Despite rising numbers of infections in the UK, hundreds of people watched the sunrise at the winter solstice at the Stone Age monument of Stonehenge on Wednesday.
No visitors were allowed to attend the event, which marks the lowest midday height of the sun in the northern hemisphere, because of the pandemic.
The imposing stone circle in the south-west of England is oriented towards the sunrise of the winter and summer solstice.
"The people who built Stonehenge were farmers, they grew their own food, knew the days were getting longer, things were getting better and with a little luck their crops would grow again," said curator Heather Sebire on BBC Radio Wiltshire .
The event, to which people who call themselves pagans or druids also come regularly and perform rituals that have been modeled on them, was also broadcast live online this year.
Visitors were required to wear masks and were asked to take an antigen test before arriving.