Stonehenge Site of Vigil in Observance of Winter Solstice
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AMESBURY, England — About 200 sun-worshipers gathered for the winter solstice Saturday at Stonehenge, the 4,000-year-old stone monument in Salisbury Plain, but clouds obscured the view.
Music from primitive instruments accompanied the sunrise vigil at the mysterious double ring of 72 stones, thought to have been used for ancient worship and astronomical observation.
Three police officers were on hand, but the gathering was peaceful.
Violence marred this year’s summer solstice at Stonehenge, when police blocked attempts to hold an annual rock festival at the site. More than 500 people were arrested.
The solstice is the time when the sun reaches its greatest distance from the equator, north or south, June 21 and Dec. 21, respectively.
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