Defender of the Fatherland Day has been a non-working day in Russia since 2002 - and in honor of this holiday, residents of the country will have a three-day mini-vacation. How do we rest on February 23 in 2016, which days will be days off, and which will be working days?
Rescheduling the weekend to 23 February 2016
This year, Defender of the Fatherland Day falls on Tuesday. But in recent years in Russia they have been trying not to "break" the working week if there is only one worker between the weekend and the holiday. And in 2016, in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, it was decided to postpone the day off from February 20 (Saturday) to February 22 (Monday).
Thus, on the eve of the holidays, residents of the country will have an "extended" six-day work week, followed by three days off, timed to coincide with the Defender of the Fatherland Day. Mini-vacations will last from 21 to 23 February.
At the same time, since the Russians will go to work on February 22 on the 22nd, the working day will be considered a pre-holiday day, and its duration should be reduced by one hour.
How we rest on February 23, 2016 by day
Taking into account the postponement of the weekend, the rest schedule for Defender of the Fatherland Day in 2016 will be as follows:
- February 20, Saturday - a shortened working day (for Monday, February 22);
- February 21, Sunday - day off;
- February 22, Monday - day off, transfer from Saturday;
- February 23, Tuesday is a public holiday.
After three days of holidays, residents of Russia will have a three-day working week (from Wednesday to Friday), followed by a full weekend.
Weekend in February 2016 with a six-day work week
For those who have Saturday as a full-time working day, there are no weekend shifts, so February 20 will be a regular working day for them, and Sunday is a day off. The shortened pre-holiday working day for six days is Monday, February 22.
For schoolchildren studying on Saturdays, February 22 can also be a "corporate" day - and parents need to take this into account when planning a family vacation.
Defender of the Fatherland Day: from the history of the holiday
February 23 has been celebrated in Russia for almost a century - the first celebration took place in 1919, and the occasion was the anniversary of the founding of the Red Army. At the same time, the Day of the Red Gift was also celebrated - within its framework, residents of the country were invited to make donations for gifts to the Red Army.
In 1922, the holiday acquired an official name - February 23 became known as the Day of the Red Army and Navy. It existed under this name until 1949. By that time, the Red Army had already been renamed the Soviet, and February 23, respectively, became the Day of the Soviet Army and the Navy. On this day, parades were held in the country, fireworks were arranged, war veterans and all those related to military service were honored. But, since at that time the overwhelming majority of men were serving in the army, the holiday eventually began to be perceived as a universal "men's day".
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Day of the Soviet Army disappeared from the calendar - and it was replaced by the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland. And in 2002, February 23 was made a day off (before that, this day was considered a holiday, but a working day). So this year, Defender of the Fatherland Day has a kind of anniversary: we are resting on February 23 in 2016 for the fifteenth time.
