Starting February 23… Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day? (Spoiler: no)

In office workplaces, there are two dates marked by obvious gender tension: February 23 and March 8, which follow one after the other.

Everywhere I’ve ever worked, the girls went out of their way to celebrate February 23 with the men. They wrote poems, invited performers, and set the tables. They gave the most “manly” gifts in the world—deodorant and socks (apparently hinting at something). Sometimes it even went as far as contests that were almost like wedding traditions. No, thank goodness, they didn’t roll an egg down a pant leg, but there was plenty of fun to be had.

Those who served always look down on the rest of the half-men. The opportunity to turn up your nose on this day is one of the few positive aspects of this childhood and youth trauma, service in the army.

Every time, I played the role of the guest of honor with the utmost flair. Mainly because the women had gone to all that trouble! So we smiled, acted happy, and put on an air of fierce masculinity.

Although the military hasn't been "sexy" for quite a while now.

As far as I'm concerned, it's the other way around. If you end up in the army, it means you're not smart or resourceful enough. You've wasted a year or two of your life completely. It looks more foolish than heroic.

I generally don't care for the military because I'm a pacifist by heritage.

It all started, I suppose, with a postcard.

I drew it for my father when I was a child, for February 23. I depicted him in uniform, wearing a pilot's cap, against a background of—I think—airplanes and tanks. I made him look as heroic as possible.

But he didn't like it.

My father didn't serve in the military, though; he just went to training camps after taking military science classes.

Because he was smart.

Along with pacifism, I also inherited a love of history.

And if you ever happen to think of digging into it, “Defender of the Fatherland Day” will raise a lot of questions.

Here's what happened.

It was the winter of 1918. The Council of People’s Commissars of Soviet Russia issued a decree establishing the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. This was because they needed to find a way to resist Germany and Austria-Hungary. The decree was signed, but for some reason, the army was never formed.

The German offensive that had begun across the entire Eastern Front was a stunning success, in part because it was met with great enthusiasm by many residents of the new Soviet state. The Bolsheviks, who had seized power almost by a miracle, were not particularly popular.

The rate of advance reached 50 kilometers a day. That was how far the German soldiers could travel, and that was how far they advanced.

The capture of the town of Lyucin (now Luzda, Latvia) by the Germans is a good illustration of the nature of those events. Forty-two soldiers arrived by train, in two cars. They were tired from the journey, so they went to the cafeteria first. After a light meal, they found and detained a trainload of Red Army soldiers. They lined them up on the platform, took their weapons, and let them go in all directions.

As a result of such valiant actions by the Red Army soldiers, the Soviet government agreed to Germany’s ultimatum and signed the humiliating Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3.

All in all, things didn't exactly go smoothly right from the start.

Subsequently, the Soviet propaganda machine went out of its way to provide a historical basis for the holiday. At school, we were told that February 23 was the day of the first victory of the Red Army. Then they said that it was the day of the first battle, even though it was a heroic defeat. Because that was the day the Red Army was formed.

The truth is that no significant event took place on this date back in 1918 (neither according to the new calendar nor the old one).

The date of the holiday was chosen at random. It just so happened that February 23, 1919, fell on a Sunday.

But the Soviets were good at spreading their myths. It got to the point where girls didn't want to date guys who hadn't served in the military. They were said to be weak and cowardly, hiding behind women's skirts.

But that was a long time ago.

Now, what's left is what's left.

The holiday is celebrated only in 4 post-Soviet states - Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. In the most progressive countries, that is—the ones that sacredly preserve and even slightly build upon the Soviet legacy.

What are we celebrating? Why?..

But don't overthink it. Thinking is, in general, a completely unnecessary activity for a soldier. It gets in the way of following orders, and besides, a helmet doesn't look as good on a smart head.

It is much easier to celebrate and rejoice in accordance with the decisions of government agencies and higher-ups…

What am I getting at with all this?

Men's Day is definitely a good idea. After all, there's Women's Day!

But under no circumstances should this be a military holiday.

A man has many roles in life: husband, sexual partner, father, friend, colleague, expert, creator…

There are so many ways to fulfill yourself—through creation, not destruction. To find a partner, start a family, raise a child, start a business, build a career…

Plant a tree and build a house, after all.

Unfortunately, We’re capable of fighting, too—that is, of destroying and killing. Let’s call a spade a spade.

But God forbid we ever have to deal with that.

Defenders of the Fatherland: The History of the Holiday, by Historian Tamara Eidelman

What kind of holiday is this—Defender of the Fatherland Day, which used to be Soviet/Red Army Day? Why does our poor fatherland constantly need to be defended from something? Not only is this holiday based on a false date—there were no hostilities on February 23, 1918, and there was no “baptism of fire” for the Red Army—but that’s not even the point. Does a “Defender of the Fatherland” always have to be a soldier? How cynical that sounds today, when the Russian military is trying to invade a neighboring country, and draft notices are being used as a form of punishment. Are there no other defenders of our homeland? Those who want to see Russia as a free, happy, and peaceful country?