If you think your home city gets cold, think again. In Yahutsk, the regional capital of Russia’s Republic of Sakha, the winter lows can drop to a bone-chilling -70°F, making it the coldest city in the world. But while the winter temperatures can be brutal, the summers can be quite pleasant, with summer highs reaching 70°F.
You can imagine that for the people of Yahutsk, the summer months call for celebration after such an insanely cold winter. And celebrate they do. Each summer, Yakuts, as they’re known, create a summer celebration around the summer solstice to honor the deities of honor and to celebrate renewal and fertility. The largest of these celebration welcomes crowds of about 200,000 who sing and dance around bright, big-bellied yurts. It’s a beautiful sight, one you have to see to believe. So if you’re curious to know how people in the world’s coldest city celebrate the summer, take a look right here.
