Russian archaeologists celebrate their professional holiday on August 15. This tradition originated in the Soviet Union. The idea to make this holiday worldwide arose in 2008, when the leaders of the World Archaeological Congress turned to UNESCO. They proposed their date - August 17th. So Russian archaeologists now have two professional holidays.
There is no reliable information about why the Day of the Archaeologist is celebrated on August 15. No outstanding discoveries were made on this day. It is not even known which of the Soviet archaeologists first came up with this idea - Vladislav Ravdonikas, who headed the expedition in Staraya Ladoga, the head of the excavations in Novgorod, Valentin Yarin, or someone else.
According to one of the legends prevailing among historians and archaeologists, the participants of the Old Ladoga expedition were simply looking for a reason to celebrate something. But Ravdonikas was a man of strict rules. He allowed only big holidays to be celebrated. In the summer it was difficult to find a worthy excuse, so congratulatory telegrams were invented and sent to other expeditions. It was before the Great Patriotic War. These telegrams have been preserved in the archive.
There is another legend that also dates back to the pre-war period. According to this version, the founder of the professional holiday is Valentin Yarin, or rather, his students, who also needed a reason to relax. So they decided that it was necessary to celebrate the birthday of the horse of Alexander the Great - Bucephalus.
Supporters of the third version believe that the beginning of the tradition is associated with the celebrations of the birthday of Tatiana Passek, who for many years led the Tripoli expedition. Tatyana Sergeevna's birthday fell on August 15, and the Archaeologist's Day was most widely celebrated back in the 30s, just in her expedition. Be that as it may, now the Day of the Archaeologist is celebrated by everyone who is in one way or another connected with this profession.
At first, the celebration of the Day of the Archaeologist included two mandatory components. On this day, professionals accepted beginners into their ranks. The students, who up to this point were affectionately called "archioluchs", were initiated into archaeologists. Each expedition had its own ritual. It depended on the creativity, sense of humor and imagination of the participants. It could be a parting word from the head with the presentation of any professional symbols. On some expeditions, comic tests were invented for young colleagues. The second obligatory part was the banquet.
Summer is a field season for archaeologists, so all festive events were initially held exclusively in camps. However, over time, those who work in museums and historical libraries have joined their fellow field workers. They made some additions to the traditional program. In museums, exhibitions are often prepared for this day - for example, they show the public the latest finds. Libraries organize book-illustrative exhibitions. Often on this day, scientific readings are held, dedicated to any outstanding archaeologist or archaeological monument.
For journalists, the Day of the Archaeologist is an excellent informational occasion, when you can talk about outstanding people of this profession, about the most significant excavations. On this day, essays and reports on events in the archaeological environment appear in the newspapers. TV studio workers use the opportunity to show an interesting film about archaeologists or to film a story about the excavations in the neighborhood.
The leaders of the World Archaeological Congress proposed to make the holiday international in order to draw public attention to the problems of preserving the cultural heritage, as well as to the profession of archaeologist itself. In many countries, the situation with the protection of historical and archaeological monuments leaves much to be desired, also because non-professionals do not see value in "some ruins there." If, however, to acquaint schoolchildren, students, simply residents of the country with the work of archaeologists, the attitude towards cultural heritage can and should change. Archaeologist's Day is a very good occasion to tell people about the past and the importance of studying it.
