Winter Solstice prompts gatherings of druids, spiritualists, and doomsday party goers
The winter solstice was celebrated at Stonehenge in England – and New Hampshire – Friday morning, Dec. 21, 2012. In Pennsylvania, atheists marked the winter solstice by hanging a banner next to a nativity scene.
People celebrate the Winter Solstice sunrise at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, in southern England on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
As Dec. 21, 2012 marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the event is being marked in a variety of ways around the globe.
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In Salem, N.H., folks are gathering to mark the Winter Solstice at what's called "America's Stonehenge."
Solstice gatherings have taken place at the archaeological site made up of stone structures for years. The site is opening early Friday. The actual solstice is at 6:12 a.m. and sunrise at 7:10 a.m.
A ceremony marking the occasion is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.
The origin and age of the made-made piles of stones and chambers in New Hampshire is a mystery. Some people think they were built by early American Indians, others think they were built long before that. The stones are thought to be used as an astronomical calendar.
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In Britain, home of the original Stonehenge, hundreds of people have already converged on Stonehenge for an "End of the World" party that coincides with the Winter Solstice.
Arthur Uther Pendragon, Britain's best-known druid, said he was anticipating a much larger crowd than usual at Stonehenge this year. But he doesn't agree that the world is ending, noting that he and fellow druids believe that things happen in cycles.
"We're looking at it more as a new beginning than an end," he said. "We're looking at new hope."
Meanwhile, end-of-days parties will be held across London on Friday. One event billed as a "last supper club" is offering a three-course meal served inside of an "ark."
In Mexico, about 1,000 self-described shamans, seers, stargazers, crystal enthusiasts, yogis, sufis and swamis are gathering in a convention center in the city of Merida on the Yucatan peninsula about an hour and a half from the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, convinced that it was a good start to the coming "New Era" supposed to begin around 5:00 a.m. local time Friday.
These are not people who believe the world will end on Friday: the summit is scheduled to run through Dec. 23. Instead, participants say, they want to celebrate the birth of a new age.
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