Photos of global celebrations marking the start of the summer and winter solstices
In Romania, dancers wearing crowns of wheat gathered for the Sanziene, or 'Fairies," a pre-Christian, pagan celebration in honor of the tiny, imaginary winged beings who come to earth as a symbol of fertility. Meanwhile, Lithuanians danced in the small town of Kernave and Russians lit bonfires.
In the U.S., a performer danced across the colors of Christopher Janey's 'Passing Light' solar sculpture that aligns each Summer Solstice at the San Antonio airport. In Spain, people watched the sun rise on a Barcelona beach, coined 'The Night of San Juan.'
South of the equator in Bolivia, Indigenous people gathered around fires and held up their hands to receive the first rays of sunlight in celebration of the Andean New Year of 5533, marking the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Bride is criticised for spending £70,000 on her wedding in London - and one expense is branded 'absolutely criminal'
A bride has been criticised for spending a 'shocking' sum on her one-day wedding in London - with several people noting she could buy a house for that much money. Christina Theofanous, 29, revealed that she forked out more than £70,000 on her big day, with the marketer from Hertfordshire spending £8,800 on the dress alone. Her partner, James Dodd first began saving money in 2021 to go travelling but Christina said this slowly turned into a wedding fund. When the 30-year-old popped the question to Christina on holiday in Dubai in September 2023, the pair spent the next 18 months 'making sacrifices' to afford their big day. The couple splashed out £33,000 on their wedding venue in Westminster, London, which included a £18,577 wedding breakfast for 130 of their closest friends and family. They spent nearly £2,000 to ensure the bridal party's hair and make-up looked picture perfect, including four make-up trials that Christina quipped were 'just extra'. Despite forking out the average price of a flat in Blackpool on their celebration, Christina insists the couple have not racked up any debt and don't have any regrets on their decision to go big for their wedding in April. She shared a TikTok post with a breakdown of her wedding expenses and while some said it was a 'shocking' amount to spend, she claimed it was 'worth every penny'. Christina, from Hitchin in Hertfordshire, said: 'There wasn't a budget. We decided to have our wedding in London and had an idea it was going to be expensive. 'I knew exactly what I wanted so when I started researching I found that these were the costs. 'We had a savings pot before we got engaged that we wanted to use for travelling but this turned into the wedding pot and we naturally started saving from this point. 'If we wanted to spend this amount, we needed to make sacrifices and save hard to make it happen and this is what we did. 'The cost for the venue was just over £33,000. This included the venue hire, the canapes, drink reception, wedding breakfast and evening buffet and we also extended the venue to 1am which was an extra cost. 'The wedding breakfast was £18,000 which included a three-course meal for everyone, half a bottle of wine, one glass of prosecco for everyone for the toasting. 'It included teas, coffees, soft drinks and some truffles with the coffees. I think it was around £130 per person. 'Hair and makeup cost £1,640 and this included hair and makeup for me, my mum, my sister and my best friend and my flower girl's hair. They spent nearly £2,000 to ensure the bridal party's hair and make-up looked picture perfect, including four make-up trials, which she jokingly explained on social media as being 'just extra' The couple spent over £2,000 on a custom suit for the groom - which feels tiny compared to the £8,800 on Christina's wedding dress 'In this total I had paid £180 for a bridal hair and makeup trial but it was my decision to pay for an extra three trials. 'It was a lot of money for sure but it was worth it for me [to feel good on my wedding day]. 'The flowers, which included three bouquets and decorating the whole venue, set us back £7,836. 'This was quite a shocking amount and we did make changes to bring the cost down to this.' Christina said a family member gave them £5,000 to help towards their big day and her dress, heels and veil were also gifted by family. However, she later changed into an £85 dress as one follower noted it was 'absolutely criminal' to spend nearly £9,000 on her white gown only to change into a much cheaper outfit later. The bride said she understands why people were shocked they had splashed out so much money on their wedding but said they had worked hard for their savings. Christina said: 'I completely agree and I'm not stupid and think it's not expensive. WEDDING COSTS Venue hire: £10,800 Wedding breakfast: £18,577 Supplier meals: £74.40 Kids meal: £25 Venue extension until 1am - £900 Evening buffet: £2,670 Bar tab: £1,500 Dress & alterations: £8,800 (dress gifted) Second dress: £85 Heels and veil: £850 (gifted) Hair and makeup: £1,640 James' custom suit: £2,150 Rings: £2,300 Perfume: £278 Wedding cake: £290 Photographer, videographer and content creator: £6,850 Flowers: £7,836 Music (Pianist and DJ): £3,495 Bar: £864 Registrar: £1,000 Honeymoon: £5,500 Two night hotel wedding stay: £590 (hotel stay gifted) TOTAL =£77,074.40 (TOTAL minus gifted items and £5,000 from family =£63,224.40) 'We saved for 18 months and we had a plan. Some people said it's just one day and that is a waste of money and that's fine as it's not for everyone. 'But growing up I always wanted to get married and have this kind of wedding, and for us it's worth it and we were both on the same page. 'I lived up north for three years and when I was looking for houses I did see some for £60-£70,000 so I do get people's perspectives for sure. 'But, as bad as this sounds, this is our life and we work hard to do what we do. 'It was worth every penny and we have no regrets and we're not in debt from it. The wedding day was perfect.' Christina's TikTok video racked up more than 190,000 views and while some users didn't see a problem with the couple's spending, others thought it was excessive. One user commented: 'My house cost the same as your wedding,' Another said: 'Waste of money mate. I wouldn't spend that much on a wedding even if I was [Jeff] Bezos.' A third commented: 'Sorry but this is a shocking amount to spend on one day! Each to their own obviously but could buy a house with that. And, let's be honest, there's a 50/50 chance of divorce.' Several others, however, defended Christina as they said she could spend her money the way she likes. 'It was your day. If you can afford it, enjoy it. Ignore the haters,' one comment read. Another added: 'If you didn't go broke or into a lifetime of debt to pay for this - you win.
