Thousands of people gathered before dawn Sunday at Stonehenge to celebrate the winter solstice, cheering and dancing as the sun rose over the ancient stone circle in southwest England.
The crowd assembled in darkness and cold, waiting hours for the brief moment when sunlight aligned with the prehistoric monument. Many attendees wore costumes, while others brought drums, sang or stood quietly among the towering stones. For some, the solstice gathering is a deeply spiritual ritual; for others, it is a chance to mark the turning of the seasons at one of the world’s most iconic historical sites.
Stonehenge was constructed between about 5,000 and 3,500 years ago and is widely believed to have been designed to align with the movement of the sun during the solstices. These dates held particular importance for ancient farming communities, signaling seasonal changes that shaped planting and harvest cycles. The winter solstice alignment, in particular, highlights the sun’s lowest point in the sky and its return toward longer days.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, officially ushering in astronomical winter. From this point forward, daylight gradually increases each day until the summer solstice in late June. In the Southern Hemisphere, the solstice has the opposite meaning, marking the longest day of the year and the start of summer.
While the solstice is defined by the sun’s shortest arc across the sky, many people view the day symbolically as a moment of renewal. The knowledge that daylight begins to grow again has long made the solstice a time of reflection, hope and celebration across cultures.
Stonehenge is one of the few times each year when large numbers of visitors are allowed close access to the stones. Summer and winter solstice celebrations draw pilgrims from around the world, including modern Druids, pagans and others who see the monument as a sacred space.
As the sun crept above the horizon Sunday morning, cheers rippled through the crowd, drums echoed across the field and cameras were raised to capture the fleeting alignment. For many, the experience offered a tangible connection between the modern world and the ancient people who built Stonehenge with an enduring understanding of the rhythms of the sun and seasons.
Source: ABC News