Revellers cheered and beat drums as the sun rose at 8:09 am over the giant standing stones on the winter solstice - the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere

Winter solstice is celebrated by cultures across the globe. In the UK, Stonehenge is a site of celebration for the winter and solstice.

People visit the Stonehenge to get a glimpse of the sun as it gleams through the stones, including neo-Druids and neo-Pagans.

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The ancient structure was built to frame the sun during the midwinter sunrise and the summer solstice, indicating when the days will start getting longer or shorter.

In the winter the sun sets to the south-west of the stone circle.

The solstices are the only occasions when visitors can go right up to the stones at Stonehenge, and thousands are willing to rise before dawn to soak up the atmosphere.

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