Darkness Begone! Lights Ward off Nordic Winter Blues - Rawan For Media Artistic and Production
At
this time of year, when night falls as early as 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) and
lasts until about 9:00 am (0800 GMT) in Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm,
people ward off the gloom by lighting up their lives as many ways as
they can.
Even
daytime brings only a slightly lighter shade of grey during the darkest
weeks before the winter solstice in December, when skies are often
overcast in the three capitals.
Daylight
is even more elusive farther north. In the Swedish mining town of
Kiruna above the Arctic Circle, the sun never rises around the winter
solstice.
"Everything is grey, grey, grey! And so cold!" At 50, Birgitta Ohrling has never gotten used to Stockholm's long dark winters.
Unable
to do anything about the weather outside, the bubbly blonde started her
own Nirvana wellness centre in the Swedish capital, creating an
artificial summer to chase away the winter doldrums.
For
20 euros ($22) an hour, visitors to the "sunroom" can bask in warming
rays from special light therapy lamps, as the mercury hits a balmy 35
degrees C (95 F) -- a far cry from the freezing temperatures outside.
The
heat is only half of what you'd experience in a hot sauna, but the
sunchairs, the wall mural of a sandy beach, and the sound of waves
gently lapping the shores help create an aura of warmth and calm, and
work wonders at fighting off the blues.
Visitors
leaving the centre step outside looking a little dazed, rosy-cheeked as
if waking from a long sleep yet invigorated and ready to face more of
the dark winter.
The
high dosage of lux - a unit for measuring illumination - in the
centre's special lamps help chase away the sleep hormone melatonin,
giving people more energy.
Up
to 90 percent of Swedes suffer to some degree from Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression. The condition is
characterised by sadness, lethargy, and increased alcohol and sweets
consumption, according to Baba Pendse, a psychiatrist specialised in the
disorder.
- City bathed in white lights -
Many
in the region try to counter the effects of the enveloping darkness
with light therapy sessions or by taking cures of extra vitamin D, which
is essential for growth and fighting off cardiovascular disease.
In
November, Stockholm registered only 46 hours of sunlight, just over
half the amount in Paris but still nine times more than the paltry five
hours registered in Stockholm in November last year.
But
not everyone needs a special cure to combat the darkness: for most
people, regular lunchtime strolls or weekend cross-country skiing
sessions are enough to get their fill of light.
The
Nordic passion for decorative white lights during Advent -- the four
Sundays leading up to Christmas -- also helps most people charge their
feel-good batteries.
Starting
in late November, stars and special Advent candlesticks glow in almost
every window in Stockholm homes, shops and offices, while facades, trees
and even tree trunks are swept in strings of white electric lights.
Large
moose and reindeer light sculptures illuminate the city's central
squares, as everyone waits for the first real snowfall to amplify the
natural winter light.
On December 13, Sweden's love affair with light reaches its pinnacle as the country celebrates Saint Lucia Day.
The
festival of light honours an Italian martyr whose name is derived from
"Lux", the Latin word for light, and who was meant to chase away the
dark spirits on the longest night of the year under the Julian calendar.
To this day, young girls across the country compete for the honour of being a "Lucia".
Joined
by their attendants, the Lucias rise early in the morning and, wearing a
crown of candles in their hair and long white robes with a red sash,
they sing Christmas carols at concerts and processions in churches,
schools and public locations around the country.
So
it should come as no surprise that hordes of light-deprived Swedes each
year choose to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve ... in
sundrenched spots like Thailand and the Canary Islands.
More than 300,000 Swedes leave the country for the holidays each year.
By AFP, 17 hours 25 minutes ago
Each
year, Old Man Winter drops his curtain of darkness over the Nordic
countries, not lifting it again until April when spring bathes the
region in sunlight and nature comes back to life.
year, Old Man Winter drops his curtain of darkness over the Nordic
countries, not lifting it again until April when spring bathes the
region in sunlight and nature comes back to life.
At
this time of year, when night falls as early as 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) and
lasts until about 9:00 am (0800 GMT) in Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm,
people ward off the gloom by lighting up their lives as many ways as
they can.
Even
daytime brings only a slightly lighter shade of grey during the darkest
weeks before the winter solstice in December, when skies are often
overcast in the three capitals.
Daylight
is even more elusive farther north. In the Swedish mining town of
Kiruna above the Arctic Circle, the sun never rises around the winter
solstice.
"Everything is grey, grey, grey! And so cold!" At 50, Birgitta Ohrling has never gotten used to Stockholm's long dark winters.
Unable
to do anything about the weather outside, the bubbly blonde started her
own Nirvana wellness centre in the Swedish capital, creating an
artificial summer to chase away the winter doldrums.
For
20 euros ($22) an hour, visitors to the "sunroom" can bask in warming
rays from special light therapy lamps, as the mercury hits a balmy 35
degrees C (95 F) -- a far cry from the freezing temperatures outside.
The
heat is only half of what you'd experience in a hot sauna, but the
sunchairs, the wall mural of a sandy beach, and the sound of waves
gently lapping the shores help create an aura of warmth and calm, and
work wonders at fighting off the blues.
Visitors
leaving the centre step outside looking a little dazed, rosy-cheeked as
if waking from a long sleep yet invigorated and ready to face more of
the dark winter.
The
high dosage of lux - a unit for measuring illumination - in the
centre's special lamps help chase away the sleep hormone melatonin,
giving people more energy.
Up
to 90 percent of Swedes suffer to some degree from Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression. The condition is
characterised by sadness, lethargy, and increased alcohol and sweets
consumption, according to Baba Pendse, a psychiatrist specialised in the
disorder.
- City bathed in white lights -
Many
in the region try to counter the effects of the enveloping darkness
with light therapy sessions or by taking cures of extra vitamin D, which
is essential for growth and fighting off cardiovascular disease.
In
November, Stockholm registered only 46 hours of sunlight, just over
half the amount in Paris but still nine times more than the paltry five
hours registered in Stockholm in November last year.
But
not everyone needs a special cure to combat the darkness: for most
people, regular lunchtime strolls or weekend cross-country skiing
sessions are enough to get their fill of light.
The
Nordic passion for decorative white lights during Advent -- the four
Sundays leading up to Christmas -- also helps most people charge their
feel-good batteries.
Starting
in late November, stars and special Advent candlesticks glow in almost
every window in Stockholm homes, shops and offices, while facades, trees
and even tree trunks are swept in strings of white electric lights.
Large
moose and reindeer light sculptures illuminate the city's central
squares, as everyone waits for the first real snowfall to amplify the
natural winter light.
On December 13, Sweden's love affair with light reaches its pinnacle as the country celebrates Saint Lucia Day.
The
festival of light honours an Italian martyr whose name is derived from
"Lux", the Latin word for light, and who was meant to chase away the
dark spirits on the longest night of the year under the Julian calendar.
To this day, young girls across the country compete for the honour of being a "Lucia".
Joined
by their attendants, the Lucias rise early in the morning and, wearing a
crown of candles in their hair and long white robes with a red sash,
they sing Christmas carols at concerts and processions in churches,
schools and public locations around the country.
So
it should come as no surprise that hordes of light-deprived Swedes each
year choose to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve ... in
sundrenched spots like Thailand and the Canary Islands.
More than 300,000 Swedes leave the country for the holidays each year.
By AFP, 17 hours 25 minutes ago
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