ANCIENT cultures heralded its arrival with fire and blood, bonfires and human sacrifice. 

Today, people in Greenland break weeks of polar darkness by singing as it emerges above the horizon.

READ MORE: Watch - the best golf tantrums of all time

But in Scotland, that most treasured and rare of occurences, the appearance of the sun, is greeted with the immortal cry of Taps Aff!  

It's understandable. You live in Scotland, it rains most of the time, but that just makes it that much sweeter when good weather deigns to make an appearance. 

People therefore generally don't let minor details such as beer bellies, bingo wings or a sense of public decency stand in the way of allowing electromagnetic radiation from a fiery ball of gas millions of kilometres away to lightly broil their pallid flesh. 

The end result? The meek of heart may struggle. 

This may be a slight exaggeration to what the sun is bearing witness to today. But not by much.

We agree. We'll go out on a limb and say this is the best photo of an elderly man with a naked torso you'll see this week.

READ MORE: Polar bears enjoy a cone in the sun

Age is no barrier to getting your pale bits out.

Even the cops were getting in on the banter. 

Gainful employment ceases to be a priority when the sun is out. 

Though social media recognises no division of country, one user pointed out our southern cousins may be left scratching their heads. 

Spare a thought for the many red heads that bless our sun-kissed land, forced to huddle beneath parasols and a slather of factor 50 

Some people chose to share some stunning photos of their locale basking in the sun. 

Milk was a bad choice. 

We suspect some clever photo manipulation may be at work here. 

Even Scotland's heraldic animals are getting in on the act.