Alban Heruin 1998

Stonehenge was re-opened for Druidic ceremonies in 1998. Following are excerpts from various news articles:

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Druids Return to Stonehenge

Britain Opens Up Ancient Site for Holiest Rite By T. R. Reid Washington Post Foreign Service

Monday, June 22, 1998; Page A01 The Washington Post

SALISBURY PLAIN, England, June 21 For Christians, it's either Christmas or Easter. For Jews, it's Yom Kippur, perhaps, or Rosh Hashanah. But if you happen to be a Druid, there's no question about the holiest day of the year: It's June 21, the summer solstice.

And the holiest place on Earth for a Druid to celebrate the sacred sunrise of the solstice is Stonehenge, the 4-million-pound solar calendar erected here on the flinty plains of southern England 4,000 years ago by a group of Stone Age astronomers who had uncanny knowledge of celestial movements.

This happy confluence of holy place and holy morning explained the smile of joy that spread across the bushy face of Archdruid Rollo Maughfling at 4:52 a.m. today. That was the moment when Maughfling and his fellow sun worshipers, gathered at the center of this ancient circle of stone slabs, saw the first copper gleam of dawn come peeking up from the east.

"Happy solstice!" shouted the Archdruid, his crimson cape flying in the wind. "It's a great day to be a pagan."

In response, his white-robed followers let forth a long, harmonic chorus that has not changed since the Roman historian Pliny the Elder compared it to "the singing of the bees."

"Eye-Ay-Oh," the Druids chanted, stretching out the last syllable until it rose above the tall plinths and merged with the breeze. "Eye-Ayyyyy-Ohhhhhhhhhhhh."

Practitioners of Druidry, an ancient European religion that worships the Earth, the air and the stars, have been serenading the summer solstice sunrise in roughly similar style at Stonehenge for 21 centuries. But today's celebration, as the Archdruid noted, was special.

In the 1980s, the British government abruptly shut off access to Stonehenge during the summer and winter solstices each year, forcing the Druids to move their most sacred ceremony to the shoulder of a busy highway with a distant view of the monument. Angry charges flew back and forth for more than a decade, but Stonehenge remained closed.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the government announced that sun lovers could return to Stonehenge for the 1998 solstice.

Not surprisingly, there's a fairly large perception gap between the pagans and the politicians about the reasons for the dispute.

Maughfling, the shaggy-haired 48-year-old who bears the title "Archdruid of Stonehenge and Britain," blamed politics.

"Our religion was growing fast," the Archdruid said. "The prime minister, Mrs. Thatcher, was a Conservative, and she didn't like all these people joining Druidry. So one day she up and announced that we were a bunch of 'medieval brigands' and banned us from Stonehenge.

"Well, there was one young politician in the Labor Party who took our side and defended our rights. That man was Tony Blair. And now he's prime minister, and here we are, back for this year's solstice."

Clews Everard, who supervises Stonehenge for English Heritage, a body roughly equivalent to the U.S. National Park Service, offered a slightly different take on these events.

"After the '60s and the Age of Aquarius, an awful lot of people wanted to hang out with Druids," she said. "They started showing up here in strange clothing on the morning of the solstice just to have a party. That's what 'medieval brigands' was all about.

"We have one of the world's greatest archaeological treasures in our trust here, and it was endangered by these mobs. So we had to shut access. But this year we negotiated an arrangement that 100 people could come. Rollo [the Archdruid] promised that his worshipers would respect the site. And they have done. We'll surely have them back next year."

England has only about 15,000 self-described Druids, and another 10,000 or so aligned with other pagan orders. But, while the mainstream Christian and Jewish faiths are losing adherents - fewer than 10 percent of Church of England members still attend services - the various Druid orders have been gaining, both in sheer numbers and in respectability.

