- Winter Solstice 2025: Discover when exactly the shortest day and longest night of the year will occur.
- Immerse yourself in the Slavic traditions of the Generous Wedding to understand the magical meaning of this time.
- Get to know the ancient beliefs, omens and customs that accompanied our ancestors on the longest night – does their magic still work today?
when is astronomical winter and when is calendar winter 2025? Simple rules to rememberWinter always starts in December. However, the dates differ depending on whether we are asking about calendar winter or astronomical or climatic winter. Calendar winter always starts on the same day, December 22. In 2025, we will welcome the first day of winter on Monday. Calendar winter lasts three months and will end with the arrival of calendar spring, i.e. on March 21, 2026. However, the first day of astronomical winter begins with the winter solstice. This year it will be December 21, i.e. on the eve of calendar winter. This is the time when the shortest day of 2025 occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. After December 21, the days will get longer and the nights shorter.
How long is the shortest day and longest night in 2025?
How many hours the shortest day of the year lasts depends on latitude. In 2025, its length in Poland will be on average 7 hours and 40 minutes. On December 21, the sun will rise around seven in the morning and set after three. However, you must remember that the further north you go, the later the sun will rise. On December 21-22, the longest night of the year will take place, which will last an average of 16 hours and 20 minutes.
The magic of the longest night of the year
The time of the winter solstice was one of the most important times of the year for the Slavs. It was treated as the victory of light over darkness. Our ancestors then celebrated Generous Goddess, the traditions of which are very similar to Christian Christmas. For the Slavs, it was a time to worship the god of the afterlife – Weles and his children Swarożyc and Marzanna.
As the “Slavic Bestiary” states: – Generous Gody also had other names, they were called the Mating Festival, Szczodruszki, Gody, Days of Winter Sunshine. The last name, probably the least known today, best reflects the character of this unique period. The reason for celebration for our ancestors was to say goodbye to the short, dark days of winter and welcome days full of sunshine. The solstice was treated as the time of the sun’s victory over darkness, and therefore the triumph of the god Svarog. As the day followed, each day was longer, brighter and therefore friendlier to people.” At that time, tribute was also paid to Weles – a blog of the afterlife, magic and wild and domestic animals. As well as his daughter Marzanna – a goddess symbolizing winter and death, but also fertility and the destructive power of nature.
What customs are associated with the winter solstice? This is how the Generous Wedding was celebrated
The Generous Wedding usually lasted from the day of the winter solstice, i.e. around December 21/22, until January 6. At that time, carols and feasts were held not only in homes, but also in cemeteries. It was also a moment of starting conversations with the spirits of the ancestors.
– The Generous Wedding began with the Generous Evening, which can be considered the equivalent of today’s Christmas Eve. The household had to be properly prepared and cleaned in advance. Our ancestors certainly never heard of decorating a Christmas tree, but the first sheaf of grain cut during the harvest, called a diduche, was placed in the room. His presence was supposed to ensure harvest in the coming year, but also protection against evil powers. Above all, however, the diduch symbolized the spirits of ancestors, who were invited to celebrate together during the Generous Wedding. In some regions, a podłaźniczka, also called a panicle, was hung from the ceiling, i.e. a branch or top of a coniferous tree, decorated with delicacies – nuts, cookies, apples, etc. – their abundance symbolized prosperity and harvest – explains the author of the “Slavic Bestiary”.
A popular custom during the Generous Wedding was also breaking and sharing bread, putting hay under the tablecloth, and giving children fruit, nuts and “szczodraki” (pirogue pancakes in the shape of dolls or animals). Bonfires were lit and feasts were organized in cemeteries. The dead were also invited to the table. Leaving extra cover and food for the spirits called Dziady. The Slavs also believed that during the winter solstice, deceased ancestors could transmit messages through animals, which then had the ability to speak with a human voice.
Winter solstice. Traditions, fortune telling and superstitions
In addition to the traditions of celebrating the Generous Wedding described above. The winter solstice was full of prophecies and superstitions. The Slavs believed that magic worked exceptionally strongly at this time. There are ghosts and demons running around the world that can help or harm you. First of all, during the entire Bountiful Wedding, it was forbidden to work or use sharp tools, because it could bring misfortune. One of the most popular divinations at that time were those using water.
– The methods of water divination were different, but always interesting. The purpose of fortune telling, very popular among young girls, was to look for the image of their future husband in the water. The girls were looking for the image of the future bridegroom in an ice hole, in a well, in a spring, in a bowl of water. Sometimes the mirror took over her role – at midnight, when the Generous Wedding began, the bride had to go to a secluded place, strip naked and, without taking her eyes off the mirror, look for the image of her future husband in the twilight – writes the author of the blog “Bestiariusz Słowiański”.
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