Stonehenge: Summer Solstice Arrives

[Woodmonkey]

(STONEHENGE, England) — The summer solstice drew thousands of revelers to Stonehenge to watch the sun rise over the ancient monument Saturday for the first time in the new season.

Beating drums and wearing rainbow cloaks, the celebrants walked through light rain Friday to talk, dance and meditate as they awaited the start of the event.

Ray Smith, 60, of Hengistbury in southern England, came wearing blue face paint and a multicolored skirt.

"I think it's a place of our ancestors, its a shrine to our ancestors, and I think it's very important to celebrate each season," he said.

Zoe Neale, 48, cheerfully admitted her visit to Stonehenge "is part of my mid-life crisis." She left her West London office amid gentle teasing from her colleagues Friday afternoon to see a very English tradition.

Organizers expect 25,000 people to journey to the ancient site. They will be allowed access to the stone circle, which is usually closed to visitors. Representatives of English Heritage, the monument's caretaker, will be on hand to make sure no one carried away with the celebratory spirit climbs on or vandalizes the stones.

"People generally respect the stones and we don't have a problem," English Heritage spokeswoman Rebecca Milton said.

The solstice in England occurred at 12:59 a.m. Saturday (7:59 p.m. EDT Friday), marking the start of the day with the most sunlight of the year.

Stonehenge, on the Salisbury Plain about 90 miles southwest of London, was built between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C. It is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, drawing more than 750,000 people visit every year.

Solstices were an important part of Europe's pre-Christian calendar and many speculate Stonehenge's orientation offers clues to its creators' pagan traditions.

The original purpose of Stonehenge is debated, but recent evidence has shed some light on the mystery. In May, researchers reported the stone circle was used as a burial ground since its initial construction. Cremated remains found at Stonehenge date back to 3,000 B.C. and radiocarbon dating shows burials continued at the site for at least 500 years. It is estimated that at least 240 people were buried at Stonehenge.

The Source