Hello darkness my old friend

Written by rOOpe lipasti translated by alex ahlgren & OWen F. WitesMan

Some people are depressed by Finland’s long winters, but the darkness can also be enjoyable.

Every Midsummer, in June, that is – just when summer is about to begin! – Finland celebrates the longest day of the year. The sun does not set at all, but instead shines all night (unless it hails; Finnish weather is unpredictable). However, time-honored Midsummer tradition requires that some killjoy has to say that winter will be here soon, since the days are getting shorter now.

And it’s true, though Southern Finland will still have to wait quite a while for the darkness to return. But by the end of September, you can really notice the days start to shorten: when you wake up in the morning, it’s dark, and the daylight doesn’t last long. October moves along, but by November it’s bad, with pouring rain, dead plants everywhere and thickening darkness. Finally by December, the sun only pops up to say a brief hello. Because it’s usually so cloudy, the days are just gray twilight.

To make matters worse, on 31.10. we move the clocks back an hour to what we’ve given the Orwellian name, “normal time.” This way you can maximize the possibility that no one will see daylight for a few months. Of couRSe, it’s even worse in the north: in Utsjoki, the sun sets in the middle of November and doesn’t rise again until it peeks from the sky for just a moment in mid-January. After living in pitch darkness for a few months, you start to understand what darkness really means. At least in the south, their cities are better lit.

No wonder then that darkness-induced anxiety has its own medical term: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD has the same symptoms as regular depression, including sadness, anxiety, irritability, hopelessness and so on. Symptoms usually begin in October and lessen around February-March, when the sun starts to reappear. About one percent of Finns suffer from recurrent episodes of seasonal depression. In addition, 10–30% of the population suffers from similar but milder symptoms. This isn’t called depression, but rather the “winter blues.” Symptoms usually get worse with age, which is why many Finnish retirees live in Spain during the winters.

And yet, in spite of it all, there is also something very calming about the darkness.

So now it’S time to list the good qualities of darkness. Enjoy!

1. You can see the stars better in the dark. And if you get lucky and there’s snow on the ground, the starry sky and white snow drifts are a beautiful sight to behold. One of the coolest things to do during the winter in Finland is to ski in the moonlight through the fields between islands of forest. Failing that, a walking path will do.

2. You can use candles to your heart’s content. What could be cozier than lighting some candles and curling up under a blanket to take a nap or read a book? Or curling up on the sofa to enjoy a glass of red wine while the rest of the world is cloaked in darkness? If you happen to own a fireplace, staring at the fire will multiply your enjoyment several times over.

3. Darkness provides peace of mind. Autumn strolls in the city, with only a little light gleaming from the streetlamps, provide the opportunity to be all by yourself and think deep thoughts.

You can be anonymous, and no one will bother you. This also fits the Finnish mindset, although it’s unclear which is the reason and which is the result.

4. The aurora borealis. In the winter darkness, you can see the northern lights even in southern Finland, although they are more beautiful in the north. Aurora borealis is a light phenomenon of colorful, dancing patterns in the night sky. You can see more of them the closer you are to the earth’s poles. They are caused by solar wind particles hitting the earth’s atmosphere.

5. Winter sauna. Darkness usually also means coldness, so what better way to warm up than by taking a sauna? After the sauna, a stroll in the snow or a short swim will invigorate you, and then you can return to the dark steam room, a sort of natural womb. If you don’t have your own sauna, Finland is full of public saunas, where you can often also swim in a hole in the ice.

6. You can sleep better. If you have a hard time sleeping in the summer when the nights are bright, you won’t have any trouble in Finland during the winter. You can go to bed at three in the afternoon and sleep until ten in the morning in blissful twilight. And that’s not all: during the winter, the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin increases, which is why people are usually sleepier than in the summer. Thus you have a scientific reason to take naps several times a day!

7. In the dark, even a small ray of light is accentuated. Finland arranges different artistic light shows every year. For example,

Lux Helsinki is held early in January each year, turning the whole city into a magnificent light show. Similar artistic light shows are also held in Turku, Tampere and Oulu.

8. Everyone’s mood drops, and we become irritable. Of course, it is unfortunate that darkness causes a decrease in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin affects your mood and dopamine allows you to experience pleasure.

However, this is the exact reason why you should let your hair down, throw a party, start a new hobby or take a small trip. This is why the Christmas party season in Finland lasts from October to December.

9. You’re always hungry. Darkness increases appetite and the desire for sweets. What a fabulous excuse! I usually don’t care for them, but I do when it’s so damn dark! As a bonus, people don’t see me gain weight in the dark.

10. You don’t feel like moving. Darkness lowers your mood and energy levels, which is easy to translate into a win: I’d love to run a marathon instead of watching Netflix right now, but it’s just so dark – what a pity. Luckily, the world has all sorts of sports that can be done in the winter and the dark. Night orienteering is one example, which you can also do during the day in the winter. The other is night jogging – though despite its honorable sounding name, in the Finnish language this refers to bar-hopping and sleeping around.

11. You have memory and concentration problems. Yeah, yeah! I know I promised I’d do that a week ago, but look at how dark it is, I just couldn’t.Would tomorrow be okay? How about next week? Let’s address this again in April at the latest! Is there an easier way to explain away your own laziness than six months of darkness? s