Moving away from the usual Christmas themes, the slightly oddly named Burning the Clocks festival in Brighton is a spectacular display of lanterns and fireworks in something akin to a pegan Winter solstice festival.
The similarities are intentional as the festival is designed to celebrate the Winter solstice after which the nights slowly get lighter. People in the town spend create the lanterns and parade through the streets with them, but unlike many other lantern festivals, these are burned on the beach as a way of moving on from the previous year to the new year.
I still can’t work out why it’s called “Burning the Clocks”.
The festival runs from 6.30pm on the 21st December throughout the town. More information on the Burning the Clocks web site.
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