The Winter Solstice, the night of December 21, has turned into a festival in the Northern Hemisphere. The longest night of the year is full of night events, parties, shopping festivals, night market and online shopping offers & discounts to keep us busy.
But actually, these celebrations and traditions were started long ago. Some of those old traditions still exist in today’s modern world.
In ancient Rome, the Winter Solstice “Saturnalia Festival” began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. To honor Saturn, Romans exchanged gifts and fruits as a symbol of fertility. Some of those old traditions still exist in today’s modern world.
In Poland, Winter Solstice is a night for celebration and showing forgiveness. People share food with their loved ones all night long.
In Japan, people traditionally take hot baths with “yuzu citrus” fruit to welcome the Winter Solstice and protect their bodies from the cold.
Iranians celebrate the night as Shab-e Yalda, which means “night of birth.” It is believed that more evil lurks during the longer and darker hours of the night. According to the ancient belief, when the sun rises, the light shines and goodness prevails. So, people stay up all night to protect and watch over each other till morning. That’s why families gather together to feast on nuts and fruits and read poetries.
