Eating dumplings in the north and tangyuan in the south is the traditional Chinese way to celebrate the Winter Solstice, but those who have immigrated to the UK need not worry, as the British have their own unique ways of celebrating. According to British media reports, nearly 5,000 people gathered at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice to welcome the latest dawn of the year. Despite windy and rainy nights, the weather in the UK this December remained quite mild, and nearly 5,000 people gathered here. This year, the sunrise on the Winter Solstice was at 4:49 local time in the UK, and the sun rose to the top of Stonehenge at 8:04.
On the Winter Solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, the Northern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day, and the Arctic Circle experiences polar night. A spokesperson for English Heritage stated that people come to Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice because of the monument's relationship with the sun. From certain angles, it can be seen that Stonehenge aligns perfectly with the sunrise and sunset positions of the Summer and Winter Solstices.
People dressed up as various characters and animals to come to Stonehenge.
Besides the UK, many other countries and regions also celebrate the arrival of the Winter Solstice. Before the founding of Christianity, people in Scandinavia celebrated Yule on the Winter Solstice. On this day, people would light torches to symbolize the return of the sun and burn a Yule log in the fireplace to commemorate the Norse god Thor. Some people in certain regions would keep a piece of the Yule log as a symbol of good luck, which would also be used to ignite the log for the following year. The custom of burning a Yule log at Christmas today is said to originate from this festival.
In ancient Rome, people celebrated Saturnalia around the Winter Solstice, which usually lasted for seven days starting from December 17th. The Saturnalia banquet dates back to 217 BC, and people celebrated this festival to commemorate the god of agriculture. During this most joyous festival of the year, people exchanged gifts, all disputes and frictions were set aside, schools and courts were temporarily closed, and wars were terminated or postponed.