On February 23, for almost a century, Defender of the Fatherland Day has been celebrated - a holiday of courageous and strong men, future and real defenders of the homeland. There is more than one point of view on what events are the basis for its celebration.
The beginning of the men's holiday
The beginning of February 23 as a holiday has been going on since 1918. During this period, a new country was formed. The political situation in the world was also tense. The First World War bled and exhausted the Russian people, especially the soldiers and sailors. There was no army as such. In this regard, in late January - early February 1918, Lenin, who was in power, issued a decree on the creation of the Red Army and the Red Fleet. They accepted men mainly of workers 'and peasants' origin, and in general everyone who wanted to.
At the same time, German troops begin active military operations in the Baltic States, capture Minsk. Their goal is Petrograd. The created army and navy are taking active hostilities, but the capital is not surrendered.
However, if we talk directly about February 23, according to the assurances of historians, on this day there were no bright hostilities, and the Red Army did not win crushing victories. Therefore, it is not very clear why this February day was chosen to honor the male population. There is information that on February 23, 1918, there were battles near Narva and Pskov, and Soviet troops won a victory. However, this is not documented in any way.
Due to the difficult situation in the country, complicated by the Civil War, the Day of the Red Army and Navy was somewhat forgotten. However, in 1922, its celebration was resumed, and on February 23, unofficially, it was called the Day of the Red Gift. People collected and brought gifts for soldiers and sailors, helped a badly needy army. That is why it is often possible to find 1922 as the year of the formation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Trotsky was considered an active promoter of the holiday of the Red Army and Navy.
An ambiguous holiday
Modern historians believe that the myth of the legendary victories of Russian soldiers over the Germans in 1918 was invented by Stalin in 1938. This is easily explained by his desire to raise the morale of soldiers and awaken patriotism on the eve of the impending war.
This holiday is important first of all because it marked the beginning of the formation of a regular army supporting the country's combat capability, which was demonstrated in the Great Patriotic War. It was renamed several times. After the war, in 1946, February 23 was already celebrated as the Day of the Soviet Army and the Soviet Navy. Today this holiday is loved and honored among Russians. Since 2002, it has been declared a day off.
