Burning of the Clocks

On Thursday, my friend had the day off from work, so we headed off to tour his hometown of Brighton on this cold, drizzly day.  One of our stops was at the Brighton Museum and ArtGallery, which offered displays of modern art, ancient Egyptian artifacts, and a historical depiction of Brighton. 

One piece of art in the latter section was an elaborate, white, paper clock costume, which suddenly began flashing a display of lights.  I thought that, perhaps, this was donned by the lead of the Burning of the Clocks parade, which was explained on the plaque.  Minimal information was provided about this event, so I did a bit of research. 

The Burning of the Clocks was created by Same Sky in 1995, as an alternative festivity during the holiday season in an effort to recreate and revive the traditional Winter Solstice celebration.  Anyone can participate in this event, which commences with a parade of individually designed paper lanterns through the streets of Brighton.  Each lantern is a unique representation of its maker’s fears, hopes, and dreams.  At the close of the parade, these lanterns are burned in a large fire on the beach to signify the passage of time and the beginning of new life at the start of the new year.