The Mystery Of The Summer Solstice At Stonehenge
June 21st is the day of the summer solstice, an event celebrated all over the world and especially at the prehistoric site of Stonehenge in England. We will explain why this mystical place is the setting for celebrations every year on this date.
A mystical site dating back several millennia.
It is in southwest England, in the Salisbury Plain, that you will find the Stonehenge site, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This impressive megalithic monument, which was erected during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, is the largest known prehistoric structure in Europe. Through the use of carbon dating, archaeologists have estimated that these standing stones were erected between 2800 and 1100 BC.
Even today, the exact function of this site has not been determined. But the fascination that this monument holds has not diminished over the millennia. Did you know that this mysterious place is linked to Druidism and still serves as a setting for important celebrations during the summer solstice?
A pagan temple for the druids
In addition to being inscribed as a World Heritage Site and protected by UNESCO, this masterpiece of engineering undoubtedly has a spiritual significance.
As scientists have little information about how this monument was built and why it was arranged in this way, the site of Stonehenge has sparked many sometimes very inventive theories.
Some believe that extraterrestrials were involved in its construction. Others prefer legends that giants or even Merlin the magician himself participated in the building of the site.
Despite the mysteries surrounding the past of this place, it is known that this site was used as a burial site and most likely had a cultural and/or spiritual function.
William Stukeley, who was one of the first to conduct archaeological research on this megalithic site in the 18th century, hypothesized that Stonehenge was a temple for the druids of Great Britain.
Today, this Celtic spiritual tradition is perpetuated in the Salisbury Plain, especially during astronomical events such as the summer solstice and the winter solstice.
The stone circles and the course of the sun
The Stonehenge monument is composed of four sets of concentric stones. However, it is very likely that these alignments of monoliths were not arranged randomly.
Several theories associate this monument with the prediction of astronomical phenomena, such as solar and lunar eclipses, solstices, and equinoxes. Some scientists have even imagined that these aligned stones make up a sort of giant calendar based on the position of the sun and moon relative to the Earth.
It should be noted that during the winter solstice in December and the summer solstice in June, the setting sun aligns perfectly with the axis of the standing stones. It has also long been considered that a leaning stone called the Heel Stone was a marker indicating the exact direction of the rising sun at the summer solstice.
But today, specialists believe, based on archaeological evidence, that the Heel Stone once had a twin stone and that these two monoliths were used to frame the sunrise in the middle of summer.
Regardless, the solstice celebrations bring together thousands of people each year at the prehistoric site of Stonehenge. All these visitors come to admire the mysterious beauty of the monoliths when the sun rises and sets in perfect alignment with the stones.
The wonder is complete when the sun rises between the stones, at the dawn of the longest day of the year. On this occasion, access to the site is free, whereas usually the entrance ticket costs more than £17 (more information on the official website below).
