsummer) at the hands of his son and successor, the Oak King (symbolising the new year and the new sun that begins to grow). In some traditions this battle is still re-enacted at rituals, usually in the form of words, but there have been some sword battles too!

When:

Saturday 19.12.2026

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