On Sunday, October 1, Ukrainians celebrate an important holiday: the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine. In the light of the full-scale bloody war unleashed by the Russian Federation, it acquired a special meaning, because it is Ukrainian soldiers who are now defending the future of our country.
How this holiday appeared and whether it was transformed from a narrow-profile one into a national one – further in the material.
< h3 style="text-align: center;">One day – several holidays: what Ukrainians celebrate on October 1
This year, Ukrainians for the first time celebrate the Day of Defenders and Defenders on a new date – October 1< /strong>.
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Until now, the celebration was held on October 14 – together withProtection of the Most Holy Theotokos. However, due to the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) to the New Julian calendar, the date was changed.
In addition, the celebration ofUkrainian Cossacks Day was postponed from October 14 to October 1 . Thus, today has many meanings for Ukrainians.
As is known, the Cossacks at one time played an important role in the development of Ukrainian statehood and the national idea in society. The Cossacks arose on Ukrainian lands in the 15th century and occupied a prominent place in Eastern European history. And in the 16th century, the Zaporozhye Sich was created as a prototype of statehood.
Already in the 20th century, the traditions of the struggle for the independence of Ukraine were inherited by the soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. They took up arms in an attempt to protect the Ukrainian people from both totalitarian regimes: Nazi and communist. The symbolic day of the creation of the UPAalso tied to the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God.
Glory to Ukraine! – Glory to heroes! was the slogan of the UPA. And now this is an official greeting to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Our state is again defending its independence, the right to freedom and identity. It was thanks to the military that we retained the right to be free people.
In parallel with the development of long-standing traditions, Ukraine is creating new ones. Today at 09:00 there will be an all-Ukrainian minute of silence. Ukrainians are called upon to stop for a moment to honor the feat of the defenders who gave their lives for our country.
– It happens that silence can say more than any words… This Sunday, for the first time, all of Ukraine will stop for a minute to silently honor the feat of our people who died defending our state and Ukrainians. Let this become our new tradition, emphasized President Vladimir Zelensky.
How the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine came to be
The Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine actually replaced the Soviet one on February 23 (the so-called Defender of the Fatherland Day).
Russia’s invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine in 2014, the criminal annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the war in Donbass changed military traditions. The celebration of February 23 has faded into oblivion.
Presidential Decree No. 806 in 2014 established a new public holiday –Defender of Ukraine Day.
The holiday was established “in order to honor the courage and heroism of the defenders of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, military traditions and victories of the Ukrainian people, to promote the further strengthening of the patriotic spirit in society”.
Despite the fact that Many women have participated in the defense of Ukraine since 2014, the holiday was often perceived as a “male”.
Therefore, in 2021, the Ukrainian authorities decided to correct this gender injustice andrenamed the holiday Defenders Day and defenders of Ukraine.
New meanings of the holiday
For Ukrainians, the words “defender” and “protector” It’s no longer just a formality. Back in 2014, the war unleashed by the Russian Federation prompted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to take up arms in defense of their Motherland.
And after the full-scale invasion of the Russian occupiers on February 24, 2022, without exaggeration, the entire nation rose up to defend Ukraine – some at the front, and someone in the rear.
Therefore, the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine has been transformed from a narrow-profile “military day.” As Pavel Gai-Nyzhnik, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Ukrainian Studies, noted in a commentary to ICTV Facts, it has already turned into a national holiday.
“This was largely facilitated by the period of total war, which began in February 2022 as one of the stages of the war that has been going on since 2014 and the centuries-old confrontation. And the fact that not only the Armed Forces of Ukraine were involved in this total war.
In fact, we have armed defense in several stages: this is a volunteer movement, the movement of ordinary citizens, this is an ideological war. And all this makes it possible to say that this is a national war, where everyone is doing their own important job, and everyone is one way or another a defender of Ukraine. Even those who donate money to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who make homemade camouflage nets, those who bring equipment, debunk Russian myths, — Guy-Nizhnik emphasized.
He added that Ukrainians are now confronting the aggressor on different fronts, each of which is important, because without this unity the defense would not be so successful.
– That is why the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine has acquired new meaning in modern conditions. And it is certainly nationwide, — noted the historian.
According to him, after Ukraine’s victory in the war, a new holiday will be added – the day of victory over the Russian Federation, but it “will have a completely different aspect”.
At the same time, the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine will not lose its relevance.
– The Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine will remain by itself, as a tribute to memory and a tribute to readiness for new confrontations, for new challenges. That is, it will acquire new meaning. And this holiday will be relevant along with the Victory Day that certainly awaits us, — summed up Pavel Gai-Nizhnik.
