凯西克附近的Castlerigg石圈，英国坎布里亚 Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick, Lake District, Cumbria, United Kingdom (© Alan Copson/plainpicture)

凯西克附近的Castlerigg石圈，英国坎布里亚 Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick, Lake District, Cumbria, United Kingdom (© Alan Copson/plainpicture)

Older than Stonehenge?

Roughly 5,000 years ago, ancient inhabitants of the British Isles somehow dragged as many as 40 giant stones—the heaviest weighing an estimated 16 tons—onto this grassy plateau in what is now England's Lake District National Park in Cumbria. They then grouped them into the stone circle at Castlerigg, seen here casting shadows from the low winter sun. Archeologists believe stone circles, were arranged to align with solar and lunar positions. They were used in elaborate rituals to celebrate occasions like today's winter solstice, the shortest day (and longest night) of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Castlerigg is believed to be one of the oldest of the approximately 1,300 stone circles in Britain. And while it's not as well-known as Stonehenge—which was probably begun soon after Castlerigg—its panoramic views of the neighboring Blencathra, Helvellyn, and Skiddaw mountains make it one of the most scenic. Even today, Castlerigg draws winter solstice revelers who beat drums and participate in the magical festival of Yule, in which a log is burned to symbolize the return of heat and light to the sun. And for those of you lamenting the short, cold days of winter, you can take some comfort in knowing that after today the hours of daylight will steadily lengthen, and in six months we'll have traded positions with the Southern Hemisphere and will enjoy long, warm days once again.

比巨石阵还要古老？

大约5000年前，不列颠群岛的古代居民不知何故把多达40块巨石（最重的一块估计重达16吨）拖到了现在位于坎布里亚的英格兰湖区国家公园的这片草地上。他们聚集在这里，在这里能看到低落的冬日阳光中投射的阴影。考古学家认为，石圈是按照太阳和月球的位置排列的。它们被用于精心的仪式来庆祝像今天冬至，这是北半球一年中最短的一天（和最长的夜晚）。

卡斯特里格被认为是英国约1300个石圈中最古老的一个。虽然它不像巨石阵（巨石阵可能是在卡斯特罗里格之后不久开始建造的）那么出名，但它能看到邻近的布兰卡斯特拉、赫尔维林和斯基德道山脉的全景，这使它成为风景最优美的地方之一。即使是在今天，卡斯特雷格也吸引了冬至狂欢者，他们敲锣打鼓，参加尤勒的神奇节日，在那儿燃烧一根原木，象征着阳光和热量回归太阳。对于那些哀叹冬天短而寒冷的日子的人，您可以放心一些，因为他们知道今天以后的日照时间将稳步延长，并且在六个月内我们将与南半球进行交易，并享受长期，温暖的日子再次出现。