There were capacity crowds in the La Hougue Bie tomb over the Spring Equinox period, to view the dawn sunbeam impregnate the passageway inside the mound.
Because of the weather, there was little to see on the Wednesday morning and not much more on the the Friday, but Thursday dawned clear and sunny, and those present were treated to a classic ‘sunbeam show’, which, although it has remained the same for about 6,000 years, nevertheless never fails to awe and impress beholders.
Those who were present said much the same thing: to begin with as they gathered in the passageway, there was chatter and remarks along the lines of ‘So, what is all this about?’ and ‘Is this going to be worth getting out of bed for?’
Then, the beam suddenly lit up the passageway and chamber, and chatter died: everybody was silent and respectful while the spectacle continued. It was if they had been present at a religious ceremony.
What did it mean to the original participants in this religious rite? Was this a sign to mark the progress of the seasons and an indication for the first Island farmers to prepare their seasonal tasks? Was this a marriage of heaven and earth, in a manner that replicated the sexual act? And what would have been the reaction if it was cloudy and rainy, and the shaft of light didn’t appear?
Who knows? Over the thousands of years that La Hougue Bie remained a sacred site, there would have been time for countless schisms, reformations and deformations to come and go. But, today, just as 6,000 years ago, it has retained the same original power to awe and inspire.
