When Is the First Day of Winter?
As we all know, the temperatures have dropped but when exactly is the first day of winter?
In Saskatchewan, this year’s winter solstice will occur on Saturday, December 21, at 3:20 AM Central Standard Time (CST). This marks the moment when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the Sun, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year. After this, the days gradually grow longer until the summer solstice—the longest day of the year (yay!).
The winter solstice is the start of astronomical winter, which differs from meteorological winter (beginning three weeks earlier). It occurs once per year in each hemisphere: December in the Northern Hemisphere and June in the Southern Hemisphere. Interestingly, when one hemisphere experiences its winter solstice, the other celebrates its summer solstice.
This happens because of the Earth’s tilted axis. During the solstice, one hemisphere tilts farthest away from the Sun, creating shorter days and cooler temperatures. The solstice itself is a specific moment when this tilt reaches its maximum.
On the winter solstice, the Sun’s path across the sky is at its lowest point of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Think of the Sun’s daily arc like this: in summer, it rises high; in winter, it stays closer to the horizon so at noon on the solstice, your shadow will be the longest it will be all year. By contrast, on the summer solstice, you’ll cast almost no shadow at all.
For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite happens: the Sun’s path is at its highest on their winter solstice, directly overhead at noon.
The winter solstice has been celebrated across cultures for millennia as a turning point in the seasons. Ancient civilizations marked the event with structures like Newgrange* in Ireland, which aligns with the Sun on this day. For others it symbolizes the midpoint of winter rather than its beginning, tying it to traditions like Midsummer Day at the start of summer.
Okay so now that we know all that, what does the the word solstice mean? Well, it comes from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). Around the solstice, the Sun’s path across the sky seems to pause for a few days, as its noontime height changes only slightly. Afterward, the Sun begins to climb northward again, heading toward its peak on the summer solstice.
This never-ending cycle—of longer and shorter days, changing seasons, and shifting Sun paths—reminds us of nature’s rhythm. While winter begins with the solstice, it also marks a return to light and warmer days ahead.
*Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, located on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometres west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
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