Skammdegi

by Gunnar Birgisson

A view of Reykjavik, December 2015 Photo Credit: Arbol01, Creative Commons

This is the time of year we experience skammdegi. The days are short and the nights are long. It’s dark when you go to work and it’s dark when you come home. In between, you sip coffee while gazing through the window at the grayish day outside.

It’s a long season that few people enjoy. The first half is better, of course. Fall weather gets colder as the days shorten, yet October is often a beautiful month. By November, everybody is looking forward to the holidays, which in Iceland go on forever, as we have a 13-day countdown to Christmas and then a 13-day wind-down as well. 

In December, the holiday lights look good against the darkness, and there are lots of parties and socializing. In the densely-knit Icelandic society, people may be double- or triple-booked each day, juggling invitations from relatives, old friends, and neighbors. It peaks on New Year's Eve with the chaotic fireworks display and large bonfires temporarily warming the air.

Then reality hits. It's early January, all the festivities are over and it's just going to be dark and cold for weeks on end. The days do get longer a few minutes at a time, but it’s not much help during the peak of winter. The darkness still dominates, and it’s not getting any warmer. Seeing some flashy Northern Lights is no help at all. It's just another reminder that it’s dark.

People retreat into themselves, working, brooding, cursing the weather, while also trying to make the most of indoor activities such as going to the theatre. Of course, any trip can make you vulnerable to the erratic Icelandic weather, including unexpected blizzards, driving wind and rain, or sheets of ice hidden under a dusting of snow.

During this time, the skammdegi is a leading suspect for sundry mood disorders. 

The skammdegi is over by late March—the spring equinox. But the miserable weather often lingers, like a bad hangover, cold, damp, and windy.  Spirits are low; actual spring is far off. But fortunately, the next dark season is even further away.