麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Crowds mark summer solstice at ancient Stonehenge monument

Share
LONDON -

Thousands of druids, pagans and New Age revelers greeted the summer solstice at Stonehenge on Tuesday, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

About 6,000 people gathered at the ancient stone circle in southern England to watch the sun rise at 4:49 a.m. on a clear, crisp morning, local police said.

It was the first time revelers have been permitted to gather at the Neolithic monument to celebrate the solstice since 2019. The sunrise was streamed online in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The crowds raised their arms in the air and cheered as the sun rose over the horizon. Some performed pagan rituals and sang songs, and many hugged the ancient stones as part of the ceremony. Plenty others awakened early and made the trip there just to soak up the atmosphere.

Police said the ambience was 鈥渃onvivial鈥 and there were only two arrests - one for assault and one for drug possession.

English Heritage, which looks after Stonehenge among around 400 historic sites, said 170,000 people around the world also watched the solstice online on Tuesday.

鈥淲e're so delighted to have been able to welcome people back this year and also to livestream the occasion to thousands of people right around the world,鈥 said Nichola Tasker, English Heritage's director of Stonehenge.

Stonehenge was built between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago on a windswept plain in southwest England by a sun-worshipping Neolithic culture. Experts still debate its purpose, but it is aligned so that on summer solstice the sun rises behind the Heel Stone and rays of sunlight are channeled into the center of the circle.

Summer solstices take place as one of the Earth's poles tilts most closely toward the sun. The Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice marks the day with the longest daylight hours in the year, and also officially marks the beginning of summer.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.