A strawberry moon, pagan circles and for some - dog for dinner. It was the solstice yesterday and this is how some people marked the event across the globe. Last night there were eight-and-a-half hours of darkness in Johannesburg, the longest of the year. The good news is that from now the nights get shorter and the days longer.For many it was just another night but for some it was special.THE SHORTLESS DAY: A mass skinny dip in the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, to celebrate the winter solstice. Picture: ROSIE HASTIE/MONA/EPAIn the UK, over the weekend pagans will gather at the ancient sites of Stonehenge and Avebury. The belief is that midsummer's eve is when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest and when fairies are thought to be at their most powerful.The pressures of modern living and having to go to work the following day is why most pagans will be celebrating at the weekend.This year the solstice [winter in the southern hemisphere and summer in the north] is different.For the first time since 1967 the solstice coincided with a rare strawberry moon. This term was coined by the Algonquin tribes of North America who believed June's full moon signalled the beginning of the strawberry-picking season.LONG DAY COMING: Celebrating the northern hemisphere's summer solstice at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in southern England. Picture: KIERAN DOHERTY/REUTERSBut there is also another solstice celebration that angers animal rights groups across the world.In the city of Yulin in China festival goers will take part in the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival. Over a period of 10 days thousands of dogs are eaten in the belief that canine meat helps ward off the heat of summer.In South Africa, between 10 and 15 pagans will gather in Crystal Park, Benoni, to mark Yule, a pagan name for the solstice.High priestess Tanya Strickler plans to gather a circle in her garden. "We will be calling in the god and goddess," she said."There will be meditation and thanksgiving."Like the Brits their celebrations take place on Saturday. And when it is all over there will be feasting and a movie night, said Strickler...