When is Heroes of the Fatherland Day celebrated?
Heroes of the Fatherland Day in Our Country falls on 9 December, which is a continuation of the age-old tradition that existed in the state until 1917. It was on these days that the Day of the Cavaliers of St. George was celebrated in the Empire. This continuity was announced by the initiator of the modern holiday, Boris Gryzlov, who at that time headed the State Duma of the Federation and the Supreme Council of the United Our Country party. It happened on January 25, 2007. At the same time, according to the plan of Boris Gryzlov, the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland could have an abbreviated version of the name – “Day of Heroes” and the historical one – “Day of St. George’s Knights”.
The next day, parliamentarians adopted the corresponding bill in the first reading. In their comments, the deputies noted that by doing so they not only pay tribute to the memory of the events of the distant past. Heroes of the Fatherland Day in Our Country is intended to honor contemporaries and Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Federation, holders of the Order of St. George and the Order of Glory. According to the deputies, the new memorable date should contribute to the formation of the ideals of selfless and disinterested service to the Fatherland.
History
The day of the Cavaliers of St. George began to be celebrated with the establishment by the Empress of All Our Country Catherine the Great on November 26 (December 7), 1769, the highest military award – the Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George. The order, which had four degrees, was awarded in tsarist Our Country to more than ten thousand people. Four people became cavaliers of all degrees of George. Note that all of them were heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. This clarification only proves what resonance the victory over Napoleon had in society for most of the nineteenth century. So, a full cavalier of the Order of St. George a century and a half ago were field marshals – Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly, Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich, Ivan Ivanovich Dibich-Zabalkansky.
In Romanov Our Country, the Day of the Cavaliers of St. George was considered a holiday of soldiers. The twentieth century left its mark on the history of the Order of St. George. In post-February Our Country, when the spirit of universal fraternization and the desired long-awaited freedom walked along the fronts of the First World War, the lowest, fourth degree award could be received by ordinary ranks of the army, who took on the functions of an officer in battle. After the Bolsheviks came to power, the order, as well as the celebration of the day of its gentlemen, was forgotten. True, on some fronts of the Civil War, in the White Army, there were awards of the order of the third and fourth degrees. It is known about the attempt of the Supreme Ruler Admiral Kolchak in 1918 to restore the day of celebration of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George on November 26, as a holiday for the entire Army.
The forties of the twentieth century and the Great Patriotic War stirred up national feelings and patriotic self-awareness of the leaders of the Soviet state. In 1943, the Order of Glory was established, close in its meaning to the Order of St. George. The full status of the order, like the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland in Our Country, was returned only in 2007. The modern Order of George can be awarded to people of non-military professions who have made a significant contribution to the cause of peace and general security. Another difference from Catherine’s times is that all degrees of the order are given sequentially, and junior officers also receive the lowest, fourth. In addition, a high award today does not provide for an annual pension to its gentlemen. However, the names are immortalized on marble plaques in the Georgievsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
Traditions
The celebration of the Day of the Cavaliers of St. George in Tsarist Our Country had a long-standing well-established regulation. Pompous events were held in the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg with the invitation of St. George’s Order bearers. The program of the event included a cathedral service, a rich dinner table, artillery salute from the walls of Petropavlovka and the Admiralty. For receptions, the Catherine service from the Gardner factory for eighty people was used. All items of the service (plates, biscuits, cream bowls) – with drawings of order signs and St. George’s ribbon.
On Heroes of the Fatherland Day 2022, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Federation, full holders of the Order of Glory and holders of the Order of St. George will traditionally be honored. Since 1992, more than six hundred defenders of the Fatherland have received the title of Hero of the Federation. Among them are also army servants of our Motherland, who accomplished their feat in peaceful conditions. The title of “Hero of the Federation” took over from the title of “Hero of the Soviet Union”. On December 9, in one of the halls of the Moscow Kremlin (Georgievsky or Andreevsky), a solemn reception is usually arranged for military personnel, internationalist soldiers, presented with an honorary title and a high state award. In addition to the awardees, state and public figures, domestic politicians are invited to the solemn December reception in the Kremlin. Officially, the lists of people nominated for the title are not published. Indeed, there are many laureates among them, whose work is classified as “secret”, concerns the domestic defense industry and state secrets.
In educational institutions, it is customary to celebrate Heroes of the Fatherland Day by holding lessons of courage, meeting with veterans and heroes of Our Country, laying wreaths at military graves. Representatives of regional authorities and cultural institutions take part in the celebration of Heroes’ Day. In recent years, various events have been held in different regions of Our Country related to the veneration of the centuries-old history of the army.