INTERNET SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defender_of_the_Fatherland_Day
Defender of the Fatherland Day
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Wreath-laying
ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
in Moscow, 23 February 2008.
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Date
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February 23
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Next time
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23 February 2016
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Frequency
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annual
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Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russian: День
защитника Отечества / Den' zashchitnika Otechestva) is a holiday observed in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and several other former republics
of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23, except in Kazakhstan, where the date is May 7.
History
First
celebrated in 1919 the holiday marks the date in 1918 during the Russian Civil War when the first mass draft
into the Red Army occurred in Petrograd and Moscow (on 17 February). In January 1919 it
was decided to combine the celebration that day with the anniversary of the
publication of the decree on the establishment of the Red Army (of 18 February 1918). In 1919
February 17 fell on Monday; so it was decided to move the holiday to the
nearest Sunday - 23 February. Since then it stayed that day. It was originally
known as Red Army Day (Russian: День
Красной Армии). In
1923 it was officially named the Day of the Red Army and the Navy.
In
1949, it was renamed Soviet Army and
Navy Day (Russian: День Советской
Армии и Военно-Морского флота / Dyen' Sovyetskoy Armii i Voyenno-Morskogo
flota).
Following the fall of the
Soviet Union in 1991, the holiday was given its current name in 2002
by Russian President
Vladimir Putin who decreed it a state
holiday (in Russia).
Celebrations
In Russia
Officially,
as the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were
serving the Russian Armed Forces (both men and women, both
military and civilian personnel), but unofficially, nationally it has also more
recently come to include the celebration of men as a whole, and to act as a
counterpart of International Women's Day on March 8.
The
holiday is celebrated with parades and processions in honor of veterans, and
women also give small gifts to men in their lives, especially husbands (or
boyfriends, fiances), fathers, sons and brothers. As a part of the workplace culture, women often give small
gifts to their male co-workers. Consequently, in colloquial usage, the holiday
is often referred to as Men's Day
(Russian: День Мужчин, Den' Muzhchin).
In Kazakhstan
In
Kazakhstan
Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated on 7 May.
In Tajikistan
In Tajikistan,
the holiday is known as Tajik National Army Day (Tajik:
Рӯзи Артиши Миллӣ Тоҷик), celebrating the Tajik National Army. However, it has been known
that other military units, such as the Tajik
Air Force, have taken part in the celebration.
In Ukraine
Further
information: Defender of Ukraine Day
In
Ukraine,
Defender of the Fatherland Day (Ukrainian: День
захисника Вітчизни/Den' zakhysnyka Vitchyzny) was never celebrated as a state
holiday. In 1999 President Leonid
Kuchma recognized 23 February as Defenders of the Fatherland Day. President
Petro Poroshenko deprived the day of this status
on 24 August 2014; according to
Poroshenko, Ukraine should not celebrate the holidays of the
"military-historical calendar of Russia" but "will honor the
defenders of our homeland, not someone else's". On 14 October 2014, a
decree by Poroshenko moved the celebration to that day instead by creating the Defender of Ukraine Day.
Today,
even though it is not a public holiday, many women will still give some extra
attention to male relatives, friends, husbands and boyfriends, especially to
those serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Armed
Forces Day for the entire Armed Forces is celebrated yearly on 6 December
with special programs and nationwide gun salutes and fireworks displays.
Residents
and pro-Russia separatists of the self-proclaimed DPR attend a rally on
Defenders of the Fatherland Day. Photograph: Vasily Maximov/AFP/Getty Images
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