Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. But what about Muslims who live in countries that experience the midnight sun, where the sun shines non-stop?
To note, every place on Earth has a different time of day and night. That's why Muslims in the world will fast for different lengths of time. Muslims in countries experiencing the midnight sun like Norway, face their own challenges in this regard.
Midnight sun or the midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is still visible, even though local time has shown it is night time. This occurs when the weather is sunny in the summer months in the northern part of the Arctic Circle and in the winter months in the southern part of the Antarctic Circle.
"In Norway there is a line called the Arctic Line, where above the Arctic Line there is a day where the sun will continue to be seen. My area is below (the Arctic Line) so I don't experience it. But still at the peak of summer, I feel outside it is always bright It's like evening, even though it's 12 at night and even 1 in the morning," said Genesia Wahyu Saputro, who is currently studying at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, during a live streaming of Eureka! 'Fasting at the ends of the Earth's North & South'.
Running Ramadan in Norway, Genesis also follows a number of references on how to fast in such conditions. Because it is impossible for Muslims to fast continuously without breaking the fast.
"The sun doesn't set and when is it time to break the fast? There are several schools of thought or references that are used to make it easier. Here, there are three: local clocks that match the hours of the sun although they will be adjusted if there is a case (midnight sun) like earlier, fishing time hours are used in areas that in the area of 45 degrees north latitude and above, there is also a local time called Makkah where we draw a straight line from Mecca to the area and then the clock is adjusted," he explained.
Midnight sun impact
Midnight sun has an impact on the duration of the day being longer, even the sun can shine for 24 hours. For those who are used to getting enough sunlight and 12 hours of night time each, this certainly has an impact on the body and psychologically.
"The sun is indeed very important in its effect on the body. When the sun shines continuously, when sleeping sometimes there is light from outside the window making our bodies feel 'oh it's noon' or 'oh it's not night'. We wear very thick curtains so the sun doesn't penetrate , although sometimes it's still visible (light). So the body feels rich, hasn't slept, it's a bit difficult to regulate the biological clock in our body," said Genesia.
The opposite happens in winter. If in summer the duration of the bright sky is so long, then in winter the duration of the dark sky is very long.
"During winter, there are cases where people start to feel unwell due to lack of vitamin D. Because the sun in winter rises at 9 am and sets at 3 pm. For example, people go to work or study at 7 am and return at 4 pm. not exposed to the sun. It affects the body and mental condition, "he concluded.