Return of the Sun Festival

The long winter darkness was not as bad as we thought it would be. Everyday, we had some twilight at noon and it was never completely dark for 24 hours. Annually, there is a festival called Return of the Sun that happens at the beginning of January when the Sun shows its face again (for about 2 minutes then it sets).

The Festival is a big deal in town and a very cultural event.


This is the lighting of the qulliq. It symbolizes the start of the "warm" season again and is the "olympic torch" of these festivals. Traditionally, the qulliq would be the only source of heat in an igloo. The wick would be made with Arctic cotton (a wild plant) and the oil from be scrapped off of seal meat.


The drum dancing competition was very interesting to watch. The gym was full of people and it was very difficult to get a spot close to the action.


This is my favourite picture. There was a red light shinning from the right side of the picture. It makes the drum glow!


This guy was the best dancer. It was a team competition. One person would dance with the drum while the other person would be on stage singing.