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When the Sun Sleeps: Winter Solstice in Asia (Part Three)

Ed Sum

Winter Solstice in AsiaBefore electric light banished the shadows, winter across the colder reaches of Asia was a time for vigilance and reverence. The Winter Solstice—the year’s longest night—was more than an astronomical marker; it was a reminder of nature’s power and the fragile balance between survival and oblivion. Winter Solstice in Asia is looked at differently.

In many regions, stories emerged to give shape to the cold: spirits, demons, and deities who ruled when the world froze. Some brought famine, others discipline, and a few offered protection through ritual and respect. These myths were not merely superstition; they were survival guides, moral codes, and poetic reflections of human resilience. In this continuation, specific traditions will also be observed.

Though much of Asia does not celebrate Christmas, winter remains a time for remembrance, purification, and renewal—the same primal emotions that inspired Europe’s own solstice monsters.

Chysh Khan
(Sakha / Yakut Republic, Siberia)

To the Yakut people of Siberia, Chysh Khan—the “Bull of Winter”—emerges from the Arctic Ocean as the cold’s living spirit. His breath freezes rivers, his hooves mark the frost, and his retreat brings spring. Even the horns have meaning: his first horn represents the great frost and second the deep cold.

Today, he’s celebrated in Yakutian winter festivals as a personification of endurance, a being both feared and honoured. In the world’s coldest inhabited lands, he remains a god of survival.

Further reading: The Bull of Winter According to Tourism.arctic-Russia

Dragon King of the North
(China)

In northern Chinese myth, the Dragon King of the North—one of four directional dragon gods—rules winter’s waters and storms. His temper brings blizzards, floods, or drought, and communities once offered incense and fire-drums to appease him during the coldest weeks. The legend links winter’s severity to divine moods, reminding people that nature’s balance required humility. His imagery still appears in folk art and solstice rituals honouring the returning sun.

Further reading: Folklore anthology — Chinese Auspicious Culture (Asiapac Books).

Kashanbō
(Japan)

A seasonal cousin of the kappa, Kashanbō climbs from frozen rivers into snow-covered villages during midwinter. Covered in fur or rags, he wanders rooftops, knocks on doors, and mocks hunters. When Spring thaw returns, he slips back into the water, unseen. The legend warns against disturbing the balance between humankind and nature’s cold domain. Today he’s remembered in regional yōkai lists as a reminder of winter’s unpredictable guests.

Further reading: Folklore and story collections — JapaneseMythicalCreatures.com entry on “Kashanbō – The winter mountain kappa.”

Namahage (Japan)

On the Oga Peninsula, the Namahage stride from mountain to sea on the year’s coldest nights—masked ogres carrying knives and roaring into homes to scare laziness out of families. “Any bad children here?” they shout. The ritual, rooted in agricultural purification rites, drives away misfortune and renews community bonds. Each February, locals revive it in the Sedo Namahage Festival, where costumed men become living spirits of rebuke and renewal.

Further reading: National Geographic, “These Japanese mythical creatures were born from disaster.”

Nardoqan (Turkey / Central Asia)

Among ancient Turkic and Mongolian peoples, Nardoqan marks the solstice as the birth of the “new sun.” Bonfires blazed on mountain peaks, evergreen trees were adorned, and pomegranates symbolised life returning after darkness. Though the festival faded under later religions, echoes of Nardoqan persist in Central Asian poetry and modern solstice events, celebrating resilience and renewal beneath the longest night.

Further reading: The Origins of the Christmas Tree and the ‘Nardugan’ Festival

Payna (Altai / Kazakh region)

Among Turkic peoples of Central Asia, Payna (also spelled Paynaqan) is the goddess of snow, fertility, and mountain abundance. Each solstice she rides down from icy peaks, bringing blessings or storms depending on humanity’s respect for the natural order. She is a mountain spirit to which, with some Siberian Turkic groups (e.g., Kumandins, Teleuts, Khakas, Shors) sacrifices a white horse to her. Perhaps that mare’s spirit is what she rides to town.

Her name still echoes in old songs and regional myths as the “bringer of white calm.” Though not as widely known outside this region, she represents the ancient bond between winter and rebirth. Some scholars may argue she is similar to Morana, a Slavic Goddess of Winter and Death; while one is of permanence the other is transitional. Their influence is many.

Further reading: “Payna,” in Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük by Celâl Beydili.

Red-Bean Porridge & Ghost-Chasing (Korea)

During Dongji, the Korean winter solstice, families share patjuk—red-bean porridge believed to repel malevolent spirits. Bowls are set at doors and gates, marking safe homes for the new year. That’s because of porridge’s crimson hue. This colour symbolises life; and the warmth it emanates is opposite of the cold that dares to enter the homestead. The effect is about balance–yin and yang. This practice endures not as fear but gratitude: a simple meal that honours ancestors and guards against unseen cold.

Further reading: “Why Koreans Ate Red Bean Porridge on Winter Solstice,” KoreanCultureGuide.com

Yama-uba / Yamamba (Japan)

The mountain crone of legend, Yama-uba embodies winter’s isolation. In snow-covered regions, she’s both nurturer and predator—raising abandoned children or devouring those who trespass. Her wild hair and tattered kimono echo the desolation of deep winter. Even now, she lives on in Nō theatre and horror manga, symbolising nature’s indifference and the thin line between mercy and hunger.

Further reading: “Yamauba: The Devouring Witch” (Ekmekçi, 2024), Eurasian Journal of English Language and Literature.

Yuki-onna (Japan)

A spectral woman of snow and silence, Yuki-onna drifts across stormy mountains, her white robes blending with the blizzard. She appears to lost travellers, sometimes luring them to eternal frost, sometimes sparing those who show humility. Her tale captures both beauty and peril, born from Japan’s snow-bound winters. Today, she is an icon for the season. Her appearance in many pieces of literature, film, and anime show her resilience not only as a force of nature, but also a haunting emblem of impermanence and grace.

Further reading: “Yuki Onna – The Snow Woman” at Yokai.com

When Night Yields to Light (Final Thoughts on Winter Solstice in Asia)

While modern icons like Krampus capture our imagination with their rebellious, anti-establishment spirit, the frost-bulls and mountain crones of Asia remind us of a different truth: that folklore was once our most vital tool for survival. Whether through the rebuke of the Namahage or the red-bean rituals of Korea, these stories allowed us to face the terrors of the ‘long night’ with dignity. They prove that across every border and every ethnic world, the solstice is not just a date on a calendar, but a shared experience.

From Japan’s snow ghosts to the dragon gods of China and the frost bulls of Siberia, Asia’s winter spirits remind us that darkness has always been a teacher. These tales personify the cold as something to respect, not defeat—a force that tests resolve and rewards gratitude. In the 21st century, these myths still surface in festivals, films, and rituals, proving that humanity’s oldest instinct—to find meaning in the longest night—still burns bright.

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