Who celebrates New Year's at work? These people work hard so you can celebrate in peace.

If you're watching "The Irony of Fate" on New Year's Eve and can catch a bus to the store at any moment to buy tangerines or peas for Olivier salad, that means someone is working hard that night. Drivers, salespeople, doctors, police officers, and dozens of other professionals from various fields celebrate the holiday at work. Our correspondent found out how the most magical night of the year differs from the average workday.

Sergey Shapovalov has been a metro driver for over 10 years, and spent five of those years on the subway. Between train schedules, he tries to wish his family happy New Year's by phone, and they, in turn, are understanding of his schedule.

"We have a TV in the break room, and every year we decorate a Christmas tree, where those coming on the night shift exchange greetings. So the holiday atmosphere is as close to home as possible," smiles Sergey, revealing the secrets of the internal routine: "The train schedule for December 31st is arranged so that trains arrive at the station close to midnight. The dispatcher wishes everyone on the route a Happy New Year over the radio. Passengers on the platform hear good wishes from the duty officer through the loudspeaker."

Seeing Father Frost and the Snow Maiden on the metro on the evening of December 31st is a common occurrence. Sometimes, several characters are riding in the train at once. Sergey recalls how, several years ago, a wizard boarding the train carried an accordion instead of a sack of presents.

"The wall between the car and the driver's cabin is thin, so you can hear everything the passengers are saying. The music started playing, and everyone started singing "Bubentsy" loudly. By the time I got to the next station, the whole car was having fun. I don't know if the others joined in, but my train was singing a New Year's song," laughs Sergei Shapovalov.

The driver is separated from the passengers and often observes details from a distance. On a normal day, people in the subway are constantly rushed, irritated, and tense. On New Year's Eve, they are magically transformed: they become relaxed, calm, and genuine.

“Aren’t these miracles?” asks Sergei.

There's little festive about the work of an ambulance crew on New Year's Eve, as their primary duty is to help people and save their lives. On these days, the most at-risk group is primarily elderly citizens. According to Vera Stasyuk, an ambulance DOCTOR at the E.E. Verzhbitsky Berezovskaya Central Regional Hospital, pensioners observe a fast before the holidays. They restrict themselves from eating for a whole month, only to then, as they say, let loose late at night at the holiday table.

- They overeat and consume"Alcohol , and a weakened body is unaccustomed to coping with such a load, which is why blood pressure rises. Chronic diseases take their toll," says the doctor. "Moreover, many forget that some medications are incompatible with ALCOHOL. This primarily has a detrimental effect on the liver and heart."

During her medical practice, the specialist has celebrated New Year's Eve in an ambulance four times. The opportunity to congratulate colleagues and share a cup of tea depends on the number of calls, which are often higher than usual on the night of January 1st. Despite the busy shift, the New Year's spirit remains. The atmosphere of the city decorated with colorful lights also contributes.

"That's our job , after all, we're an emergency service that saves lives, no matter what the date on the calendar," concludes Vera Stasyuk.

Truck driver Vadim Khutko has his own New Year's story. Five years ago, on December 31st, he was caught in a heavy snowfall on the road from Tatarstan to Nizhny Novgorod. The journey was not easy: the terrain was hilly and steep. Danger lurked at every kilometer—the truck kept skidding on the slippery road.

At the same time, his fellow Belarusians were traveling in trucks toward the city on the Volga. Midnight was approaching, and the Belarusians agreed by radio to stop at a certain place to rest and celebrate the New Year.

Truckers set a festive table in the truck's cab with tangerines, salad, and candy . As per tradition, just like at home, we watched online. congratulations from the President of the Republic of Belarus , followed by a New Year's party and sending wishes to relatives.

"The holiday atmosphere felt like home, even though we were 1,500 kilometers from our hometown. Snow was falling outside, the table was covered in "Herring under a Fur Coat," Olivier salad, and tangerines. The same programs we watch with our family were playing on the laptop, as if we weren't even on the trip. And most importantly, you were celebrating the holiday with your fellow countrymen," recalls Vadim Khutko.

In anticipation of the holidays, Major Yuri Kravchenko, commander of a special traffic safety unit at the MINSK Regional Executive Committee's State Traffic Inspectorate, is holding a draw to determine who will be on duty on New Year's Eve. He writes down the names of officers on paper and draws out notes to ensure no one is offended. Before his appointment, Yuri Yegorovich himself had celebrated this holiday several times while patrolling the roads. At midnight, in addition tocongratulations on the radio from the dispatcher,Law enforcement officers themselves exchange warm words and exchange candy and tangerines when they meet. Of course, such a 10-minute pause is only permissible if the situation is calm, the traffic police officers' routes intersect, or the crews are nearby.

According to the source, it's rare to see cars driving on the roads when the chimes ring. However, it does happen that a tipsy daredevil gets behind the wheel and swerves across the road, or, upon seeing a patrol car, brakes abruptly, raising suspicion.

"During holidays, we try to focus more on traffic prevention, and for minor infractions, we issue verbal warnings or reprimands. We don't want to spoil people's moods. If there's a serious violation—for example, causing an accident on the road, drunk driving, or driving without a license—then, of course, we respond appropriately," says Yuriy Kravchenko.

Belarusians highly value the politeness and tact of traffic police officers. Drivers and pedestrians thank them for their work and congratulate them on holidays.

"We often hear praise from foreign tourists, saying that Belarusian road guards are distinguished by their polite attitude towards drivers and pedestrians," our hero smiles.

| Vadim Kondratyuk, 7 Dney newspaper. Photos of the featured authors.

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