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Thousands greet longest day of year at Stonehenge
Thousands of neo-Druids, New Age followers and the merely curious flocked to Stonehenge on Sunday, beating drums, chanting and dancing in celebration of the longest day of the year.
- AP
- Published: 23:07 June 21, 2009
Stonehenge: Thousands of neo-Druids, New Age followers and the merely curious flocked to Stonehenge on Sunday, beating drums, chanting and dancing in celebration of the longest day of the year.
The ancient stone circle at the prehistoric monument in southern England is the site of an annual night-long party - or religious ceremony, depending on perspective - marking the northern hemisphere's summer solstice.
"There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer's day?" said Peter Carson of English Heritage, who is in charge of the monument.
Camera flashes bounced off the stones through the night until patchy rays of sunlight peaked through the clouds at 4:58am BST (0358GMT).
A weak cheer went up as dawn broke and an estimated 35,000 people, some of them wrapped in blankets, greeted the sunrise.
Police arrested about 30 people on charges including drug offences, assault and drunk and disorderly conduct, but said the event was largely peaceful.
"They come for a complete range of reasons," said archaeologist Dave Batchelor of English Heritage, the site's caretaker.
"Some belong to the Druidic religion and think of it as a temple, others think of it as a place of their ancestors, or for tranquility and others come to see it as a way to celebrate the changing of the seasons."
Stonehenge, which sits on Salisbury Plain 130km southwest of London, is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, visited by more than 750,000 people a year. It was built in three phases between 3,000BC and 1,600BC.
Mystery surrounding the monument has long prompted speculation about its original function and gives it even more of an allure, Batchelor said.
Some theories hold that the stone circle was a grave site because 350 burial mounds surround the structure. In May, archaeologists found evidence indicating that pilgrims perceived the stones to have healing powers.
And some assert that the structure was part of an ancient astronomical calendar.
Still other experts believe the stones were aligned by a sophisticated sun-worshipping culture that possessed the ingenuity to move the several-tonne stones, some of which came from 240km away.
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