Summer Solstice Brings out the Partiers and Pagans at Stonehenge

As is the case each year, the summer solstice, the day which offers more hours of sunlight than any other day of the year, is a cause for celebrating at Stonehenge. Originally acknowledged mostly by pagans, the human need to drink copious amounts of alcohol and act stupidly has turned the solstice into a holiday of sorts. Over 35,000 people gathered at Stonehenge yesterday, dancing and making merry through the night. Frank Somers, a 43-year-old antique salesman who attended Stonehenge for the solstice dressed in Druid robes, noted, "It’s the most magical place on the planet. Inside when you touch the stones you feel a warmth like you’re touching a tree, not a stone. There’s a genuine love, you feel called to it."

Indeed. And this year, there was plenty of love to go around. Because it fell on a weekend, the turnout at Stonehenge for the solstice this year was larger than normal. Peter Carson, of English Heritage – a group in charge of Stonehenge – noted, "There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer’s day?"

At 4:58 BST, the sun rose over Heel Stone, the part of Stonehenge that was built to align with the rising sun on the solstice. Built in multiple phases between 3,000 and 1,600 B.C., no one is quite sure why Stonehenge was built, though various theories assume that it has religious significance or that it was a special grave site. There are 350 burial mounds surrounding the structure. Regardless of why it’s there, Stonehenge continued as a popular destination. Libby Davy, an Australian who lives in Brighton, England, attended the festivities and noted, "It’s kind of a pilgrimage. As a sculptor, I can’t help being interested in the stones – they’re historic, spiritual."