The northern part of Norway is sometimes referred to as the "land of light and darkness" The midnight sun in the summer and the northern light in the winter.
The phenomenon of midnight sun can only be seen north of the polar circle. At the mainland the North Cape have the first day (24 hours) of midnight sun. May 14th one can see the whole sun above the horizon in the night, at the polar circle this is a reality almost a month later.
Midnight sunDates when the whole disc of the sun is above the horizon.
There is a third kind of light that is a special feature for the parts of the world beyond the polar circle. The twilight (or "tussmørke" in Norwegian - literaly translated the darknes of the gnomes). This light phenomenon before the sunrise and after the sunset gives a tranquilizing and relaxing mood. In the wintertime this period of darknes can be a couple of hours each day. The light these hours can be fantastic, clouds and mountains colored with a dim pink light. The shades of blue that can be observed are uncountable. In the old norse religion the time between light and darkness was a dangerous time as the trolls and goblins were active.
The contrast to the midnight sun is the polar night, but in contast to the midnight sun it is not all dark in the polar night. The days are getting gradually shorter in the north the closer the year are to the winter solstice (December 21 or 22). By this date the twilight are the only light in the northern part of Norway.In Northern Norway it ts custom to celebrate the return of the sun after the polar night. School children get a day off on the "sun day" in several cities and places. There are even a pastry baked for this occation called the sun bun.
Polar nightDates for the polar night.
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