In the southern hemisphere we are welcoming the winter solstice – a time of rebirth and ritual. The celebration of the winter solstice appears to have originated in neolithic times, when the mating of animals and sowing of farm crops was measured by the position of the sun.
This afternoon musicians and spectators in the town of Byron Bay celebrated the solstice through music and dance. As Australia’s most eastern point Byron Bay is privy to the first sun in the morning and the first sunset in the afternoon, marking it as the perfect place to acknowledge the significance of the event. In this clip a group of local drummers and other musicians can be heard as they perform by the beach. Sea-gulls, lorikeets, dogs, waves and a swaying crowd of onlookers accompany them in the background.