"When I moved from Roman Catholic to Druid in 1980, this was considered incredibly weird," said Chris Turner, 57, a university technician who wore a cluster of oak leaves around his neck. "It was something you wouldn't dare mention at the office. But today, when I explain that I worship the power resonating up through the Earth, people are interested. They say, 'Now, Chris, how should I celebrate the equinox?' "

For 4,000 years one of the best ways to celebrate solar and lunar phenomena has been to visit Stonehenge, the most complete remaining example of intricate stone circles that ancient peoples created around the world.

Stonehenge is a series of concentric rings of massive rock slabs, most weighing 50 tons or more. Although the layout seems random, astronomers have determined that the rocks were ingeniously placed to form a calendar. To this day, the stone calendar keeps nearly perfect track of the earth's yearly progress around the sun.

Each year on the summer solstice - the day when the sun is at its highest point north of the equator, and thus the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - the sunbeams pass directly over the center of a pointer rock outside the stone circle and shine straight down a track called The Avenue onto the "altar stone" at the center.

One day later, the sun has started moving south, and its beams no longer graze the center of The Avenue. The ancients presumably watched these movements to measure time - to decide when to plant summer crops and to keep track of how old they were.

"This is an astounding piece of geometry," said Professor Tony Dean, a non- Druid astronomer who came this morning to see if Stonehenge really is aligned right for the solstice. "They must have had a very, very sophisticated understanding of solar movement."

In the center of the stone circle, meanwhile, another kind of movement was taking place. With a shake of his oak stave and some strikes on a large gong, the Archdruid performed the marriage of two of his followers, who confirmed their vows by holding hands and leaping together over a pail of flowers. "Hail to thee, sun," the Archdruid intoned. "Shine your peace on this marriage bed."

The newlyweds giggled shyly, and the surrounding Druids offered their timeless amen once more. "Eye-Ay-Oh," they chanted, the endless wail echoing off the stone. "Eye-Ayyyy-Ohhhhhhhhh."

DRUIDS BACK AT STONEHENGE - BUT SUN STAYS AWAY 21 June 1998 08:31

They arrived by the coachload - white-robed, black-robed, green-robed and one with pink hair. One was so delighted to be there he danced barefooted with delight into Stonehenge, waving at the line of policemen who stood expressionless. In the misty grey light of dawn the invited guests assembled for the sunrise at the Wiltshire monument. The only thing missing was the guest of honour - the sun - which resolutely failed to put in an appearance, preferring to stay hidden behind the cloud which had formed during the night over the ancient stones. But after waiting 10 years to be allowed access once more to the site, none of the 100 invited guests, including members of five druid orders, was going to allow a little thing like that to spoil the moment. Holding flowers, staffs, banners and in once case, antlers, they reverently made their way into the prehistoric circle to perform their different rituals. Did the absence of the sun make a difference? "Not really, it's more of a symbolic thing than anything. It would be great to see it, but it's just nice to be here," said Veronica Hammond, chief druid of the Cotswold Order. In the centre of the stones a group, led by archdruid Rollo Maughfling, held hands to form a circle. "A new day is dawning, we are alive," called a woman. As a helicopter circled overhead, the archdruid, white-robed and with a crimson cloak and straw boater, pointed his staff to where the sun would have been. He and the other druids chanted a long drawn-out "Oh..." He explained: "Druids believe the power of sound is very important." Of the sun's absence he said: "Never mind, we will still carry on with the ceremony." Around the stones, various rituals were performed by different groups, including a marriage ceremony of a couple called Jane and Mick, and the scattering of the ashes of a pagan priest who died earlier this year. "Three cheers for Stonehenge and the summer solstice," called out the archdruid and later, as the sun briefly put in an appearance, horns were blown and a woman cried: "Greetings to you, sun of the seasons". All agreed the partial reopening of the stones had been a success. Mark Graham, from Leicester, a member of the British Druid Order, said: "This is a particularly important site because of the alignment of the stones for the sunrise." Kevin Carlyon, high-priest of British White Witches, from Hastings, East Sussex, said: "Everyone has come together, although they worship in different ways, to be here for the same end, the same goal." The stones were last open in 1988. Today passes were issued by English Heritage to 100 people, including academics and local residents as well as various pagan orders. The circle was closed for the summer solstice after violent clashes between police and large groups of travellers in the 1980s, and a four-mile exclusion zone remained in force this weekend. Police kept a watchful eye on a group who gathered in a nearby field and during the night there were 12 arrests, mostly for public order offences. But Superintendent Fred Pritchard said the partial re-opening of the monument had been a success and he was extremely pleased with the way things had gone. He estimated about 200 people had tried to breach the zone, most being turned back without any problems, and said he was concerned some might have got the wrong message that Stonehenge was "open" this year. Clews Everard, English Heritage director at Stonehenge, said it had been a "phenomenal" success and praised the spirit of co-operation everyone had shown. "Stonehenge means different things to different people. What we want to try and do is allow people to enjoy Stonehenge for what it is to them.. I think today there really is a very nice atmosphere," she said.

