What Is Polar Night? Daily Life, Diet & Culture in 24 Hour Darkness
Discover what Polar Night is and how
Arctic communities live, work, eat, and stay healthy during months of 24-hour
darkness!
What is Polar
Night?
We live on a planet (Earth) that is
tilted at 23.5 degrees. Because of this tilt, when the Earth revolves
around the Sun, the northern part (North Pole) moves away from the Sun for some
time. During this period, sunlight cannot reach the North Pole, and it remains
dark for the entire 24 hours just like night.
This phenomenon continues in the Arctic
(North Pole region) from September to early March, and in the Antarctic
(South Pole region) from late March to September. Any place that lies within the Arctic and Antarctic circles experiences this
unique natural event.
Here are some places on Earth and the
approximate number of days they experience Polar Night:
- Alaska / Utqiagvik (Barrow) – 65 days
- Norway – 40 to 45
days
- Norway (Svalbard) – 110 to
120 days
- Sweden (Kiruna) – 30 days
- Finland (Utsjoki) – 20 to 25
days
- Russia (Murmansk) – 40 days
- Russia far north – 2 to 3
months
- Canadian Arctic – 1 to 4
months
- Greenland – 2 to 3
months
- Antarctica – 6 months
Recently, you might have heard that Utqiagvik
(Barrow) in Alaska entered its polar night. It is an American city where
about 4,400 people live. This year, the sun has already set there and
residents will not see sunlight again until January 21, 2026. The next
sunrise will be on January 22, 2026. Until then, the town will remain in
24 hour darkness.
Let’s understand how people live, what
they eat, and how their lifestyle works during the Polar Night.
1. What is daily
life like during the Polar Night?
You might think that because it is
dark for 24 hours, offices and schools are closed. But that is not true. Work and school continue as usual. Teachers,
scientists, field workers, healthcare workers, fishermen go to their regular
jobs. Students attend school following their normal schedule. Because of the
continuous darkness, people use light therapy rooms and bright indoor
lighting. Houses and buildings have special full spectrum LED lights
that create sunlight like brightness. In the morning, people use light boxes
to maintain a healthy biological clock.
Spectrum LED lights Image (Digital)
Outdoor
Activities Continue:
Even in darkness, people enjoy:
- Snowmobiling
- Ice fishing
- Dog sledding
- Watching Aurora Borealis
- Gathering around fire pits and sharing
stories
For safety in darkness, people wear
reflective jackets and use special flashlights. Community events help keep
people active and connected.
2. How do people
manage mentally & physically?
Because there is no sunlight, doctors
recommend Vitamin D, especially for children. People practice light
therapy, sitting in front of 10000 lux lamps for 20 to 30 minutes
in the morning. This helps prevent depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD).
Community Events:
During polar night, people become more
social. They attend:
- Community dinners
- Drum dances
- Cultural events
- Craft workshops
- Ice-carving events
This helps reduce the feeling of
isolation.
3. Lifestyle
Changes
During polar night, people have to
adjust their sleep schedule. Because of constant darkness, it’s easy to
lose 24 hour time sense.
So they follow fixed sleeping hours and rely heavily on alarms. Travel is
usually done in groups because of darkness and temperatures that can drop to –30°C.
People carry GPS, Beacons and Radios with them.
4. Food &
Diet
During this time, people rely heavily
on traditional Alaska Native foods, such as:
- Whale (Bowhead)
- Seal
- Walrus
- Caribou meat
- Muktuk (whale skin
+ blubber)
- Arctic char (a type of fish)
- Whitefish
- Berries (collected in summer and frozen
for winter)
These foods are high in fat, providing
energy and helping the body stay warm.
People also eat:
- Canned foods
- Frozen vegetables
- Pasta
- Rice
- Bread
- Imported fruits
In remote town like Barrow, groceries
can be extremely expensive. Sometimes 1 liter of milk costs 6 to 10 US
dollars.
5. Homes &
Heating
In Barrow, houses are super-insulated,
with:
- Triple-sealed windows
- Thick insulation
- Heated floors
- Oil-based furnaces
Heaters run 24/7 because
temperatures remain extremely low during the polar night.
Summary (in
simple words)
During polar night, people stay
healthy using bright lights and Vitamin D. They continue normal
jobs and school. They eat traditional Arctic foods and stay active through
community events. Their lifestyle adjusts to extreme cold and darkness something
nature has taught them to adapt.
Thank You.
