Sagittarius season runs from November 22 to December 21, the stretch between US Thanksgiving week and the winter solstice, while the Sun crosses Jupiter's fire sign. Astrologers associate it with travel, learning, big ideas, generosity, honesty and a cheerful habit of saying yes to too many things. Its first day can land a day either side of November 22, and it ends at the December solstice, when Capricorn takes over.
Sagittarius season closes autumn
Sagittarius is a mutable sign, and mutable signs close the seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere its month is the last of autumn: leaves down, dark by late afternoon, a calendar filling with gatherings before the year turns. In the Southern Hemisphere it's late spring running into summer, and the holidays arrive with the beach.
Mutable fire has a particular feel: restless, hopeful, ready to move on. After the intensity of Scorpio season, astrologers often describe Sagittarius season as someone opening a window in a stuffy room. Conversations get lighter and franker, people start talking about next year, and the urge to be somewhere else, anywhere else, grows with every gray afternoon.
One piece of sky-watching belongs to this month. At mid-northern latitudes the earliest sunsets of the year come in early December, a couple of weeks before the solstice, because clock time and the Sun's own time drift apart at this point in the year. The shortest day is still the solstice. It's just that the evenings stop getting darker before the mornings do.
Jupiter's season: why Sagittarius feels expansive
Jupiter rules Sagittarius. In astrology Jupiter is the planet of growth, faith, wisdom and long distances, and tradition calls it the greater benefic, the more generous of the two kindly planets (Venus is the lesser). With the Sun in Jupiter's sign, astrologers describe a month with a wide horizon: plans for next year, trips, courses, conversations about what you believe and why.
The symbol is the archer, usually drawn as a centaur with a bow, aiming far. Sagittarius is fire, but mutable fire, which shows up as enthusiasm that spreads and moves on rather than a steady blaze.
Ancient writers didn't agree who the archer was. Many later sources name Chiron, the wise centaur who taught Greek heroes, but some ancient authors, Hyginus among them, preferred Crotus, a satyr said to have invented archery. Modern stargazers mostly see a teapot: the brightest stars of Sagittarius make that shape, and on dark summer nights the Milky Way rises from its spout like steam.
Mercury is in detriment in Sagittarius. Mercury handles details and Sagittarius handles the big picture, so this is the month when the vision is clear and the booking reference is lost. The sign's shadow is overpromising, bluntness that skips the kindness, and restlessness the moment things get routine.
Astrologers also point to a piece of real sky. The center of our galaxy lies in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, at about 27 degrees of the sign in the tropical zodiac, and the Sun passes that point a few days before the solstice. Some astrologers see it as one reason the sign is linked with searching for meaning. True or not, it's a good story for a sign that loves one.
Thanksgiving, Advent and the party season
- US Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, always falls between November 22 and 28, so it belongs to Sagittarius season: Jupiter's month of the overfilled table.
- Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, between November 27 and December 3, and counts down through the season.
- Hanukkah often begins in Sagittarius season, although its dates follow the Hebrew calendar and in some years it starts later in December.
- St Lucia's Day, December 13, brings candlelit processions in Sweden and elsewhere in Scandinavia: light carried into the darkest weeks.
Party season and travel season peak too, which is either Sagittarius heaven or a great many airports.
How to use Sagittarius season without overbooking
- Plan one trip. It can be next summer's vacation or a day out by train next Saturday.
- Learn something big. A history book, a language app, a lecture series. Jupiter likes ideas with scale.
- Be honest, kindly. Sagittarius is the sign of plain speaking. Say what you think, then ask what the other person thinks.
- Give within a limit. Jupiter's generosity is lovely and can get expensive. Decide what you'll spend on gifts before the shops decide for you.
- Get daylight. Short days in the north make a lunchtime walk worth more than usual.
- Leave room in the calendar. Every yes in December is a no to something else, including rest.
Sagittarius birthdays in the busiest month
A Sagittarius birthday can vanish under the holidays, so it's worth claiming it on purpose: a day out, a trip, a dinner that isn't somebody's office party with a cake added. Our solar return birthday ritual is a quiet half hour to balance the noise, with a look back and one aim for the year. Born around November 21 or 22, or December 21 or 22? Check a chart, since the boundary moves.
Your Sun sign isn't the whole story, either. Someone with Sagittarius rising wears the sign's restlessness on the outside, whatever their birthday, and your Moon and Venus signs shape how you take the party season. For the sign itself, see Sagittarius traits, and for the month, the Sagittarius monthly horoscope.
Questions readers ask
Is Thanksgiving in Sagittarius season?
US Thanksgiving is. The fourth Thursday of November is never earlier than November 22, the date this site uses for the start of Sagittarius. Canadian Thanksgiving, in October, belongs to Libra season.
Why is Sagittarius season linked with travel?
Through Jupiter and the ninth house, which Sagittarius naturally rules: long-distance travel, higher learning, philosophy and belief. It's a link astrologers make; the holiday travel rush only helps the reputation.
Is Sagittarius season lucky?
Tradition calls Jupiter the greater benefic, so astrologers often describe its sign's month as optimistic and open-handed. Astrology can't promise luck, though. What tends to help is the Sagittarius habit of saying yes to new people and new ideas.
What comes after Sagittarius season?
Capricorn season, which starts at the December solstice. Before Sagittarius comes Scorpio season, the deep middle of autumn.
