Darkness begone! Lights ward off Nordic winter blues

Each year, Old Man Winter drops his curtain of darkness over the Nordic countries, not lifting it again until April when spring bathes the region in sunlight and nature comes back to life.

At this time of year, when night falls as early as 2 pm (13:00 GMT) and lasts until about 9 am (08:00 GMT) in Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm, people ward off the gloom by lighting up their lives as many ways as they can.

Even daytime brings only a slightly lighter shade of gray during the darkest weeks before the winter solstice in December, when skies are often overcast in the three capitals.