Historical Ritual for Winter Solstice
Ritual for Winter Solstice: Pagan Winter Solstice Traditions From Northern Europe and Beyond
The winter solstice has inspired ritual, myth, and celebration across Europe for thousands of years. Although the Viking Age sources never describe a formal ritual for winter solstice, the broader archaeological and folkloric record shows that midwinter held enormous spiritual meaning for the peoples of Northern Europe.
Today, many people seek to reconnect with pagan traditions for winter solstice, but online information often blends Norse Yule, Roman Saturnalia, Wiccan ritual structures, and modern invention into one. This article separates what is historically attested from what is made up to speak bluntly.
If you want to follow the true dates of the old Nordic holidays, our Norse Seasonal Calendar lays out each feast as recorded in medieval sources, including the actual date of Jól (Yule), which originally occurred in January, not on the solstice.
Pagan Traditions for Winter Solstice in Northern Europe
Although Viking Age texts do not mention solstice celebrations directly, earlier and later evidence shows that the winter solstice was spiritually significant.
1. Solstice Bonfires (Recorded by Procopius)
The 6th-century Greek historian Procopius, describing northern European peoples, wrote that they lit bonfires on the solstice. This was still done as late as the 1800s in rural Scandinavian villages on St. Lucias day)which we will cover more below)
2. Megalithic Solstice Monuments
Long before the Viking Age, communities in the Celtic and Germanic world built structures aligned to the solstice sunrise.
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Newgrange (Ireland)
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Maeshowe (Orkney)
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Multiple Scandinavian and German burial mounds
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Passage graves and dolmens throughout Northern Europe
These alignments have led scholars to suggest that ritual gatherings, initiations, or symbolic “rebirth” took place as sunlight pierced tombs on the solstice morning.
Even today, places like Stonehenge continue to draw solstice crowds and these sites would be a great place to visit on the Solstice.
3. St. Lucia’s Night – A Norse Folk Remnant of the Solstice
In the medieval Primstav (Norwegian calendar staff), the solstice is marked with a sun, and St. Lucia’s Day (originally thought to be the longest night in the Julian calendar) is marked with a fire symbol.
Lucia customs preserve clear pagan themes:
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Girls in white with wreaths of candles (sunlight returning)
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Baking Lussekatter, spiral pastries symbolizing the solar cycle
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The Åsgårdsreia, the spectral “Ride of Asgard,” where gods and spirits roam.
- Lighting Bonfires on the top of Hills
These are directly relevant when discussing pagan winter solstice traditions, even if they come from later Christianized folklore.
4. Årsgång / Aarsgang – The Midwinter Prophetic Walk
A unique Scandinavian tradition, Årsgång involved walking alone through woods or village at midwinter to receive visions for the coming year.
This practice reflects very old European beliefs about:
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liminality
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the thinning of the veil
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prophecy during the darkest nights
- The Utiseta ritual dating back to the Viking age as a close paralell
It is one of the few specifically Northern European practices that can meaningfully inform modern pagan rituals for winter solstice.
5. Warm Spiced Drinks and Communal Feasting
The tradition of drinking gløgg / glühwein is medieval, but rooted in older hospitality customs that emphasized warmth, sharing, and survival during the long winter nights. It is done all throughout the North of Europe even to this day.
Comparing Northern Traditions to Roman Saturnalia
Although culturally distinct, the Roman pagan Saturnalia (mid-December) offers a helpful comparison when discussing pagan winter festivals more broadly.
Saturnalia included:
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role reversal (slaves and masters dining as equals)
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public and private feasts
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gift-giving (especially candles symbolizing returning sunlight)
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gambling and merriment
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crowning a “King of Misrule” to preside over chaos
These traditions reflect a Mediterranean winter-solstice season of joy and inversion. While not part of Norse culture, Saturnalia demonstrates a broader Indo-European pattern:
winter solstice celebrations combined fire, feasting, gift-giving, and symbolic renewal.
Reconstructed Pagan Ritual for Winter Solstice (Historically Grounded, Non-Wiccan)
This ritual we have put together for you to try today draws on actual historical elements. Of course it is difficult to practice al of the historical traditions today, especially when many of us live in cities and far away from our rural roots. But this is just an idea from start to finish to inspire you. We encourage all to create their own traditions!:
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Procopius’ solstice bonfires
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Megalithic alignment symbolism
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Lucia fire and sun customs
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Scandinavian Årsgång
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Medieval Northern European feast traditions
It avoids modern ceremonial inventions and instead emphasizes seasonal meaning, fire symbolism, and ancestral continuity.
🔥 1. Begin at Twilight: Preparing the Longest Night
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Dim all lights.
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Place a single candle or lantern representing the sleeping sun.
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If outdoors, prepare a small solstice fire.
Optionally place spiral pastries (like Lussekatter) or bread nearby as solar symbols.
🔥 2. Opening Words
Speak aloud or silently:
“The sun stands still.
Darkness reaches its furthest bound.
From this night, light is born again.”
Or anything else you like!
🔥 3. Light the Solstice Flame
Lighting the central candle or fire represents:
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the rebirth of the sun
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protection during the longest night
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continuity with ancient solstice fire traditions
This is the ritual’s primary symbolic act.
🔥 4. Offerings of Grain, Bread, or Drink
Historical midwinter offerings in Northern Europe involved food and drink.
You may:
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Pour a small amount of ale, mead, or wine into the earth
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Place bread, grain, wine or honey at the base of the flame, evergreen tree or tomb.
🔥 5. Årsgång Moment – The Midwinter Walk
Step outside for a short walk in silence. Scandinavian tradition says to go fasted, don't look back, and walk to your nearest crossroads, church or old burial ground.
Reflect on:
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What the old year has taught you
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What you hope to bring into the returning light
- What signs you see for the coming year
There is a full guide you can find to this walk in Trolldom by Johannes Gardback
🔥 6. Warm Drink and Seasonal Toasts
Return to the fire and drink something warm (gløgg, tea, mulled wine).
Make three toasts:
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To the returning sun
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To the ancestors
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To the year ahead
This echoes the tripartite toast structure found in Norse midwinter feasting—adapted for the solstice context.
🔥 7. Closing the Ritual
Extinguish the flame gently and say:
“The light/Baldr returns.
The world begins anew.”
This symbolic closing ties the ritual to the cycle of the returning sun.
Honor the Real Norse Year With the Norse Seasonal Calendar
If you want to celebrate winter holidays on their historically accurate dates—including the true timing of Yule in January—our Norse Seasonal Calendar is designed to guide you month by month with:
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medieval feast dates
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seasonal symbols
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reconstructed celebrations
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beautiful artwork
You can find it in our shop.
Sources
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Procopius, Gothic War
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Primstav (Norwegian medieval calendar)
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Scandinavian folk traditions (Lucia, Årsgång)
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Archaeological studies of solstice-aligned monuments
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Roman sources on Saturnalia: Seneca, Horace, Martial, Suetonius, Macrobius, Lucian