December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice)
The U.S. Naval Observatory gives the December 2026 solstice at 20:50 UT on 21 December; seasonal naming depends on hemisphere.
Date and recurrence
21 December 2026 at 20:50 UT
The stored date is verified for a specific edition only. It is not projected into another year without a fresh authoritative source.
Scope and status
The verified scope stored for this record is Astronomical event / Northern Hemisphere seasonal naming. The site preserves that boundary and does not infer broader government, global or public-holiday status from the observance name alone.
Also known as
Winter Solstice
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Refresh the target year before publishing a new date when the record is not safely portable.
Sources
- U.S. Naval Observatory — Earth seasons 2026Astronomical Authority
- U.S. Naval Observatory — Earth’s seasonsAstronomical Authority
Frequently asked questions
When is December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice)?
21 December 2026 at 20:50 UT The stored recurrence guidance is: Refresh the authoritative target-year edition/schedule; current stored evidence: 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UT.
Does December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice) fall on the same date every year?
No. The stored date is edition-specific and must be refreshed for another year.
Is December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice) an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: Astronomical event / Northern Hemisphere seasonal naming. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice)?
The stored designation basis is: The U.S. Naval Observatory gives the December 2026 solstice at 20:50 UT on 21 December; seasonal naming depends on hemisphere.. Supporting provenance includes U.S. Naval Observatory — Earth seasons 2026. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is December solstice (Northern Hemisphere winter solstice) international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this record in the authority dataset. The source-defined scope is: Astronomical event / Northern Hemisphere seasonal naming. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-08.
Other observances on December 21
These records also resolve to December 21, 2026 under the current authority data.
Chester Greenwood Day
Maine law designates 21 December as Chester Greenwood Day in honor of the Farmington inventor associated with ear protectors/earmuffs.
December solstice
The U.S. Naval Observatory gives the December 2026 solstice at 20:50 UT on 21 December.
National Coquito Day
Don Q Rum announced National Coquito Day as an annual December 21 observance and described the 2018 formalization of the day.
National Crossword Puzzle Day
The U.S. Census Bureau’s current December education calendar lists National Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21; the U.S. House Historian has also acknowledged the December observance.
National Maine Day
National Day Calendar lists National Maine Day on 21 December. The U.S. Senate records Maine’s admission/statehood date as 15 March 1820. The two dates are deliberately kept separate so the…
World Basketball Day
A/RES/77/324