Celebrate the Winter Solstice | Create your own ritual

The winter solstice 2025 is almost here, on December 21st. This year, I've been invited to a celebration here in Croatia. Very exciting, as this occasion actually feels more connected to our Nordic traditions. I'll get back to you and tell you all about it!

Read more about the winter solstice and get inspiration for how you can celebrate and create your own ritual where you weave in herbs and the four elements, during this special and magical time.

"The seed is in the ground.

Now may we rest in hope,

while darkness does its work."

- Wendell Berry

What does the winter solstice mean?

The winter solstice always falls on December 21st or 22nd. It is the darkest day and longest night of the year. After that, it turns. So right now, we are heading deeper and deeper into the darkness, as far as we can. Then the days start to get longer again, all the way until the summer solstice - the brightest day and shortest night of the year.

If you want to celebrate the winter solstice at an exact time on December 21, 2025, the turning point occurs at 4:03 PM Swedish time. I have a couple of sources that confirm this time (Source: svenskahogtider.com), but no more than that. So take this information with a grain of salt. But it might be enough to know that the winter solstice is not a date, but an exact time of day when the sun reaches its absolute lowest point.

How were the ceremonies around the winter solstice performed, and are they still celebrated?

The winter solstice was celebrated by pagan groups, primarily in the northern part of Europe. Various traditions and ceremonies have since merged with Christian celebrations. But some traditions continue to live on. Often we can find these traditions in the Baltic countries, where they have preserved much of the pagan celebration.

In the Baltic countries, both the winter and summer solstices are big festivals. Both of these dates are said to be extremely favorable for predicting the future. If you perform certain rituals, your wish is more likely to come true. For example, if your wish is to get married, you should stand with your back to the fire. Bend down and look at the fire through your legs, and then you might see a picture of him :-) (Winter Solstice Traditions in Latvia - Let the Journey Begin).

Another tradition is to dress up in masks. For example, as an animal or a supernatural being. Then people go in procession from house to house. It is said to bring good fortune to the household to be visited by the procession and that it chases away evil spirits.

In Swedish farming society, there is no evidence that the winter solstice itself was celebrated or particularly noticed. A widely held belief is that during pre-Christian times (Viking Age), an offering festival would have been celebrated at this time, which is sometimes claimed to be a forerunner of Christmas in the Nordic countries. Traditionally, we celebrated Christmas Eve at other times of the year. Probably, the Old Norse Yule was celebrated at midwinter (in January) instead of Christmas Eve. Similarly, we actually celebrated Midsummer on the summer solstice and not, as now, on Midsummer's Eve.

Celebrate the winter solstice with your own ritual

How do you go about celebrating a holiday when there aren't really any traditions to lean on in your family or with friends? Simply start celebrating it yourself. Perhaps you'll get others to join in over time.

Suggestions for your own ritual to celebrate the winter solstice:

♡1. Celebrate outdoors

Cold? Probably. But there's something special about being outdoors for a while in the dark. Perhaps alone. Bundle up and get ready. Find a secluded spot in your garden or in the forest. It might look a little strange to passersby, but they'll get over it.

♡2. Weave in the four elements

Water, earth, fire, air.

It's so beautiful to celebrate the winter solstice with fire. If you can't light a bonfire, bring a small candle with you. Have a glass of water with you, unless there's snow outside. The air swirls around you. All that's left is to choose your earth element.

♡3. The element of earth - choose your herb

As the earth element, I usually choose an herb or something I have baked or created. I want to offer this to the fire, back to the earth.

All plants have their special energy. The more you interact with an herb, the more you will understand about it. Layer after layer, and then you reach the core. To the innermost essence of the plant. If this is also your starting point, you can choose one or more plants for your ritual based on what you are curious about.

Here are suggestions for herbs that we think go well with the winter solstice. We have chosen herbs that you can easily find in your surroundings.

Pine and Spruce - Use pine and spruce when you want to manifest protection and prosperity. Borrow a small twig from the forest and use it in your fire. When you burn the needles, you will be filled with the scent. Perhaps you will see the essence of the herb as the needles crackle in the fire.

Ivy - Ivy reminds us that life continues in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. Use ivy in your ritual when you want to manifest a barrier between yourself and everything you perceive as toxic and negatively affecting you. Ivy can be used in all magic for healing, protection, and cooperation.

Birch - gently take a small piece of bark from the birch tree. Perhaps you'll find a piece on the ground. Birch is associated with magic for creativity and fertility. Use it to manifest rebirth, purification, and a new beginning.

♡4. Manifestation

Now you're outside, you've lit your fire, and you have the four elements around you. Bring words, thoughts, or dreams that you want to manifest. Reflect for a moment on the past year and what you want to bring with you into the returning light. Also, consider what you don't want to carry into the brighter times. Speak your most important words aloud. Burn your earth element. Be in the moment, meditate, or be still for a while.

Örtfabriken's winter solstice celebration

I always try to be mindful of the winter solstice and like to celebrate it in some way. Often I find other herb sisters to share this time with. I prefer to meet outdoors and the element of fire must be present. One of us leads the ceremony. We keep it simple, otherwise there's a risk that the desire will fade or it will become too difficult to carry out. We have some form of manifestation. It becomes a strong and moving experience. Gathering, having the elements with us, and gratitude for the world of herbs. In the darkness and perhaps with snow.

There is also another aspect of the winter solstice that I like. It's a moment outside of time, when no one else expects anything from me. I can therefore calmly dedicate myself to the ceremonial. To the ritual itself. In this way, I have celebrated in my own way, before the coziness and hustle of Christmas begins.

Do you celebrate the winter solstice?