Winter solstice

Winter solstice was the time when the hours of daylight were the shortest, and would soon increase. On the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, it was celebrated December 21st. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend ^[+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"], AUDIO: The Stuff of Nightmares ^[+]Loading...["The Stuff of Nightmares (BBC audio story)"]) Associated with Christmas, (TV: A Christmas Carol ^[+]Loading...["A Christmas Carol (TV story)"]) it was once believed to be the time when the barrier between the living and dead was at its thinnest. Ghost stories were often told around this time, as a result. (AUDIO: Reflect ^[+]Loading...["Reflect (audio story)"])

It was celebrated on a planet controlled by the Sardick family in the 44th century, and was known as the Crystal Feast. The Eleventh Doctor and Kazran Sardick both called this a celebration of being "halfway out of the dark". (TV: A Christmas Carol ^[+]Loading...["A Christmas Carol (TV story)"])

On 25 December, a newsreader reported that British government sources anticipating the Sycorax invasion of Earth were are calling it "our longest night". (TV: The Christmas Invasion ^[+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"])

In the 2020s, Ace had a personal assistant who went to Stonehenge once a year at the winter solstice. She remarked there were "lots of beads" involved. (AUDIO: Reflect ^[+]Loading...["Reflect (audio story)"])

Persis' planet celebrated something similar on the winter solstice, called the Deepest Dark. Families gathered every year and celebrated with a feast, which usually included food, drink and arguments. (AUDIO: Mighty and Despair ^[+]Loading...["Mighty and Despair (audio story)"])