The sun has sunk below the horizon and Kaamos-time has begun in
Northern Lapland. This year the winter twilight arrived in Utsjoki on Thursday
the 26th of November. In the northernmost municipality of Finland the season
without sunshine will last to the middle of January.
Hiking and going on
excursions during Kaamos brings with it unique challenges, as the arrival of
winter, the freezing over of lakes and rivers and snow conditions are difficult
to predict. It is worth the difficulty though as the peace, quiet and unique
lighting make such hikes unforgettable. Kaamos-time is not the coldest time of
year. The winter’s most freezing part begins at the end of Kaamos.
Kaamos is the time of year when people in northern Finland live in a dim blue
twilight. There are only four hours of light during the day. It is not pitch
dark but visibility is almost as good during bright moonlit nights as during the
days, because the moon light shimmers on the snow and reflects off of it. As
well as the snow reflecting light the winter sky is lit with northern lights.
Animals living up north during winter have adapted to this lack of sun light.
The scantiness and total lack of natural light cause more problems for humans
than animals. Constant darkness has many effects on the human mind and body;
some tire easily, some lose their sleep rhythm and others crave sweets. On the
other hand Kaamos is a perfect time to wind-down and regain one’s strength.
Kaamos is the opposite of the summer’s midnight sun. Both phenomenons are
based on the axis of the Earth and our planet’s tilted position towards the sun.
During winter the North Pole is tilted away from the sun and is therefore left
in shade.
The further north one travels the shorter the time of daylight is each day
and the longer Kaamos lasts. The North Pole is for this reason the darkest
point. The time of blue twilight begins at the end of September and lasts to the
middle of March. In the northernmost village in Finland, Nuorgam the sun drops
below the horizon at the end of November and stays there to the middle of
January, the darkness thus lasting bout two months. In the Ivalo area Kaamos
lasts 37 days. When the northernmost part of the planet is draped in the deepest
darkness at the end of December the South Pole is washed over by the midnight
sun.
Further Information:
- You can find the local times for sunrise and sunset for example in the almanac published by
University of Helsinki (almanakka.helsinki.fi).
