When is Polar Day celebrated in Russia?

The daily monotonous snowy landscape outside the window, the cold, the storm, everyday work and quite a few entertainment. Who is ready for months, and sometimes even years, to live in such conditions? Polar explorers. Perhaps, this title can not be borne by everyone.

Life after the Arctic Circle

In the polar explorers, you simply can not get it - basically they bring prepared people here. And all the same, to unaccustomed conditions, it takes a long time to adapt - up to about three months. But those who decided to conquer the Arctic and the Antarctic are ready for any tests, including severe weather conditions. The day of the polar explorer begins ( for reference : the duration of the day at the poles is up to 187 days), more precisely the working morning, like an ordinary person, with a cup of coffee, and perhaps with a cigarette smoked. But then not like everyone else. Outside the summer in the Antarctic, the temperature is 30-50 below zero, and in winter it can reach minus 89! How can I go out in this cold weather? A job sometimes requires leaving the premises several times a day. They save themselves with special clothes, and in especially frosty days and a special mask with holes for the eyes on the face. And if in the street a snowstorm, you have to move around holding tight ropes or wires.

When celebrating

Despite the difficult conditions of work, the conquerors of the poles until recently had no professional holiday. The day of the polar explorer in Russia was noted in different regions in its own way. In some places it was June, in others it was September. Spontaneous celebrations took place for several years. And finally, the merits of specialists of this profession were recognized at the state level, and an official holiday was organized - Polar Day. This date is quite young. President Vladimir Putin's decree was signed on May 21, 2013, immediately became available on the Kremlin's website and entered into force. And the history of signing this document is quite original. The question of establishing a special date was set during the "Direct Line" in 2013 on April 25 to the president, to which V.V. Putin advised to begin to celebrate. Less than a month, it took another calendar of holidays to be added.

Prehistory of the holiday

Polar Day - the date is symbolic. It was on this day - May 21 - in the distant 1937 the work of the first research expedition began on the drifting center "North Pole-1" in the Arctic. The tasks assigned to the polar workers working at the station were numerous: conducting geophysical, meteorological, oceanographic research in order to cognize the Far North and expand the sea route. The ice floe on which the station was located drifted for 274 days. Although food supplies would have been enough for a year, but the rapid flow began to carry polar explorers to the Greenland region, the ice began to break down and melt. In time, the ships approached took off the expedition from the floating station. At that time, the fragment of the ice was no more than a football field. Four fearless scientists sailed a total of about 2 thousand km and returned Heroes of the Soviet Union, unaware that in the future, thanks to their courage, the Polar Day will be established.

Work of a polar explorer

The first polar expedition was assembled a unique material, at that time of great value for science. The first reliable data on the nature of the Arctic Pole, the processes inherent in this territory, were obtained. This was the opening of a new era in the study of the Far North, and the current polar explorers are worthy continuers of the great deeds of their historical colleagues. At modern "workers of poles" of cares and responsibility is not less. The working day of a polar explorer is often unregulated and, due to objective circumstances, involves frequent processing. As for research, they are conducted in the fields of meteorology, oceanology, aerology, ice science, hydrophysics and hydrochemistry and in many other aspects of scientific activity. For this, the stations have the most modern equipment, equipment, built the necessary buildings. It is not necessary to say how much knowledge scientists in both poles should possess.

Life of a polar explorer

When the day of the polar explorer comes to an end, the work is done - you can relax a little and relax. It must be said that the station itself is, in fact, a village where workers and living quarters are combined. By the way, houses are mostly bright - red or orange, often look like containers in appearance. Food is the same as we have, and cook it in the usual way - on an electric stove or in a microwave. Water is obtained by melting ice and snow, household waste is transported by airplanes and ships. Without entertainment, courageous inhabitants of cold latitudes do not do. Holidays here celebrate almost everything: the New Year, birthdays and, of course, Polar Day. In which month Baptism is known at the stations of the Arctic and Antarctic perfectly, but you can feel the cold of the ice ice here all year round. And yet bathing among the ice floes in the lake on this great holiday is one of the traditions of strong courageous polar explorers. On non-holiday days at the stations the usual entertainment: Internet, billiards, checkers and chess.

Who celebrates the holiday

But do not forget the people of other professions, related to the polar explorers. The Ministry of Nature of the Russian Federation reckons polar explorers, except specialists who have worked at the poles of the Arctic and Antarctic for many years, residents of the Far North, geologists and oceanologists, servicemen, gas and oil producers. Today it is about two million people. Polar Day is the recognition of the work of many people who devoted their lives to the service of Russia.