Overview
- About 8,500 people gathered before dawn at the stone circle, cheering as the sun rose, according to the BBC.
- Many attendees wore pagan attire and marked the moment with chants, drums, and ritual dances.
- The turnout was well below the summer solstice gathering on June 21, which attracted roughly 25,000 people.
- English Heritage archaeologist Win Scutt emphasized that this season held deep significance for past communities.
- Stonehenge, a UNESCO-listed monument dating to around 2500 BC, was designed with solstice alignments, and the winter solstice is the Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day and the start of astronomical winter.