Winter ❄️
Winter begins with winter solstice, the annual day with the shortest length of daylight and the longest night of the year, and ends at the vernal equinox.
Winter (meteorologically consisting of the months of December, January, and February) begins about December 21st north of the equator, and ends about March 20th. In the southern hemisphere, winter (meteorologically consisting of the months of June, July, and August) begins about June 21st and ends about September 22nd.
Winter Celebrations
Celebrations recognized during winter in the northern hemisphere.
- Advent
- St. Nicholas Day
- Hanukkah (Judaism)
- Eight-day winter festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple.
- Christmas (Christianity)
- December 25th global celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Bodhi Day (Buddhism)
- Marks Siddhartha Gautama’s achievement of spiritual enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikhism)
- Commemorates the birth of the influential tenth Sikh Guru.
- Lunar New Year/Spring Festival (Regional to East Asia)
- Cultural new-year celebration.
- Kwanzaa (African Diaspora)
- Seven-day cultural, non-religious winter holiday celebrating African-American heritage.
- Boxing Day (Regional)
- December 26th holiday focused on charity and shopping.
- New Year’s Eve
- December 31st holiday celebrating the final day of the year.
- New Year’s Day
- January 1st holiday celebrating the first day of the year.
- Epiphany/Twelfth Night
- January 6th
- Carnival
- Begins on January 6th in many regions.
- Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
Winter Genres and Lore
Seasonal Winter Ideas
Live your richest winter season this year. These ideas are designed for the northern hemisphere of this season — if you live south of the equator, apply the relevant suggestions during your meteorological summer.