Day of the  Guard 2022: the history and traditions of the holiday
At the beginning of autumn, military personnel celebrate their professional holiday – the Day of the Guard. KP tells about its history and modern traditions

In the domestic calendar there is a date that has its roots in the distant past. guardsmen have been revered since Peter the Great. And their modern holiday is also related to the legends of ancient times. Thus, the inseparable connection of the thousand-year history of Our Country is realized.

When is Guard Day celebrated in 2022

Guard Day 2022 will be celebrated at the very beginning of autumn, on September 2. What kind of day is this, to whom it owes its appearance several centuries ago? Let’s figure it out.

History of the Day of the Guard

When we talk about the guards, the image of the Tsar, Peter the Great, and his closest followers on the throne of the vast Empire pops up in my head. It was with Peter I that the reforming of all the protective forces of the state began. Eleven-year-old Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov, crowned on the throne, breathed unevenly for military service and already as a teenager in 1683 laid the foundation for amusing regiments. The name of the paramilitary detachments came from the word “amuse”, to give pleasure to the august child. Amusing soldier number one should be considered the royal groom – Sergei Bukhvostov, the first regiments – Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky. They were awarded the title of Life Guards. Over the next three centuries of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, the guards army developed and improved.

The twentieth century left its tragic and emotional imprint on the guard.

Let’s think about what the word “guard” can be combined with in the new national history? Three adjectives “Red”, “White” and “Young” will present before our eyes huge layers of domestic historical life.

All the characters who called themselves guardsmen zealously and without a trace of their strength defended the ideals they believed in. What in this situation is a single holiday of domestic guardsmen? The difficult path of reconciliation was overcome only twenty years ago.

It is symbolic that the end of the most controversial century in our history marked the end of the Guards diversity. It was in 2000 that President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the celebration of the Day of the Guard. It happened on December 22 in commemoration of the tercentenary of the guards. Over the next fifteen years, the formation of guard units and formations continued.

To date, in our country there is the 5th separate guards tank Tatsinsky Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Brigade, the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division. Later, the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Tamanskaya Order of the October Revolution Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division was recreated. The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army was also formed. The formation of other guards associations continues.

Traditions of the Day of the Guard

In a word, the Day of the Guard is not a simple date in the national calendar of holidays. On the second of September, they honor the heroes who managed to go through the bloody battles of the past and the present with unshakable fortitude, an irrepressible desire to win.

A special tribute to the holiday is given in the city of Petra. This day has been comprehensively celebrated in St. Petersburg for five years now on the initiative of veteran organizations supported by the government of the northern capital.

Several years ago, changes were made to the law on holidays and holiday dates in St. Petersburg, and September 2 was established as a citywide holiday – the Day of the Guard.

On the Palace Square in St. Petersburg, contests of combatant song, exhibitions of the latest military equipment are held. The governor of St. Petersburg is present at the celebration.

Gifts for the Day of the Guard

On the Day of the Guard, as well as on any other men’s holiday, you can give gifts to a friend, husband, father, brother, boss or colleague. You can give a souvenir elite weapon, souvenir dagger, stiletto or knife. Also, a good option would be more “peaceful”, but necessary things in everyday life – a leather diary, a gift pen or book, an unusual set of chess.

show more

Also, the St. Petersburg Mint regularly mints commemorative coins for numismatists on the Day of the Guard, dedicated to glorious events in military history.

Leave a Reply