When is winter solstice? What you should know about the shortest day in Oregon

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Winter weather has made its presence felt across the Pacific Northwest this year, but it will soon officially be winter with the longest night of the year.

The winter solstice this weekend marks the start of the first day of winter. Here’s what you should know.

When is the winter solstice and how much daylight will Oregon see?

In Oregon, the winter solstice occurs on Saturday, December 21st at 1:21 a.m. PST.

Sunrise in Oregon on December 21 will be at approximately 7:48 a.m. PST and sunset at 4:30 p.m. PST, making it the shortest day of the year with 8 hours and 42 minutes of daylight.

That’s 6 hours and 59 minutes less daylight than Oregon’s longest day in 2024. The summer solstice on June 20 lasted 15 hours and 41 minutes.

What is the winter solstice?

Each year has two solstices: the winter solstice and the summer solstice.

The Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees on its axis from the sun, and each solstice is based on the amount of solar declination, or “the latitude of the Earth at which the sun is directly overhead at noon,” National Geographic reports.

The winter solstice is named for the shortest day of the year and longest night, when the tilt brings the Northern Hemisphere to its furthest point from the sun, according to the Smithsonian Science Education Center. This brings with it more darkness as the sun appears lowest in the sky and gives off less sunlight and heat.

On the bright side (pun intended): After the solstice, each day becomes slightly brighter than the last.

Winter in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from December 21 to March 20, 2025, when the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring.

This leads to the summer solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year. The summer solstice occurs on June 20, 2025 at 7:41 p.m. PST.

What traditions are celebrated at the winter solstice?

Solstice is a combination of Latin words Solwhat “sun” means, and Sister means “to stop,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

It is derived from the Latin word Solstitium. Or to put it another way: Solstice means “the sun stands still”.

Different cultures celebrate the winter solstice. Here are some:

Yule is a pagan tradition with Old Norse and Germanic origins. According to Britannica, an encyclopedic website, it is one of the oldest winter solstice celebrations in which “Christmas celebrations attempt to restore ancient traditions, while others have been adapted or reinterpreted to suit contemporary personal and religious practices.”
Soyal is celebrated by the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona through ceremonies and rituals that welcome guardian spirits.
Dong Zhi means the arrival of winter in China. A festival is held where families come together and celebrate the end of the harvest season.
St. Lucia Day is celebrated in Scandinavia to honor Saint Lucia, a Christian martyr, by incorporating “earlier Nordic solstice traditions such as lighting fires to ward off spirits during the longest night,” according to Britannica.

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