Secret Traveller by Jamal Shaikh: The rhythms of the light

The most fascinating part of life in Rovaniemi, Finland is the phenomenon of 24 hours of daylight during summer months

Would you judge me if I told you I didn’t find the Northern Lights to be as magical a sight as I’d imagined them to be? Would you think I’m crazy if I said I enjoyed the museum in Rovaniemi a little more, where we were told about the 92 days of continuous day and night city experiences? And while we were spotting the bursts of green light in the sky, would you think I was mad to look at the other side of the horizon, fascinated by the magic of the moon that rose low on the horizon, and just an hour later, was ready to set a short distance away on the same side of the sky?

The Northern Lights illuminate the sky above the Arktikum, a science centre and museum where you can explore Finnish nature, culture and history

Northern Lights are called ‘Revontulet,’ which means ‘fox fires,’ inspired by the Finnish myth that the lights were made by a fox’s tail spraying snow into the sky

Modern igloo hotels are popular, but expensive, though guests arrive from all over the world for the unique views of the Northern Lights they present

When in Finland, sign up to go sledding with huskies, like these elves who work at the Santa Claus Office

The Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi stays open all year and offers visitors the chance to meet Santa and his elves

Santa Claus visited Mumbai last week, as seen here (above) disembarking the Finnair Mumbai flight at Mumbai airport, which has been Santa’s official airline since 1983

Walking among reindeer is a fun activity