Beltane was an ancient Celtic festival which welcomed in the summer, celebrated before the Romanisation of Britain. It was honoured with fires, livestock breeding and marriage ceremonies. Today’s Beltane Fire Festival takes place on the 30th April on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, and while a paean to the ancient traditions of the nation, is nothing more than a supposed resurrection of what happened all those years ago. The festival consists mainly of an incendiary procession whereby mytical characters like the Mary Queen, Green Man and Red Man are summoned, burned and resurrected. A fire arch and special bonfire are also…
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The exact time for the Spring (or Vernal) equinox 2011 is March 20th, 23.21 UCT. The sunset on the 20th is at 6.13pm and the sunrise on the 21th of March at 6.02am. English Heritage did not confirm the date for Open Access for Stonehenge for the Spring Equinox 2011 yet, but most likely this will be dawn on the 21th of March. Expect a short period of access, from approximately 5.45am to 8.00am. Event Details Event Dates: Monday 21 March 2011 to Monday 21 February 2011 – ended ERROR – end date before start date Event Start Time: 5am Event Length:…
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Each year on the 21th of June visitors from around the world gather at Stonehenge overnight to mark the summer solstice and to see the sunrise above the stones. (We’re attending as well, go here for live updates and pictures from the Solstice: first photographs from the solstice.) At dawn the central Altar stone aligns with the Slaughter stone, Heel stone and the rising sun to the north-east. The Summer Solstice at Stonehenge is certainly the ‘ancient history’ summer event in Britain to attend. Summer Solstice Info & Thing to Do Pictures from the Stonehenge Summer Solstice 2010 – The Ancestor, the Druids…
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The Petrie Museum is celebrating International Women’s Day by honouring Amelia Edward’s contributions to Egyptian archaeology and the Petrie Museum with the new installation of her bust against an image of her study, followed by a one-woman show written and performed by the actress Kim Hicks. Kim Hicks has enjoyed a wide-ranging career, on radio, TV, film and stage. She was inspired to bring Amelia Edwards back to life in celebration of her 175th birthday. This event is organised by the Friends of the Petrie Museum to celebrate the life of Amelia Edwards and support the world-class museum of Egyptian…
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Please join us on Sunday 7th of March in the Welcome area of Heritage Key at 7pm London time for two hours of Live DJ music. Prad will be our wonderful DJ with his unique playlist and will be there to host for two hours of fun . If you are already a registered to Heritage Key please use the following link to meet us directly in the Welcome Area . Don’t worry if you are not registered but would like to join us then please follow the easy steps and create your avatar now . Once you are a…
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A gallery talk by Denise Leidy, curator of Asian Art, titled Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. Ancient Afghanistan was home to one of the most complex civilizations of Asia, where multiple artistic influences intermingled. The exhibition will celebrate this rich heritage and commemorate the heroic rescue of the most precious of Afghanistan’s archaeological treasures, thought to have been destroyed. Event Details Event Dates: Thursday 3 September 2009 – ended Event Start Time: 11am Event Status: past Event Venue: Metropolitan Museum of Art Admission Fee Free with standard museum admission.