The December solstice, known as the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, is a day of celebration that transcends borders and time. People from all corners of the world with traditions both ancient and recently established have observed the celestial event. Some built structures that align with the sun while others took to the streets for festivities.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, typically falling on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2019, it will fall on Dec. 21 — Saturday. The Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating the summer solstice on the same date and experience the longest day of the year.
Stonehenge is one of the more famous destinations for solstices, making it difficult to schedule a visit on this significant day. Here are a few lesser-known destinations around the world for celebrating the December solstice:
North America: La Fiesta de Santo Tomas in Chichicastenango, Guatamala
La Fiesta de Santo Tomas (Saint Thomas's Day) is a seven-day festival held in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, to celebrate the town's patron saint, Saint Thomas. Despite the celebration's name centered around a Catholic saint, the festival is heavily tied into the culture and traditions of the native K'ich'e Mayan people. Their traditions and culture shine through aspects of the celebration from the presented feast on Dec. 21, typically the day of the December solstice, to the dances and outfits.
The Museum of Cultural Masks notes one of the significant events of the festival as the Danza de los Voladores, or the Dance of the Flyers. In this ancient Mayan tradition, dancers climb to the top of a pole that towers over the center of the town. With one end of rope around their ankle and the other end around a pivot at the top of the pole, the dancers make their descent, swinging down in a circle around the pole.
Africa: The Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt
Built over the course of 2,000 years, beginning in 2,055 B.C., as a temple to Amun, the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air, the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, is arguably the largest religious building in the world next to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The Ancient History Encyclopedia estimates three structures the size of the Notre Dame Cathedral could fit inside just the main temple.
The inner sanctum of the complex perfectly aligns with the sunrise of the December solstice and the sunset of the June solstice.
"Karnak is believed to have been an ancient observatory as well as a place of worship where the god Amun would interact directly with the people of earth," co-founder of Ancient History Encyclopedia Joshua J. Mark said. All of Karnak, he said, is aligned with celestial events that priests would use to interpret the will of the gods.
Europe: The Mnajdra Temples in Qrendi, Malta
Surrounded by the brilliant blue waters of the Mediterranean and located off the coast of Sicily the island of Malta rises up from the sea. Home to a number of ancient structures, one of the more celestial-focused ones is a collection of three structures known as the Mnajdra Prehistoric Temples. These structures were built between 3,600 and 2,500 B.C., and the people who built them remain, for the most part, a mystery.
"A thousand years before ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Neolithic inhabitants of Malta laid the stones of the Mnajdra Prehistoric Temples, making them perhaps the world's earliest free-standing structures still extant," according to the World Monuments Fund.
On the solstices and equinoxes, the sun shines through a marked doorway, illuminating an altar at the center of the chambers.
Asia: The Dongzhi Festival in China and East Asia
Celebrated throughout China and other parts of East Asia, the Dongzhi Festival is a celebration of the winter solstice and the transition from winter to the heralding of spring. With the change in the seasons comes the association with the change from yin to yang energy.
During 2019, the celebration will fall on Dec. 22 for China. Traditions during the holiday are typically centered around families gathering together for a warm meal. The type of food served at the meal will vary based on the region. In southern China, one of the dishes that makes its way to the table is tang yuan, which are glutinous rice balls with a filling of sweet sesame or red bean paste. They're typically served in a ginger broth. The story of Zhang Zhongjing, a Han Dynasty physician who brought lamb dumplings to poor farmers, has tied that dish to the holiday in northern China.
South America: The Chankillo Observatory in Chankillo, Peru
In 2007, archaeologists found evidence that a complex in Peru dubbed Chankillo may be the earliest known astronomical observatory in the Americas. The World Monument Fund says it is estimated to have been built over 2,300 years ago, consisting of a temple, a plaza and 13 stone towers. Using these towers, the inhabitants of Chankillo would have been able to have tracked the days by observing the location of the rising and setting of the sun.
During the solstices, the sunrise aligns with either the northernmost or southernmost tower, depending on the season of the solstice, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Chankillo is an archaeological site and isn't open to the public, but tourists have still been able to get close enough for some photos outside of the site.
Australia and Polynesia: Stonehenge Aotearoa in New Zealand
Separated from its namesake by more than 11,000 miles and thousands of years between the two constructions, Stonehenge Aotearoa sits in Ahiaruhe, New Zealand.
The circle of stones was completed in 2005, and while it's based off of England's Stonehenge, it isn't a replica.
The Phoenix Astronomical Society, with the support of the Royal Society of New Zealand, built Stonehenge Aotearoa with hopes to "encourage people of all ages to rediscover the knowledge of their ancestors," the site's website says.
The stones still mark the equinoxes and the solstices, but there are a few key differences included in the designs. This Stonehenge was designed for its location, combining "modern scientific knowledge with ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Celtic, Polynesian and Maori starlore."
Polynesian culture is also included in its shape, the stones forming a Polynesian star compass.