LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Winter Solstice: Northern Hemisphere
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Because the Winter Solstice is a celestial event, it takes place on different days of the calendar, depending on the year, varying between December 21 and December 23. You can see a list of the days and times of the solstices and the equinoxes here at this Hermetic Systems webpage. Moreover, this is a hemisphere-specific holiday: December marks the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere, it is the Summer Solstice.
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The Winter Solstice occurs when the Sun enters the part of the zodiac known as Capricorn, and it is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely acknowledged of all the ancient festivals. Most cultures in the Northern Hemisphere honor the window of the Winter Solstice in one form or another, and have done so from time immemorial.
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In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs every December 21st. It marks the beginning of winter and is the shortest day of the year, but more importantly, it marks the point where the number of daylight hours begins to increase.
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Winter Solstice marks the beginning of winter and is the shortest day of the year. On this day, it seems as if the nighttime darkness lasts all day and all night. At the North Pole, the sun never rises on this day. It is not the coldest days of winter, as the northern hemisphere continues to lose more heat than it gains. This will continue until late in winter as the longer daylight hours at that point begin to have a net warming trend. But for now, heat up a cup of hot chocolate and put another log on the fire!
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Winter Solstice a crucial part of the natural cycle, marks the time of the year when the light returns as the sun shifts and starts to move northward again. December 21 is the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice.
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Since the winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were probably observed for the first time by people in the northern hemisphere, these naming conventions originally corresponded to the northern hemisphere's seasons. In most reckonings, the winter solstice is midwinter. In Ireland's calendar, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at about midpoint in each season. For example, winter begins on November 1, and ends on January 31. The passage and chamber of Newgrange, a tomb in Ireland, are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber.
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Northern Hemisphere