Winter Solstice. When Light Is a Choice
Before Christianity, under pagan traditions, the winter solstice—as an astronomical phenomenon after which the days begin to grow longer—was marked as a special day: the Feast of the Unconquered Sun.
On the night of the winter solstice, which in 2025 falls on December 21–22, the world stands at the threshold between darkness and the beginning of light. In Ukrainian mythology, on this night Koliada, as the Mother Goddess, gives birth to Bozhych—the young sun of the new year. Mara, the ruler of the night, attempts to delay his arrival, yet from this moment onward light returns to the world, overcoming darkness.
A similar meaning was attached to the day of the winter solstice in the Roman Empire, where until the fourth century it was celebrated on December 25. It was perceived as the birth of the sun and the beginning of a new cycle of life. In 336, the date of Christmas was aligned with this day, preserving the idea of renewal and the victory of light.
In Ukrainian tradition, the struggle between light and darkness concerned the life of the community. Fire, the spoken word, and the shared meal sustained the order of the world and the inner strength of the individual.
Today, this meaning is felt with particular intensity. During the war, as the Russian aggressor destroys power plants and grids, Ukrainians live without electricity. Children study during shelling and continue to gain knowledge. They break the darkness with the light of learning.
In Japan, the winter solstice also signifies the return of vital energy and preparation for a new cycle.
Light is born at the moment of trial and changes the course of events.