THE DRUIDS RETURN TO STONEHENGE

21 June 1998 06:41

The Druids were being allowed to return to Stonehenge today for the first time in 10 years for a pagan ceremony to celebrate the summer solstice The prehistoric Heel Stone circle in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, is the long-established venue for ancient rituals involving robed Druid priests, some bearing swords, who greet the sun as it rises above the stones. Druids - who claim to be descendents of Celtic priests who stood in opposition to Julius Caesar about 2,000 years ago - and other worshippers were banned in 1988 after violent clashes involving 1,300 Wiltshire police and crowds of more than 5,000 people celebrating the summer solstice. In total the operation to maintain public order cost £400,000. This year police will be keeping a low profile during the summer solstice celebrations and will be enforcing a four-mile exclusion zone, which came into effect at midnight on Thursday. The zone, sanctioned by Home Secretary Jack Straw, will remain in place until midnight on Monday. Stonehenge's origins have baffled scientists for years. Archaeologists have pinpointed Stonehenge origins back to the arrival of farmers from Europe. They would have built a circle or clearing for religious celebration. The circle was later marked with wooden posts and later stones. Victorians believed that human sacrifices were carried out at the Stonehenge site. Another theory is that Stonehenge is a giant astronomical observatory because of it is acutely aligned to see celestial configurations. Its structure is particularly well aligned to capture sunrise on mid-summer day, making it the most sought-after spot for religious rituals in celebrating the longest day - June 21. The French have even claimed Stonehenge as the product of French engineering. It was built by the French after they invaded south western England around 2,400 BC, prehistorian Aubrey Burl said in March 1997. Stonehenge's horseshoe design plus the figures, axes and daggers carved into the stones are all reminiscent of stone circles in Brittany rather than in Britain. Stonehenge attracts up to a million visitors each year. The public have been barred from touching the stones for more than 20 years. The impact of traffic, including heavy lorries, travelling on a road 300 yards away is making the stones unstable. They vibrate for 18 hours-a-day.

DRUIDS BACK AT STONEHENGE FOR THE SOLSTICE 21 June 1998 06:35

For the first time in a decade pagan ceremonies were celebrated at Stonehenge today on the summer solstice. About 100 people, including members of six druid groups, gathered at the 5,000-year-old Wiltshire monument and held various ceremonies within the stones. One involved a gathering of white-robed druids in the centre of the stones, who formed a circle and held a service which included the striking of a Tibetan gong. The return of pagan ceremonies at Stonehenge comes after the banning of druids and others from the monument after violent clashes between police and travellers in the 1980s. Police set up a four-mile exclusion zone around Stonehenge and a large number patrolled the area during the night. but a spokesman said there had been few problems and only six arrests for public order offences. The sun failed to put in an appearance, but Clews Everard (correct), director of Stonehenge, said the re-opening of the stones for the solstice had been a success. "Stonehenge means different things to different people. What we want to try to do is allow people to enjoy Stonehenge for what it is to them," she said. The exclusion zone will remain in place until midnight tomorrow. Sanctioned by Home Secretary Jack Straw, it aims to ensure controlled access to the stones. The strategy was agreed among police, English Heritage and Salisbury District Council. English Heritage said the move to allow 100 people into the Stone Circle was "the first step" in its long-term vision for greater access to all who care for and respect Stonehenge.

