THE lavish menu, the tuxedos and the diesel mechanic dressed as Cinderella are ready. Near the bottom of the world, 'tis the season to be jolly.

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Although few Australians will give it much thought, at Antarctica's snow-swept scientific bases it is party time. There the shortest day is celebrated much as the rest of the world marks New Year, or Christmas.

"All the communities celebrate," said Pete Pedersen,

the leader at Australia's Davis station, who has been busy exchanging season's greetings with distant neighbours.

"I have been shooting off emails to the Chinese at Zhongshan, to the English at Halley Base, to

the Argentinians, the French, the Russians … we say 'happy mid-winter and hope you have

a successful year and safe return home'."

At Davis, where the sun has not risen in weeks and the temperature averages minus 20 degrees, it is officially a long weekend. The 18 staff spending winter at the station will begin today by gathering for brunch - eggs benedict. Then they will drive for a quick dip at what passes for the local beach. But first they will have to hack a hole in the frozen ocean with a chainsaw.

"People strip off, down to their togs in the truck, jump into the water for about a millisecond, then jump out again," said Mr Pedersen, who usually works as a quarantine officer in Cairns. Despite the water being minus 2 degrees, the dip is something almost everyone wintering at Davis tries once.

Dinner, at 3pm, will be a formal affair. For men it is tuxedos or suits and ties. "The women put on their very best, and throw a bit of lippy around," Mr Pedersen said. "People can be hard to recognise after seeing them for a year in their government-issue clothes."

The chef, Dwayne Rook, has prepared a menu featuring crayfish, oysters, prawns, scallops mornay and oven-baked eye fillet.

After champagne and home-made beer, the curtain will rise on Davis's interpretation of Cinderella , an Antarctic tradition. This year Noel Cottrel, a diesel mechanic, stars as Cinderella. Harriet Paterson, a biologist, plays Prince Charming.

Mid-winter, Mr Pedersen said, is "the most gruelling time of the year". If it is only minus 20 and the air is still "it can be quite pleasant working outside. But if there's even a slight breeze minus 10 is bitterly cold. After minus 30 it becomes brutal."

The sun doesn't rise, but a milky twilight fills the sky from 11.30am. Then the light fades again. "It's gone black by 3pm."