The day of February 23 began to be celebrated back in 1922. In Soviet historiography, it was generally accepted that on this day in 1918, the army of revolutionary Russia won its first victories. It happened near Narva and Gdov, where the Red Army forced the troops of Kaiser Germany to retreat. Over time, the content of the holiday has changed.
At first, the day of February 23 was called the Day of the Red Army and Navy. It was a purely military holiday. The authority of the servicemen was extremely high, service in the army was considered very prestigious. It should be noted that not everyone was taken to the Red Army in those years. The young man had to have not only excellent health, but also belong to certain social groups. Boys from workers and peasants' families were called up for military service. Very rarely they took children from families of the intelligentsia, and those who had noblemen among their ancestors could not even dream of it. Among the officer corps, however, there were also people of noble origin, officers of the tsarist army, who went over to the side of Soviet Russia. They were called military experts.
The Day of the Red Army in those years was not a day off. It was a professional holiday when only soldiers and officers were congratulated. It was also not very customary to arrange festive feasts on this day.
After the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army was renamed the Soviet Army. Accordingly, the name of the holiday has also changed. From 1949 until the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was called the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. Until about the beginning of the 60s, it continued to be considered an exclusively military holiday. Not only men were congratulated. There were quite a few women among the servicemen, especially among the former front-line soldiers. On this day, solemn meetings, concerts were held, fireworks were arranged in large cities on "round" dates.
The tradition of congratulating all men on this day was formed in the 60s. The fact is that men did not have their own holiday, while International Women's Day was celebrated quite widely. Workers of enterprises, students and schoolgirls began to give gifts to those with whom they work or study, gifts, arrange concerts and friendly gatherings.
After the collapse of the USSR, some holidays were no longer celebrated altogether. But there were also those who simply changed their name and content. Day of the Soviet Army and Navy became the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland. Back in 1995, the law "On the days of military glory (victory days) in Russia" was adopted. The day of February 23 was also indicated there. Defender of the Fatherland Day became a non-working day in 2002.
Now the Defender of the Fatherland Day is not a military holiday. This is the day of all men. Representatives of the stronger sex are congratulated at home and at work, they are given gifts, concerts and festivities are arranged for them. However, some women are also congratulated on this day, because there are still a lot of them in the army. This day is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in some countries of the former Soviet Union.
