Photos of global celebrations marking the start of the summer and winter solstices
People are marking the start of the winter and summer solstices across the globe. North of the equator, celebrations welcome summer, while those in the south observe the beginning of winter.
In Romania, dancers wearing crowns of wheat gathered for the Sanziene, or “Fairies,” a pre-Christian, pagan celebration in honor of the tiny, imaginary winged beings who come to earth as a symbol of fertility. Meanwhile, Lithuanians danced in the small town of Kernave and Russians lit bonfires.
In the U.S., a performer danced across the colors of Christopher Janey’s “Passing Light” solar sculpture that aligns each Summer Solstice at the San Antonio airport. In Spain, people watched the sun rise on a Barcelona beach, coined “The Night of San Juan.”
South of the equator in Bolivia, Indigenous people gathered around fires and held up their hands to receive the first rays of sunlight in celebration of the Andean New Year of 5533, marking the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
By The Associated Press