Times
3 days ago
- Times
Confident Italy shows us how to bounce back
C ongratulations were mixed with consolation as we marked England's football triumph with our Italian friends. At least we had something to celebrate amid all our country's woes, they told us. During the decades when Italy was the sick man of Europe, its sporting triumphs were a welcome respite. Not any more. In more than 20 years of work, family and holiday trips to my wife's home country, I have never felt such palpable self-confidence. Around Lake Como, we have this month seen cranes and scaffolding sprouting in villages that once seemed destined for depopulation and decline. Notable eyesores — the derelict Hotel Grand Bretagne, which for years has greeted visitors to the tourist hotspot of Bellagio — are being renovated. Half an acre of jungle in the centre of our adopted hometown, Gravedona, and an adjoining mansion rotting for decades, have new owners. Bats and house martins will flee but the local economy is booming. 'There's so much ambition,' says our local oracle, Natalia Pochintesta, surveying her bustling lakeside café. Fatalism and self-deprecation used to be the hallmark of Italian conversation. Now the talk is of new products, new plans, new opportunities.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
These two countries have the cleanest waters in the world and they're less than 3 hours away from the UK
WHEN it comes to water quality, Brits are becoming much more vigilant before diving head first into the sea. With increasing news of sewage pollution, it can be tough to know where is safe to swim, and where to avoid - but here are the two countries with the cleanest coastal waters in the world. 4 Slovenia and Lithuania have tied for first place for the cleanest coastal waters in the world. This is according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), in cooperation with the European Commission which has released their European bathing water assessment for the 2024. Bathing waters across 22,127 sites in the 27 EU member states, plus Albania and Switzerland were analysed. Both Slovenia and Lithuania tied for having the cleanest waters by the coastline, and luckily for Brits, neither country is hard to get to. Brits can fly directly to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia in 2hr15 from London Gatwick. You can get a one-way flight to Ljubljana from £37 with easyJet. When it comes to the most popular beaches in the country, these are Moon Bay, Svetilnik Beach, and Piran Beach. Compared to the rest of the country, the Slovenian coastline is very small and is only 29 miles long. One writer explored Slovenia where she enjoyed a five-course meal for less than £50 - and she was overlooking one of the most famous lakes in the country. To get to the coastal city of Palanga in Lithuania, holidaymakers can get a direct flight from London Stansted from just £17. The European city break with two unmissable day trips 4 The flight only takes two hours and 20 minutes. Palanga has white sandy beaches with blue waters and scattered along the shoreline are cafes, restaurants, bars and local shops. Lithuania is also Europe's cheapest city break destination where you can get £2 pints and cocktails for £3.26. That's what one writer found when she took a trip to Vilnius – the capital of and largest city in Lithuania. She even found accommodation for £13 a night and discovered tasty potato dishes. If you're heading to Lithuania for a swim, though, the most popular bases for coastal holidays are Palanga, Neringa and Klaipeda. It's important to note that both Slovenia and Lithuania, while rated most highly, also had a relatively small number of sites tested. 21 were tested in Slovenia and 16 in Lithuania, but the sites cumulatively gained top marks. The report further revealed that Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Greece had the highest percentages of bathing waters classified as excellent. Cyprus had 99.2 per cent of its bathing waters meeting the "excellent" standard, followed by Bulgaria with 97.9 per cent and Greece with 97 per cent. The assessment said that 85 percent of the European locations met the stringent standard of 'excellent' bathing water quality, while 96 percent met the minimum quality standards. The sites include beaches, rivers, lakes, and swimming holes, which are all tested by national and local authorities for bacterial contamination." The quality of coastal bathing waters which is defined as waters "situated on the sea or transitional water coastline", was found to be generally better than that of rivers and lakes. Here are the world's 50 best beaches, and where to find the two in England that made the cut. And the three UK beaches named the best in Europe by Tripadvisor this year.
