The locals of Russia’s Murmansk finally had sun beaming down upon them after living in 40 days of darkness. The city situated in the north of the Arctic Circle have come out of their slumber after the year’s first glow of sunlight on January 12. The uncontainable excitement of the people was reflected with pictures and selfies shared by them on social media. They gathered on the city’s highest point, “Solnechnaya Gorka” (Sunny Hill in Russian) on the last day of the Polar night to capture the first rays of the sun rising above the horizon.

Most of the winters across the globe are cold and dark with early sunsets and cool weather forcing us all inside. But the people of Murmansk, Northern Russia experiences the darkest winters on the planet. The residents witnessed 40 days of no sun-show until last Friday when the sun finally rose. Several people celebrated by drinking tea and dancing, greet the sunrays with music. However, the light and warmth did not last very long time and was up in the sky for just 34 minutes, claimed a media report.

The sun plays hide-and-seek every year during the winters. It is a natural phenomenon, known as the polar night that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of the Earth when the night lasts for more than 24 hours. This occurs only inside the polar circles. Russia’s Arctic port of Murmansk sees no sunlight from December 2, 2017, to January 11, 2018. The end of the polar night is celebrated here twice. Here are some breath-taking pictures captured by the locals of Murmansk.

Year's first rays of Sun above the Horizon

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It's all uphill from here

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Far, far away

 

In Russia, there are around 30 cities within Arctic Circle. Murmansk is said to be the Arctic Circle’s most populous settlement and is a home for nearly 307,000 people with its polar nights, piercing wind and icy slopes. The weather in Murmansk is unpredictable. But in the month of December, it is not unusual to hear rain hammering on the rooftops with temperatures showing above zero. People are seen in boots and fur coats to beat the chilled weather.

Living beyond the polar circle is no piece of cake but until next winter the residents will gradually be able to enjoy some sunnier days. It’s going to get longer and brighter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2018 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).