Winter solstice comes next Thursday: the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
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For the ancient Celts, it was an important religious festival, marking the point when the sun began to return to the world, and the days to lengthen.
Glen Innes, with its proud Celtic heritage, will celebrate winter solstice next week with a ceremony at the Australian Standing Stones.
“It’s a good opportunity to learn about what the stones represent, and how they can be used,” Australian Standing Stones Management Board chair Judi Toms said.
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“A stone circle gave ancient Celts knowledge of when seasons were changing,” Judi said.
“Was it time to harvest, or to plant? Was it time to bring the animals inside for the winter, or to move them to higher ground when the weather was warmer?”
The Board – a council committee responsible for managing the site – holds a winter solstice ceremony every year. Normally it takes place at dawn, when the rays of the rising sun hit the face of the central stone, the Australis stone for all Celts.
This year’s ceremony will be different. It will mark solar noon, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, casting the longest shadow of the day. Plaques installed at ground level in December will track the sun’s shadow.
The event begins at 11.30am, with a piper. Mayor Steve Toms – who is also chief guardian of the stones – will give a talk on the solar noon at 11.50am. At solar noon, 11.55am, the point of the winter solstice plaque will line up with the sun’s shadow.
The event is free. Lunch will be available at Crofter’s Cottage.