Heritage Malta is organising an event for you to welcome winter in a unique way on the 21st and 22nd of December during the Winter Solstice at the Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra Archaeologial Park.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter.

In fact, part of Mnajdra, one of the Neolithic complexes built between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, was built to mark the position of the rising sun at the start of each season.

Visitors will watch the first rays of the sun light up the very edge of a megalith found along the passage connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner chambers. Considering that the people who built these buildings were farmers and their livelihood depended on agriculture, the changing seasons probably had a special significance and there may have also been a time for gatherings and celebrations.

For the Neolithic community, which relied heavily on agriculture, marking the changing seasons was essential. In the absence of official calendars, alignments like this may have served as practical tools for tracking seasonal transitions. Given the significance of these megalithic structures to the community, it is likely that the winter solstice was a special occasion, potentially marked by gatherings and celebrations.

To guarantee that all visitors get to observe the rising sun, a very limited number of tickets are available.

Tickets cost €30 per person and €20 for Heritage Malta members. They are available for purchase from all the Heritage Malta sites and museums, and online through here.

Participants are to meet at 6:15am outside the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Visitor Centre.