Day of Heroes of the Fatherland in Russia

Heroes of the Fatherland Day, celebrated in our country on December 9, is a relatively “young” holiday Despite the fact that in modern Russia its celebration was approved in 2007, the history and tradition of this day carries its historical meaning from the 17th century In pre-revolutionary Russia, December 9 (November 26, old style) was celebrated as the Day of the Knights of St George Before the revolution of 1917, Empress Catherine II established the Order of St George the Victorious, which at that time was the highest military award of the Russian Empire Only those warriors who courageously, valiantly and boldly defended our country from external enemies had the right to receive it The Order of St George the Victorious had 4 degrees So Field Marshal Generals MI Kutuzov and MB Barclay de Tolly, for his courage and devotion to the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812, was awarded the honor of being knights of all four degrees An important fact is that now the “St George ribbon” is one of the symbols of May 9 Catherine II herself explained the combination of three black and two orange stripes by saying that it was a combination of gunpowder and fire After the revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks canceled the holiday, but still retained the order as the highest state award Thus, among the heroes of the USSR, holders of the full St George Cross were: SM Budyonny, MM Meshcheryakov, ME Kozyr, KI Nedorubov, IV Tyulenev, IS Lazarenko (posthumously), GA Ageev (posthumously) The modern history of the Russian Federation knows such heroes of the Order of St George as AV Lebed (Cnight 4th degree), VYu Volkovitsky (chevalier 4th degree), VA Boldyrev (Cnight 2nd degree), AN Zelin (2nd degree holder), etc The establishment of the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland combines three eras: imperial, Soviet and modern The return of the holiday involves not only a tribute to the past, but also the unification into one short day of memory of several centuries of a great and powerful state The Day of Heroes of the Fatherland is not only a holiday for heroes, but also a day of remembrance for our descendants, on which we touch upon a small part of the exploits of the country’s heroes, who, not sparing their lives, fought for the freedom and independence of our state This is a great day to instill a sense of patriotism in the country's younger generation Remembering our past, proud of our present, we can confidently step into the future, realizing that the power and authority of a great country is behind us! Few people know, but Hero of the Fatherland Day has now developed its own set of traditions Thus, the opening of monuments, holding rallies and ceremonial meetings, holding various sports competitions and, of course, lessons in courage have become part of the modern tradition Cultural institutions and educational institutions organize holiday concerts, hold thematic exhibitions, and give lectures on the theme of the holiday In many regions of the country, leaders hold ceremonial receptions for citizens with honorary titles and days of remembrance for fallen soldiers As a rule, wreaths and flowers are always laid at the burial places of soldiers, the eternal flame and memorials of glory