Thousands gather at Stonehenge to celebrate winter solstice: Crowds gather at historic monument for sunrise on shortest day of the year
Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the winter solstice; Large crowds gathered to watch the sunrise on the shortest day of the year.
Family and friends could be heard cheering as they watched the show in Wiltshire this morning.
The audience was prepared for cold weather and drizzle amidst a brightening sky; Folk dancers and pagan revelers also participated in this event.
Describing the event as ‘a revered cultural moment in ancient history’, English Heritage’s Will Scutt said visitors would be allowed to gather closer to the stones than usual but urged people to treat the stones with sensitivity.
He told the BBC: ‘They have really rare lichens on them and incredible carvings on them, so I hope people will respect the stones.’
Pictures taken this morning show revelers wearing bright red outfits, as well as Brits wearing thick hats and scarves, thinking of the cold weather.
Folk dancers have also been seen performing in traditional attire, some sporting flower crowns and sometimes with a fully painted face.
One celebrating couple – Kim Tester and Paul Ransom – said they would return to the ancient monument this year to ‘recharge’.
Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the winter solstice; Huge crowds gathered to watch the sunrise on the shortest day of the year
Folk dancers were also seen performing in their traditional costumes this morning.
Folk dancers have also been seen performing in traditional clothing, with flower crowns and sometimes with fully painted faces.
Ms Tester told the BBC: ‘We come out of the darkness and into the light again, so for me it’s about rebirth.
‘We just love the atmosphere, it’s so nice.’
Mr Ransom added that it was an “honour” to be so close to the stones, for which he was “grateful”.
On average Brits will only get 7.5 hours of light, although the exact duration will vary depending on how far north or south one is.
As temperatures continue to drop from today, sunny hours will increase.
The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words ‘sol’ (sun) and ‘sistere’ (to remain still).
Today is the shortest day of the year, as well as the first day of winter on the astronomical calendar.
This calendar is based on the Earth’s tilt and predicts winter to begin on December 21, 2025, and end on March 20, 2026.
In contrast, the meteorological calendar always has the first day of winter as December 1 and ends on February 28 (or 29 in a Leap Year).
