Winter Solstice at Newgrange: “Nobody Knows, Love.”

Today is the winter solstice which makes me think of a lot of things – the winter solstice parties we had in college and stuff like that, but mainly it makes me think of Newgrange, a place I have been to numerous times (I have a picture on my fridge of me and Jean at Newgrange – taken by Siobhan):

Here is my impression of being on a tour at Newgrange, which has gone down in just this manner pretty much every time I have gone there. You have to imagine the thick Irish brogues to really get the effect.

American accent: “So … what do all these spirals signify?”

Irish accent: “Well, we don’t really know. But aren’t they lovely?”

American accent: “And what exactly happened in these stone recesses? Were they burial tombs, or …”

Irish accent: “Well, actually, nobody knows, love.”

American accent: “These standing stones are amazing. Why did they place them like that?”

Irish accent: “Well, we don’t really know.”

The tour went on like that for 45 minutes. It was positively charming. I loved every second of it. Basically the theme was: Nobody knows what the hell went on here, but isn’t it lovely?

One of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. I highly recommend it to you all. Here are 101 facts about New grange. I guess there are some things that “we know”.

I have a couple of wee goals in life – not really personal achievement goals – but things I would like to see, and one of them is I would love to be there at Newgrange (with all the crowds) on the winter solstice – to see the sun illuminate the inner tomb. What happens is – on the winter solstice – you can buy a ticket to hang out either around New grange – or within the inner tomb (I think the waiting list is years long) – and at sunrise (which, in Ireland, is an iffy prospect – it’s usually rainy during winter solstice) the sun enters the main door, crawls up the passageway, and FLOODS the inner tomb with light. They recreate it during the tour (where the ongoing theme is “Well, nobody really knows, love”). You can’t believe the geometry of the place, the architecture … that it would be created in such a manner that light would crawl UP the pathway and then flood into the inner chamber, lighting it as though it were from electric power. Who WERE these people?

The fact that “nobody knows” is what makes the place so special, so magical.

An ancient and important site.

You know what I felt at Newgrange, standing in the pitch black with my sisters, in that ancient tomb, with the spiral rock carvings above and below us, waiting for the light to crawl up the slanting passage? I felt: Man. It is awesome to be a member of the human race. Humans are absolutely beyond belief. I am really PROUD of us. Even though we can’t know what exactly drove those ancient people to create such a structure – we can marvel at their knowledge, their spirit, their drive. They are in an unending continuum with this event. It’s the same impetus. They knew to build the inner passageway at just the right slant upwards – so that the sun could crawl upwards and flood the inner passageway and inner “tomb” (or whatever it was) for the maximum amount of time. When you duck down under the entrance stone, and enter the darkness – you feel the path go on a steep incline. You are inside the earth, walking UP. How did they know? Well, they just did. And I am just proud of the human race for all of that. What a mystery we are. What a neverending and curious mystery.

American accent: “And … sorry … I know we’ve covered this … but what was going on with those spirals??”

Irish accent, “Oh, love, nobody really knows.”

The whole “winter solstice event” at Newgrange is something I have always wanted to do – even though it’s nigh on impossible to get a ticket, and you have to do a “solstice draw”, like a lottery – to see if you’ll be able to be one of the lucky few. And of course since it’s Ireland in December, there is no guarantee that there will even be sun on that day. But when there is? Magic. Goosebump-magic.

On the tour of Newgrange, when you are in the inner chamber, they turn off all the lights – and do a recreation of what it would look like if you were there on the sunrise at winter solstice. But to see it with the actual sun? As the people who built the mysterious structure would have seen it? Now that would be something.

Newgrange is a passage tomb north of Dublin. There are quite a few other passage tombs up there, but Newgrange is the biggest and most famous. You’ve probably seen photos of the rocks inside that are covered with spirals. Who knows why these ancient people were into spirals – but it’s psychedelic and arresting to see. The spirals are everywhere. You go into the inner chamber via a small narrow passageway – with earthen floor – and the path gently slopes up (a very important element in the winter solstice miracle. The mathematical and astronomical sophistication of the ancients is something to stand in awe before.) So what happened on the winter solstice is: when you are inside the inner chamber (and there are indentations all around – with big scooped-out spaces – nobody knows what was done there – were they graves of important community members? Nobody knows, love) – But anyway, it’s pitch black in there. And on the winter solstice, when the sun rises (and it’s not a rainy or misty day, etc.) – slow rays of light creep thru the open passage door – and crawl up the path (if the path were not on an incline, this miracle would not work) – and then when the rays reach the inner chamber, the whole thing is FLOODED with light. Light literally pours into the darkness. It pours UP the path, ray by ray … and then reaches the inner chamber and everything bursts into visibility. How did they know? Why did they build it? What were they doing? It’s an amazing place. Being at Newgrange is like being in the presence of the Pyramids or Stone Henge or any of those other monolithic structures filled with sophistication and symbols and ancient wisdom … and to see the rays of sun slowly illuminate the entire chamber, hidden deep within the earth … Just makes you feel all humble and awestruck and quiet.

And every winter solstice crowds of people gather at Newgrange – from all over the world. Only a lucky few get spots in the inner chamber – where you can probably fit 15 people, maybe 20. You have to draw slots – and there are waiting lists of years to get those spots. But many people just camp out on the chilly grass in front of the passage tomb, to watch the sun rise from there. How amazing it would be, though, to be one of the folks inside. To watch the sun fill up the earthen chamber … just like the ancients did. Must be amazing!

Here are some pictures from past winter solstices at Newgrange:

That’s from within the inner corridor that slopes upward into the chamber. When the sun first peeks over the horizon – the sun rays pierce through the main door like a laser. Unbelievable.

Slowly, as the sun rises – the rays continue to flood forward – going around slight curves, slowly rising up the corridor … Eventually the inner chamber floods with light as bright as day. It’s incredible.

And here’s a view of Newgrange from the outside, winter solstice 2002.

Happy solstice.