Brighter days are on the way in Denmark after winter solstice

After the winter solstice, which fell on Tuesday, days are now getting longer and nights shorter.

The winter solstice falls when the Earth tilts the furthest away from the Sun on its axis. In the Northern Hemisphere this usually happens around December 21st-23rd every year.

Denmark’s dark winters aren’t as severe as in Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Norway, which both experience polar nights – when the sun doesn’t rise at all for several weeks.

The long hours of darkness can still be felt in Denmark, however.

For example, in northern city Aalborg the sun will set at 3:40pm on Thursday December 23rd and rise at 8:58am on Christmas Eve. In Copenhagen, sunset on the 23rd, known by Danes as lille juleaften or “little Christmas Eve”, is at 3:39pm, with sunrise the next morning at 8:40am.

Although the winter solstice marks the start of the change towards longer days, it will take a while to feel any effect. Nights remain longer than days until the spring equinox or jævndøgn in Danish, which occurs on March 20th in 2022.

If you don’t mind the dark, it could be accompanied by some festive winter weather in parts of Denmark this year.

Cold temperatures precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday could hold out long enough for a white Christmas in some regions of Denmark, according to forecasts.

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