December 21 Zodiac Sign

People born on December 21 are Sagittarius or Capricorn.

Most zodiac date tables put December 21 in Sagittarius, but the Sun changes sign at a slightly different moment each year. In 171 of the 201 years from 1900 to 2100 it moved from Sagittarius into Capricorn during December 21 somewhere in the world, and in the other 30 the whole day was Sagittarius. So a December 21 birthday can be either sign: the year, the hour and the place decide.

Your birth time and place settle it: your free birth chart shows exactly which sign the Sun was in when you were born.

What Sagittarius is like

Symbol: The Archer
Element: Fire
Modality: Mutable
Ruler: Jupiter
Usual dates: November 22 to December 21

Sagittarius wants the horizon. A mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter, Sagittarius runs on meaning and momentum: the next place, the bigger idea, the question that opens rather than closes.

Strengths

Optimistic
Honest
Adventurous
Open-minded
Good company

Growth edges

Blunt
Restless
Over-promises
Commitment-shy

Read the full Sagittarius profile →

What Capricorn is like

Symbol: The Sea-Goat
Element: Earth
Modality: Cardinal
Ruler: Saturn
Usual dates: December 22 to January 19

Capricorn plays the long game. A cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, Capricorn builds carefully, works patiently, and is entirely unimpressed by shortcuts. Where other signs want the win, Capricorn wants the structure that keeps producing wins after everyone else has lost interest.