October 24, 2022 | Posted by misfitwanders | Adventures, Nature, Sweden, Time, Traveling
Colors overtake the sky of greens and blues. It wisps through the air, as if it’s alive. A quiet feeling lingers in the air as we stare up at the night sky in disbelieve at the beauty in front of us. It is as if seeing these bright lights dancing to an unheard song. Aurora Borealis in Sweden is definitely a must see! You can learn more about Aurora Borealis here!
Aurora Borealis has several names, such as: northern lights, southern lights, and polar lights. Aurora Borealis is a natural light show in the Earth’s sky and usually seen in high-latitude regions. Solar winds cause a disruption in the magnetosphere, which can create this beautiful anomaly if it’s strong enough. These charge particles that make this are roughly electrons and protons.
The word, aurora comes from the roman goddess of dawn. This roman goddess would travel east to west and let the world know that the sun is coming. Many Greek poets would talk about the name and use it when mentioning the beautiful colors that play over the night sky.
Aurora Borealis in Sweden is in the northern part. But there are times where you can see it in other places as well. There is an “auroral zone”, which is mainly where you can see the Aurora Borealis. If you want to be in the best place for this epic sight, check on the internet and find out where the auroral oval is. This changes day by day, so it’s best to keep checking and prepare for a trip to see the lights in the night sky.
Early September to Late March
At first, in early September it’s the time when you can possibly see the northern lights in and around Kiruna, which is in Northern Sweden. Once it’s January time, then it’s the best time to see Aurora Borealis in Sweden’s Lapland. This area is in the northwest corner of Sweden and the Swedish Lapland is over about ¼ of the country. Many say that for seeing the northern lights in its peak, is to wait and stare up at the sky around 10:00-11:00pm. But it’s good to check online and see the weather forecast involving the aurora oval here.
Here’s a list of great places for 2021-2022. These are the areas that it’s frequent to see the northern lights at and its quality. As you can see, the Scandinavian countries are some of the best place to see this beautiful phenomenon.
Check out an excursion in Sweden to see the norther lights here!
The indigenous Sami people of Sweden believe that the colorful lights are souls of the dead. A superstitious thing they had about this was that you can’t dance, sing any songs, or whistle at the beautiful lights, since the Sami people felt this would make the souls feel disrespected. They believed that the lights would come down and take you away to the afterlife if you do that.
Another myth comes from the Vikings that saw the Aurora Borealis in Sweden as the Valkyries that were taking the dead warriors to meet Odin (their god of gods).
In Northern Sweden, they believed that the northern lights were created by herring fish in an abundance. Which made them think that it was a good omen to catch several fish. So, they would begin fishing.
A myth I found that I thought was interesting was from Finland. They say that the lights in the sky are from a fire fox who ran swiftly across the white snow that he created friction. Thus, the sparks flew up to the night sky.
In some of the Asian countries, they believe that if you conceive a baby under the northern lights that the child will be beautiful and given good fortune through its life. Specifically, in China, many believed that in the sky when the light show occurred, there was a celestial battle happening between dragons. It was good and evil dragons which breathed fire across the night sky.
In Iceland, they believe that the northern lights can help with the pain that comes with giving birth. But they also say, pregnant women can’t look at the northern lights before childbirth since this would create a cross-eyed child.
When these native people saw the southern lights, they believed it was their gods that were dancing overhead. It was a magical time to feel closer to their gods.
Aurora Borealis in Sweden is one of the extraordinary places you can see this natural phenomenon. You can’t see this just anywhere! Plus, if you see it in northern Sweden, it’s likely that you’ll have the chance to enjoy the Ice Hotel and the northern lights in the same day. Usually, when it’s the time to see this trajectory in the night sky, there’s a blanket of white snow, which adds to the beauty of the colorful night sky.
If you do plan on visiting the aurora borealis in Sweden, then make time to enjoy the other outdoor activities. There are several hikes, places for canoeing/kayaking, and many other kinds of outdoor adventures. Check out Adventures in Sweden to learn more about the less treaded paths and some experiences you don’t want to pass up! Once you visit Sweden’s wonderful nature, you won’t want to stop! Find out more here!
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