Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
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Hippies at the 'henge
I see the usual furore has happened at Stonehenge again. Something about celebrating the summer solstice. Shame the solstice occurs today at 15.58 BST and not at dawn as the hippies seem to think.
Next year, the summer solstice is on 20th June at 21.51 BST, in case the hippies want to plan ahead. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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21st Jun 2023 10:29 am
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23823
Yeah, this year Summer Solstice was celebrated at Stonehenge from 19:00 hours yesterday to 08:00 hours today.
Many like to be there as the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. Actually I’d quite like to see that.
Each to their own. 2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
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21st Jun 2023 10:49 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
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Oh, certainly, each to their own as they're doing no one any harm.
I just find it immensely funny, that's all. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Jun 2023 11:03 am
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23823
I think you are missing the point of Stonehenge at the sunrise on the summer solstice, and the sunset at the winter solstice. 2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
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21st Jun 2023 11:46 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
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Oh, no, I'm fully aware that it is thought to have been used to mark particular points in the year by Stone Age/Bronze Age people. People that had no idea about the finer points of celestial mechanics, etc.. A good bit of technology for the time - although made more elaborate than needed, no doubt for religious/political reasons (got to keep power somehow). Five sticks (or stones) would do the job required to mark the extent of the Sun's apparent movement across the horizon.
The hilarious bit is modern people running around pretending to be druids - a group of people that post-date the creation of Stonehenge by 1000-2500 years (depending on whether you look at the start of the henge's construction or it's probable completion). Of course, popular ideas such as this aren't new (from 1722):
Click image to enlarge
But history tells us otherwise.
It's all a jolly good jape, and no doubt on a clear morning it's a wonderful sight - but for the hundreds of others that get in the way of the view. But the dancing around and spouting pseudo-archaic nonsense? Nah, that's just silly.
So long as it causes no harm, then fine, crack on lads/lasses. But I'm still going to chuckle at you.
But the central idea is that the solstice isn't a whole day, not was it at sunrise this morning. It's a 2 minutes to 4 this afternoon. This year. Next year it's at night on the 20th not the 21st. That's because it's an actual physical moment in time at which the Sun is overhead at its most northerly position on the surface of the planet. And that position moves around the planet thanks to orbital mechanics, etc., which is why it changes time too.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Jun 2023 12:56 pm
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2521
i used to enjoy the stonehenge festival as a teen all those naked women and other pleasures ,,,always slept thro the dawn mind but it was a blast
fyi it was the police closing down the stonhenge festival that kicked off glastobury from a minor affair into a major event as that was the next stop on the hippee trailMY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
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21st Jun 2023 1:27 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23823
Here’s why sunrise (summer) and sunset (winter) are significant at Stonehenge:
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21st Jun 2023 1:40 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
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Quote:
Here’s why sunrise (summer) and sunset (winter) are significant at Stonehenge
Were. They were significant. And if we lost our clocks and calendars, we could very simply recreate in 6 months what Stonehenge does, using a few stones/poles.
They no longer have any significance at all other than to a bunch of pretend druids and those who like a bit of new-age mumbo-jumbo. That's the point.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
Last edited by RRSTDV8 on 21st Jun 2023 2:01 pm. Edited 1 time in total
21st Jun 2023 1:54 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
mark the spark wrote:
i used to enjoy the stonehenge festival as a teen all those naked women and other pleasures ,,,always slept thro the dawn mind but it was a blast
fyi it was the police closing down the stonhenge festival that kicked off glastobury from a minor affair into a major event as that was the next stop on the hippee trail
Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Jun 2023 1:54 pm
Stevepd
Member Since: 06 Mar 2018
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 392
I remember as a kid in the 70's staying in a mini van for the festival and we lived very close by. Unrecognisable today though. Must admit now finished working I don't miss the chaos on the local roads just to get home. Was out and about today though and the Glastonbury fans are travelling and the coaches.........visiting from www.rrsport.co.uk
21st Jun 2023 2:11 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
It's an amazing landscape. When I used to go down that way, I was always surprised by how close the A303 runs by it. That road follows the line of the old Harrow Way, I understand, which is about as old as Stonehenge. Looking at all of the earth works in the area, it was obviously a hugely important place over the years.
If someone were able to prove that, for example, human sacrifices were held there, would all of the hippy types still flock there? I'd guess not. But it's entirely possible that all sorts of "nasty" things were done by people living 4000+ years ago who had a very different outlook on life/death.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Jun 2023 2:32 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23823
RRSTDV8 wrote:
Quote:
Here’s why sunrise (summer) and sunset (winter) are significant at Stonehenge
Were. They were significant. And if we lost our clocks and calendars, we could very simply recreate in 6 months what Stonehenge does, using a few stones/poles.
They no longer have any significance at all other than to a bunch of pretend druids and those who like a bit of new-age mumbo-jumbo. That's the point.
I think such an important prehistoric monument, designed around the sunlight at the two solstices is still very significant, in the true definition of the word. That it is no longer required to keep time or for any other practical or religious purpose does not make it insignificant.
I’m not bothered about you or anyone else taking the mickey out of those who gather and or “worship” there, but those peopledon’t take away any of the significance of Stonehenge.2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
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21st Jun 2023 3:32 pm
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2521
i just think its impressive that they manage to move all the stones forward an hour in spring and back in autumn MY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
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21st Jun 2023 3:46 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
^^^^
Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
Very thoughtful of them to build it next to a main road / coach park (and, IIRC a Ghurka barracks). When I was a lad, you could walk around the stones. TBH, it's not that impressive compared to The Pyramids, etc., If it disappeared tomorrow, we'd still be able to mark significant events using our pocket Antikythera mechanisms.
Best view these days is from the green-lane nearby.
There's a hippy village near here (closer to @Puff, TBH). They advocate 'free love' but get really non-hippie-ish when you turn up and ask for some.
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