It's a day for everyone. No matter who you are, you can come down to the city square, toast champagne and celebrate the new year.

198

Nothing has really changed. Moscow is an hour ahead of us, so under the Soviet Union we would watch the TV broadcast and listen to the ringing of the Kremlin's bells - the New Year in Russia doesn't begin until the Kremlin rings its bells. Then we would wait an hour and have our own celebration in Belarus. Everybody still celebrates like they did then.

188

You put away all the bad of the past year and look forward to all the good in the new one. Between all the singing and dancing and laughing and the big tree in lights, it looks just like a fairytale.

116