Darkness

It is half way trough November and it is getting dark really early in Sweden: around three o’clock. The weird thing about the early darkness is that you think you have to eat dinner at four o’clock. I noticed this when my parents were visiting me last weekend.

They had some trouble adapting to the early darkness. And because the last few weeks Sweden was covered in a thick blanket of clouds, it looked like the darkness started even earlier. But in some way it is also really cozy. In the centre of Uppsala a lot of trees are covered with Christmas lights. During this time, when the dark starts earlier and people need to adapt, there is an event that is taking place during November. This event is called ‘Allt ljus på Uppsala’ which means all lights on in Uppsala. During this event 15 places have been decorated with various kinds of light effects. The idea behind this event is to show the city in a new light and create a sense of comfort and security during the dark autumn evenings.