15/11/2025
🇬🇧 English below
Noć na Islandu
Još je nešto više od 30 dana do zimskog solsticija, ali dani su ovako daleko na sjeveru već prilično kratki. Sunce izlazi ujutro oko 10 sati, a zalazi oko 16:20.
Dan se ovdje skraćuje jako brzo. Za samo tjedan dana od danas dan će biti još 40 minuta kraći!
Iskreno, meni je uzbudljivo promatrati kako prirodni ciklusi gotovo diktiraju živote ljudi ovdje na sjeveru, premda mnogi “naši” ljudi koji ovdje žive neko vrijeme govore: “Bit će još gore!” Pritom misle na to da se još punih mjesec dana dan skraćuje, a oko zimskog solsticija sunce izlazi tek oko 11.30, a zalazi oko 15.30, što znači da je oko 20 sati potpuni mrak.
No Islanđani s kojima sam razgovarala ne koriste termine “bolje” i “gore”. Uz smijeh komentiraju kako se tih dana, kad se sunce samo kratko pojavi na nebu, ono toliko brzo kreće da doslovno svakih par minuta možeš uočiti da je već bliže zalasku.
Kako provoditi dane kad si 20 sati u potpunom mraku? Kao prvo, lampice su posvuda! Islanđani u svojim kućama vole imati stotine vrsta rasvjete, svijeća i lampica. I to mi je sasvim razumljivo – ako je već mračno, neka sve bude okićeno blještavim svjetlima. U trgovinama je velika ponuda raznih lampica, a i mi smo već počeli s uređenjem i prilagodbom na mrak.
Pri polasku u školu koristimo ručne baterijske lampe, iako je rasvjeta upaljena posvuda, ali djeci je zabavnije 😄
Što su nam još savjetovali Islanđani – obavezno suplementirati vitamin D, iskoristiti blagodati geotermalnih bazena (u sklopu kojih se nalaze i saune, parne sobe i terapije crvenim svjetlom). U Reykjaviku je 18 geotermalnih bazena, tako da vam je u blizini uvijek barem jedan! Knjižnice su dosta posjećene tijekom zime, a mnoge aktivnosti n**e i škole. Sljedeći tjedan u našoj školi imamo kino-večer. Djeca su pozvana doći sa roditeljima, braćom i sestrama (koji možda ne idu u školu), u pidžamama, sa omiljenim jastucima i dekicama, kako bi uživali u božićnom filmu.
Već smo dobro zagazili u doba mraka, i iako su promjene u prirodi ovdje dramatične, nas to ne plaši, jer već za otprilike 30 dana dan će se početi produživati. I to jednako brzo kao što nas je obgrlila noć – tako brzo će nam svaki dan nakon solsticija postajati duži i sunčaniji. A ne smijem zaboraviti ni aurore, koje zimske, mračne dane čine zaista čarobnima!
Kako biste vi ispunili vrijeme da živite 20 sati u mraku? Biste li se mogli prilagoditi ovakvim godišnjim dobima?
🇬🇧 Nighttime in Iceland
There are just over 30 days until the winter solstice, but this far north, the days are already quite short. The sun rises around 10 a.m. and sets around 4:20 p.m.
The daylight is shrinking rapidly here. In just one week, the days will be another 40 minutes shorter!
Honestly, I find it fascinating to see how natural cycles almost dictate life for people living this far north. Many “outsiders” who’ve lived here for a while say, “It’ll get even worse!” They mean that the days continue to shorten for another full month, and around the solstice, the sun rises at 10 a.m., sets at 4 p.m., leaving about 20 hours of complete darkness.
But Icelanders I’ve spoken with don’t use terms like “better” or “worse.” With a laugh, they note that during those days when the sun barely appears in the sky, it moves so quickly that you can literally see it getting closer to the horizon every few minutes.
How do you spend your days when you’re in complete darkness for 20 hours? First of all – lights everywhere! Icelanders love having all kinds of lighting, candles, and fairy lights in their homes. And I totally understand it—if it’s dark anyway, why not make everything sparkle? Stores have a huge variety of lights, and we’ve already started decorating and adjusting to the darkness.
When heading to school, we even use small hand-held lights, even though there’s lighting everywhere – the kids just find it more fun 😄
Other advice from Icelanders: supplement vitamin D, take advantage of geothermal pools (many with saunas, steam rooms, and red light therapy). Reykjavik alone has 18 geothermal pools, so there’s always one nearby! Libraries are popular during winter, offering activities and events, as are schools. Next week, our school is hosting a cinema night. Kids are invited to come with their parents, siblings, or anyone else at home, in pajamas, with favorite pillows and blankets, to enjoy a cozy Christmas movie.
We are already well into the dark season, and although the changes in nature here are dramatic, we aren’t afraid. In just about 30 days, the days will start getting longer again—and just as quickly as night embraced us, each day after the solstice will grow brighter and longer. And I mustn’t forget the northern lights, which make these winter days truly magical!
How would you spend your time living 20 hours in darkness? Could you adapt to such extreme seasonal changes?