Data Saju › Learn saju

Winter Solstice 2026 (Dongzhi): Date, Exact Time and the Rat Month

By Data Saju · Published October 5, 2026

The 2026 winter solstice (Dongzhi, 冬至) falls on Monday December 21 at 3:50 PM EST (12:50 PM PST, 20:50 UTC), which is already Tuesday December 22, 5:50 AM in Korea. In BaZi it lands in the middle of the Rat month, whose chart is 庚子 in a 丙午 year. It's meant as fun and a light reference, not a verdict.

When exactly is the 2026 winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the instant the Sun reaches 270° of ecliptic longitude: the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. The times above were calculated with this site's astronomy engine and match the 20:50 UTC (3:50 PM EST) on December 21 given by timeanddate and EarthSky. The date moves between December 20 and 22 by time zone, so check your own.

Does the Rat month start at the solstice?

No. This is the most common mix-up. In BaZi the months change at the twelve "Joints" (節, jie), not at the solstice. The Rat (子) month starts at Daxue (Major Snow), which in 2026 is December 6, 9:52 PM EST (December 7, 11:52 AM KST). At that moment the month pillar changes from 己亥 to 庚子. The next Joint, Xiaohan (Minor Cold), arrives on January 5, 2027, at 9:09 AM EST, and the month becomes 辛丑.

Dongzhi sits in between as the month's midpoint (a "Principal Term", 中氣). So anyone born from Daxue until just before Xiaohan has the same month pillar, 庚子, whether they were born before or after the solstice. The year pillar doesn't change either: it turns at Lichun, in early February (see the earthly branches).

What the solstice does mean in the old texts is the turning point: Yin is at its fullest, and the first Yang returns. The I Ching pairs this moment with the hexagram Fu (復, "Return"), one Yang line under five Yin lines. That is why many East Asian traditions treat it as a small new year.

Dongzhi in Korea: early, middle and late solstice

Korea has a quirk you won't find in Western guides. The Korean lunar date of the solstice (always in lunar month 11) decides its name: days 1–10 are an early solstice (애동지, ae-dongji, "child"), days 11–20 a middle solstice (중동지) and days 21–30 a late solstice (노동지, "elder"). The traditional red bean porridge (patjuk) is eaten on the day; the custom is that an early solstice gets red bean rice cake instead, as porridge was thought unlucky for children. Customs vary by region, so take it as folklore. Red bean porridge to drive off spirits is recorded in the 19th-century almanac Dongguk Sesigi (National Folk Museum of Korea).

In 2026 the solstice is on lunar 11/14, so it is a middle solstice. In 2027 it is late, and the next early solstice is 2028, on December 21 (US Eastern).

Winter solstice times, 2020 to 2040

Over these 21 years the solstice is an early one 7 times, a middle one 7 times and a late one 7 times, so all three come round equally often. Times were calculated with this site's engine and may differ from official almanacs by a minute or so.

Check any year

Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

What does the solstice mean for my chart?

Nothing changes in your chart on the day: your four pillars are fixed at birth. What the season does is color the chart. The Rat month is the deepest Water month, so charts born in it often lean on Water, and Fire is the element commonly called on to warm and balance it (see the useful element). The Rat itself is the Peach Blossom branch for the Pig-Rabbit-Goat group (亥卯未), one of the symbolic stars. The solstice is a good moment for a yearly check-in: for what the new year brings, see your new year report and the monthly guides.

Frequently asked questions

When is the winter solstice in 2026? Monday, December 21, 2026, at 3:50 PM EST (12:50 PM PST). In Korea it is already December 22 at 5:50 AM.

Does the BaZi year or month start on the winter solstice? No. The year turns at Lichun in early February and the Rat month starts at Daxue on December 6, 2026 (US Eastern). The solstice is the middle of the Rat month, and it does not change anyone's month pillar.

What is an early, middle and late solstice in Korea? It depends on the lunar date: days 1–10 of lunar month 11 are early (애동지), 11–20 middle (중동지) and 21–30 late (노동지). The 2026 solstice is on day 14, so it is a middle solstice.

What is the month pillar for a baby born near the solstice in 2026? 庚子, if born between Daxue (December 6) and Xiaohan (January 5, 2027), both in US Eastern time; check the exact hour if the birth is near either date.

Is the solstice a lucky or unlucky day? Neither. It is a turning point of the year, and a day to rest and reflect. Lucky and unlucky days in BaZi come from the day pillar's relation to your own chart.

Read next