These people celebrate in a way that is completely foreign to the USA. Forget about the vodka and hot chicks wearing next to nothing in the after hours dance clubs….

This is unregulated, unsupervised, unrestricted, unaccompanied, unwieldy, untamed, unconditional… celebration of the new year.

with fireworks, that is…

It is currently approximately 2:30am (Jan 1, 2009, in Kiev — though it’s still 2008 in the USA), and the fireworks are STILL going strong, all over the City of Kiev. I didn’t get to experience the vastness of the celebration when living on the other side of the Dnipro River, last year. Sure, sure… I saw some fireworks, and I enjoyed them.

But the view from our new apartment is, relatively speaking, OUTSTANDING. We have close to a 225° view if you move from the bedroom to the living room/kitchen.

There are fireworks going off all over the City. Anyone can buy them, anyone can deploy them, anyone can set them off, and everyone can enjoy them.

I hate to say it, but at one point it looked like the landscape view of Baghdad on CNN back in 2002. Lights flashing as explosives went off over all parts of the city. Flashes of light so far away, that you couldn’t hear the sound — but you could definitely see the combustion.

Still, as I write, fireworks are surrounding the environment around us. It is both brilliant and beautiful. It is not like a single celebratory display at the local town center. More like a thousand displays ALL OVER THE CITY. I’m not kidding. I can only assume this will proceed until dawn. Most people stay awake until the sun rises on the new year. I would consider doing so too, but I’m old, and don’t really feel the need to do so… this year.

Well, maybe I’ll set my alarm…

Happy New Year…. and…  С Новым годом!