When is Polar Explorer Day celebrated in Russia?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Daily monotonous snow landscape outside the window, cold, snowstorm, everyday work and very few entertainment. Who is ready for months, and sometimes years, to live in such conditions? Polar explorers. Perhaps not everyone can bear this title.

Life beyond the Arctic Circle

You can't just get into the polar explorers - mostly trained people are taken here. And still, it takes a long time to adapt to unusual conditions - up to about three months. But those who have decided to conquer the Arctic and Antarctic are ready for any challenge, including severe weather conditions. The polar explorer's day begins (for reference: the duration of the day at the poles is up to 187 days), or rather, a working morning, like an ordinary person, with a cup of coffee, and maybe with a smoked cigarette. But then not like everyone else. Outside the window in the summer in Antarctica, the temperature is 30-50 below zero, and in winter it can reach minus 89! How do you go outside in this cold weather? And work sometimes requires leaving the premises several times a day. They are saved by special clothes, and on especially frosty days and a special mask with holes for the eyes on the face. And if there is a snowstorm on the street, you have to move holding on to tight ropesor wire.

When they celebrate

Despite the difficult working conditions, the explorers of the poles until recently did not have their own professional holiday. Polar explorer's day in Russia was celebrated in different regions in their 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 in this profession were recognized at the state level, and an official holiday was established - Polar Explorer's Day. This date is quite young. The decree was signed by President Vladimir Putin on May 21, 2013, immediately became available on the Kremlin website and entered into force. Moreover, the history of signing this document is quite original. The question of establishing a special date was asked during the "Direct Line" in 2013 on April 25 to the President, to which V. V. Putin advised to start celebrating already. It took less than a month for the calendar of holidays to replenish with one more.

History of the holiday

Polar explorer's day is a symbolic date. It was on this day - May 21 - back in 1937, that the first research expedition began at the North Pole-1 drifting center in the Arctic. The tasks assigned to the polar explorers working at the station were numerous: conducting geophysical, meteorological, oceanographic research in order to explore the Far North and expand the sea route. The ice floe on which the station was located drifted for 274 days. Although the food reserves on it would be enough for a year, but the rapid current began to carry the polar explorers to the Greenland region, the ice began to break and melt. The ships that arrived in time removed the expedition from the floating station. At that time, a fragment of the ice floe was no larger than a football field. Four fearless scientists swam a total of about 2 thousand km and returned as Heroes of the Soviet Union, not suspecting that in the future, thanks to their courage, the Day of the Polar Explorer would be established.

Polar work

The first polar expedition collected unique material, which at that time was of great value to science. The first reliable data on the nature of the Arctic Pole and the processes inherent in this territory were obtained. It was the opening of a new era in the exploration of the Far North, and today's polar explorers are worthy successors of the great deeds of their historical colleagues. Today's "workers of the poles" have no less worries and responsibilities. The working day of a polar explorer is often irregular and, due to objective circumstances, includes frequent overtime. As for research, they are carried out in the fields of meteorology, oceanology, aerology, ice science, hydrophysics and hydrochemistry, and in many other aspects of scientific activity. To do this, the stations have the most modern equipment, apparatus, and the necessary buildings have been erected. There is no need to say how much knowledge the scientists of the stations of both poles should possess.

Life of a polar explorer

When the day of the polar explorer comes to an end, the work is done - maybe a littlerelax and unwind. It must be said that the station itself is, in fact, a village where working and residential premises are combined. By the way, the houses are mostly bright - red or orange, in appearance they often resemble containers. The food is the same as ours, and it is prepared in the usual way - on an electric stove or in a microwave. Water is obtained by melting ice and snow, household waste is taken out by planes and ships. The brave inhabitants of cold latitudes cannot do without entertainment. Almost everyone celebrates holidays here: New Year, birthdays and, of course, Polar Explorer's Day. In what month Epiphany - at the stations of the Arctic and Antarctic they know very well, but you can feel the cold of the ice hole here all year round. And yet, swimming among the ice floes in the lake on this great holiday is one of the traditions of strong courageous polar explorers. On non-holidays, the usual entertainment at the stations: the Internet, billiards, checkers and chess.

Who celebrates the holiday

But we should not forget people of other professions related to polar explorers. The Ministry of Nature of the Russian Federation classifies as polar explorers, in addition to specialists who have worked at the poles of the Arctic and Antarctic for many years, residents of the Far North, geologists and oceanologists, military personnel, gas and oil producers. Today it is about two million people. Polar Explorer's Day is a recognition of the work of many people who have dedicated their lives to serving Russia.