Here’s What It Means If Your Birthday Falls On The Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice may be considered one of the worst days of the year thanks in part to its lack of sunlight, but that doesn't mean we all should sit around and mope. Especially if you were born on the day the sun decides to hide for most of the 24 hours. So, what does it mean if you're born on the winter solstice? Lucky for you, Solstices are generally a time of grand celebrations as a population welcomes a new season. Also, you might be considered "divine", so, there's that.

Birthdays are always an event to look forward to. While some people enjoy a day quietly treating themselves to a series of small celebrations, others dedicate an entire week to their day of birth. We gather our friends around bowls of Cheez Doodlez and swing bats at pinatas that spill hundreds of little candies at our feet for us to collect. Whether the day of your birth is lit with the sun for hours on end or feels like a never ending night, it's a special time of the year. And so even if rumors have it that the Winter Solstice is typically the worst day of the year, as a birthday ~queen~ you shouldn't believe the hype.

The Winter Solstice is a notoriously short day. Don't get it twisted, though. We all still have 24 hours, so you're not being cheated of time. Just, you know, sunlight. This is great news if you're one to soak up the energy of the night. On December 21, 2017 the Northern Hemisphere will experience the shortest day of the year, also known as the Winter Solstice. This means the sun won't be hanging around for long, or barely at all if you live in Alaska. Hey, light up the night with your birthday candles instead.

Despite the sun's short stint, a Winter Solstice birthday is kind of ~significant~. First of all, there are a lot of celebrations occurring worldwide. And yes, you can go ahead and make believe it's all for your birthday. Because, it kind of is. The celebrations revolve around the coming of lighter days. We might be at peak darkness, but days will inch closer to the longest day of the year from this point forward. And so we celebrate light, essentially. Celebrations range across cultures and times. In Ancient Rome, according to timeanddate.com, the celebration Saturnalia lasted for seven days from December 17th on. Hence, birthday week. While the Northern Hemisphere celebrates light on what is your day of birth, could that mean you're actually ... a light goddess?

If you're born on the Winter Solstice which typically falls on December 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 23rd, you're kind of being celebrated as a renewal of life. According to Huffington Post, divine children we read about in text books were birthed on the Winter Solstice. Donna Henes writes for the Huffington Post, "the Greek goddess Leta gave birth to the bright, shining Apollo; and Demeter, the Great Mother Earth Goddess, bore Dionysus. The shortest day was also the birthday of the Invincible Sun in Rome, Dies Natalis Invictis Solis, as well as that of Mithra, the Persian god of light and guardian against dark evil." Not bad company to be in, is it? I mean, I'm sure you knew you were special, but this is next level.

As cultures celebrate the birth and return of light, as we relish in the strengthening of the sun, we're basically celebrating ~your~ light. Consider yourself a little bit of a goddess, even if you feel less than energetic because of the sun's absence, on your Winter Solstice birthday. There's a renewal of light to look forward to and a new year to step strongly into. Happy birthday!