Pagans (and unicorns) gather to celebrate winter solstice at Stonehenge

 By 
Blathnaid Healy
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Thousands gathered this morning at Stonehenge to mark the shortest day of the year - otherwise known as the winter solstice - when the North Pole is tilted furthest away from the sun, delivering the fewest hours of light.

Pagans and others gathered at the world renowned historic monument, which many consider to be a sacred place, in Wiltshire to celebrate the important day, which marks the start of winter.

Tuesday's solstice, which gives people a rare chance to get up close with the ancient stones, marks the coming of the new sun, which senior druid King Arthur Pendragon says is the "dawn we've been waiting for, this is the dawn the ancients cared about so much," he told the BBC.

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