Make the most of the year’s shortest day

Autumn Spanne, Special to CNN
7 minute read
Published 9:49 AM EST, Wed December 18, 2013
The seasonal interplay of light and darkness is never more spectacular than with the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, is a prime spot for viewing the natural light show and welcoming longer days.
Solstice celebrations —
The seasonal interplay of light and darkness is never more spectacular than with the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, is a prime spot for viewing the natural light show and welcoming longer days.
Peter Grant/Getty Images/File
Kite festivals are often associated with Makar Sankranti in India. Unlike people in other places in the Northern Hemisphere that mark the solstice in December, Hindus celebrate one of the most important festivals of the year in January.
Solstice celebrations —
Kite festivals are often associated with Makar Sankranti in India. Unlike people in other places in the Northern Hemisphere that mark the solstice in December, Hindus celebrate one of the most important festivals of the year in January.
Ajit Solanki/AP
Vancouver, British Columbia, hosts the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival to mark the year's shortest day.
Solstice celebrations —
Vancouver, British Columbia, hosts the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival to mark the year's shortest day.
Courtesy Secret Lantern Society
People gather in front of the Temple of Kukulkan in Chichen Itza, Mexico, on December 21, 2012. The Maya calendar ended without incident last year, so now is a good time to experience the amazing cultural sites in relative peace.
Solstice celebrations —
People gather in front of the Temple of Kukulkan in Chichen Itza, Mexico, on December 21, 2012. The Maya calendar ended without incident last year, so now is a good time to experience the amazing cultural sites in relative peace.
Israel Leal/AP/File
The Montol Festival is a fun mix of pagan customs and more recent Christmas traditions that were once common throughout Cornwall, England.
Solstice celebrations —
The Montol Festival is a fun mix of pagan customs and more recent Christmas traditions that were once common throughout Cornwall, England.
Courtesy Montol Festival
Solstice celebrations

Story highlights

Cultures around the world celebrate the winter solstice

Fire, dance and prayer usher in beginning of longer days

Check out Vancouver's lantern festival or celebrate Maya culture in Mexico

CNN  — 

For millennia, cultures throughout the world have observed the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, as a sacred event. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, when the sun appears at its southernmost point in the sky.

Ancient peoples whose survival depended on a precise knowledge of seasonal cycles marked this first day of winter with elaborate ceremonies and celebrations. Spiritually, these celebrations symbolize the opportunity for renewal, a casting off of old habits and negative feelings and an embracing of hope amid darkness as the days once again begin to grow longer.

Many of the ancient symbols and c