(AP) STONEHENGE, England – Rain-sodden crowds welcomed a spectacularly wet summer solstice at Stonehenge in true British fashion Thursday: With stoicism and wit.

So bad was the downpour that even one of Britain’s latter-day druids – fixtures of the annual celebration – was forced to seek refuge with journalists in a tent set up near the entrance.

“It’s a wash,” said King Arthur Pendragon, his fine white beard turned into a soggy silver sponge. “Literally.”

English Heritage put the crowd at the summer festival at 14,500, well below figures which typically hover around 20,000.

But through the wind and rain, drummers inside the ancient stone circle kept up their thumping rhythm, new age pagans kept up their chaotic dance, and visitors kept up their sense of humor.

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“Everyone’s very friendly,” said Teresa Smith, 서산출장샵 50, who spoke from underneath a rain-streaked plastic poncho. “Whether alcohol or drug-induced, everyone’s very friendly.”

Summer solstice — the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere — has long drawn people to Stonehenge, a mysterious set of standing stones whose purpose remains a matter of conjecture.

The ancient stone circle on the Salisbury Plain about 80 miles southwest of London, was built in three phases between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C. It is one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions with over 850,000 visitors a year.