Defender of the Fatherland Day

Defender of the Fatherland Day
Date	February 23
Next time	23 February 2025 (2025-02-23)
Frequency	annual

The Motherland Defender's Day ([День защитника Отечества / Den' zashchitnika Otechestva] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), [День захисника Вітчизни/Den' zakhysnyka Vitchyzny] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a holiday observed in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23.

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 ([День Красной Армии / Dyen' Krasnoy Armii] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)). 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 ([День Советской Армии и Военно-Морского флота / Dyen' Sovyetskoy Armii i Voyenno-Morskogo flota] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)). 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

The 2008 holiday, with ceremonies being performed by President Putin.

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), 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 the Russian men in their lives, especially husbands (or boyfriends), fathers and sons. As a part of the workplace culture, women often give gifts to their male co-workers. Consequently, in colloquial usage, the holiday is often referred to as Men's Day ([День Мужчин, Den' Muzhchin] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)).

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 language: 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

In Ukraine it was never celebrated as a state holiday. In 1999 President Leonid Kuchma recognized February 23 as Defenders of the Motherland Day. Today, even though it is not a public holiday, most women will still give some extra attention to male relatives, friends, husbands and boyfriends. The Ukrainian army has its own Army Day on December 6.