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Stonehenge
Jun. 4th, 2010 09:32 amI finally got to see Stonehenge up close at the Winter Solstice. Waking at some horrendous hour in the morning, we (my parents, Tim and I) shovelled down porridge, in an attempt to keep us warm from the inside. We set off in the dark, arriving at Stonehenge in a strange half-light in which hooded figures shuffled in a ragged line past security men in luminous yellow vests who handed out fliers with a list of rules. They held us in the carpark for five or ten minutes, and then we flooded through the gates and underground tunnel, and out to where Stonehenge stood grey against a grey sky and blanket of white snow.
I headed over straight away to touch one of the stones, and felt a thrill of excitement as I laid my hands on a stone that had been deliberately set there thousands and thousands of years ago in what must have taken high engineering skill as well as unbelievable physical force. I then went to see the ceremony in the centre of the stones, where there were a ragtag group of druids and followers ranging from the traditional druid look of clean white robes and silver circlets, to brightly coloured dreadlocks and muddy jeans, via a wide range of velvet cloaks. There was also a bald girl in a white dress with a big muddy patch on her bottom, dancing to a drummer, and several monks in hooded brown robes with bows on their backs. We weren't entirely sure that the bows would have traditionally been made from carbon fibre, though.
I wasn't entirely impressed with the ceremony going on in the centre of the stones, so wandered over to the heelstone, where a different head druid - there are several warring, or at least sniping, factions - was performing another ceremony. This one was much less pompous, and he amused me no end when he finished by parodying a parody of himself: "As above, so below. Stones are open... let's go!".
It was a little disappointing not to see the sunrise, but Stonehenge looked so lovely in the snow that I think that was more than enough to make up for the grey mist that never lifted. It was really special to finally be able to see the stones up close, and I loved the atmosphere of the event.
I've since been to the Spring Equinox event, and that was great too - even if it was grey and rainy, and we didn't see the sunrise then either! I plan to miss the summer one. My dad went last year and said it was horrible - thousands and thousands of party people turn out and make a mess of the whole place, rather than a handful of mostly well-behaved druids.
I headed over straight away to touch one of the stones, and felt a thrill of excitement as I laid my hands on a stone that had been deliberately set there thousands and thousands of years ago in what must have taken high engineering skill as well as unbelievable physical force. I then went to see the ceremony in the centre of the stones, where there were a ragtag group of druids and followers ranging from the traditional druid look of clean white robes and silver circlets, to brightly coloured dreadlocks and muddy jeans, via a wide range of velvet cloaks. There was also a bald girl in a white dress with a big muddy patch on her bottom, dancing to a drummer, and several monks in hooded brown robes with bows on their backs. We weren't entirely sure that the bows would have traditionally been made from carbon fibre, though.
I wasn't entirely impressed with the ceremony going on in the centre of the stones, so wandered over to the heelstone, where a different head druid - there are several warring, or at least sniping, factions - was performing another ceremony. This one was much less pompous, and he amused me no end when he finished by parodying a parody of himself: "As above, so below. Stones are open... let's go!".
It was a little disappointing not to see the sunrise, but Stonehenge looked so lovely in the snow that I think that was more than enough to make up for the grey mist that never lifted. It was really special to finally be able to see the stones up close, and I loved the atmosphere of the event.
I've since been to the Spring Equinox event, and that was great too - even if it was grey and rainy, and we didn't see the sunrise then either! I plan to miss the summer one. My dad went last year and said it was horrible - thousands and thousands of party people turn out and make a mess of the whole place, rather than a handful of mostly well-behaved druids.