SUMMER SOLSTICE MARKED AT STONEHENGE

LONDON (© Reuters) - British Druid priests performed sacred rituals to mark the summer solstice at Stonehenge for the first time in over a decade and police said they were pleased to have made only 13 arrests.

The Druids had been banished from the prehistoric stone circle in western England during the summer solstice after a 1985 disturbance between police and "travelers" - people without a fixed address who stay on the move.

But on Sunday, the Druids, who claim to be modern representatives of an ancient Celtic order of priests, were allowed to witness the sunrise over the 5,000-year stones again.

They blew horns and chanted while a police helicopter whirled overhead at the dawn of the year's longest day.

"The police were extremely pleased with the way the operation went. It was extremely peaceful," a spokesman for the Wiltshire police said.

The invitation-only ceremony was set up ahead of time by police, local residents, Druid groups from around the country, and English Heritage, an organization that helps preserve historic sites.

There were 100 invited guests. Those arrested had no invitations and refused police instructions to turn back, a police spokesman said. They were charged with breach of the peace or violating a four-mile exclusion zone around the site.

"It was a nice atmosphere and everyone is happy," Mark Graham, a member of the British Druids, told Sky television. "I think it has gone well and I hope it will become a regular feature," he said.

The Druids consider Stonehenge, which was built by ancient Britons, to be sacred, and the summer solstice is one of their important religious festivals.

DRUIDS HOLD STONEHENGE CELEBRATION

LONDON (© AP) - For the first time in a decade, druids and other pagan groups gathered within the encircling rocks of Stonehenge at dawn Sunday to celebrate the summer solstice.

About 100 people, including members of six druid groups, held ceremonies at the 5,000-year-old monument in southwest England.

In one ceremony, druids in white robes formed a circle in the center of the stone circle, striking a Tibetan gong to mark the dawn of the year's longest day.

Revelers were banned from holding solstice ceremonies at Stonehenge in the late 1980s after clashes with police.

On Sunday, police controlled access to the site and patrolled a wide area around it. Six people were arrested for minor breaches of public order, said a spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On an overcast morning, the sun was nowhere to be seen, but Stonehenge director Clews Everard said the event had been a success. ``Stonehenge means different things to different people. What we want to try to do is allow people to enjoy Stonehenge for what it is to them,'' she said.

English Heritage, which owns the site, said the decision to allow 100 people into the monument was the first step toward admitting larger crowds.

DRUIDS BACK AT STONEHENGE FOR SOLSTICE

LONDON, June 21 (UPI) - For the first time in a decade, British druids and other pagan groups are celebrating the summer solstice at Stonehenge.

According to a BBC report, about 100 members of the nature- worshipping religion gathered today to watch the sun rise over the axis of the ancient stones at about 4 a.m. local time.

Police forbid access to the stone circle 10 years ago after groups of traditionally nomadic people known as travelers tried to start a festival that ended in public disorder problems.

That policy may be revised if today's celebration ends without incident.

The head of the druid religion in Britain, Arch Druid Rollo Maughfling, said the summer solstice ceremony carries deep mystical significance.

He said: ``Stonehenge was put there by man so that we could mark forever the longest day of the year. But the most important use was that the sun is at its height (on the solstice) and makes fertile the whole of nature, our crops and animals.

The sun rises slightly out of line with the stones, but scientists say when the circle was designed thousands of years ago, the sun would rise exactly above the main horseshoe of stones.