Winter Solstice Ceremony
The sacred turn of the year — honored by indigenous peoples worldwide as the rebirth of the sun.
✦ Why It Matters
The winter solstice is among the oldest and most universally observed spiritual occasions in human history. For many indigenous peoples across the Americas, the solstice marks the death and rebirth of the sun — the darkest night giving way to the return of light. It is a time of prayer, ceremony, and communal gathering.
✦ How It Is Observed
Depends on tradition — sweat lodge ceremonies, kiva rituals (Pueblo peoples), long-house celebrations, sacred fires, storytelling, drumming, prayer, and feasting. The Zuni observe Shalako, the Hopi observe Soyal.
✦ Sacred Text
“You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars.”
— Black Elk Speaks ↗