Defenders of the Fatherland Day

Today, February 23rd, is the Defenders of the Fatherland Day (previously known as Soviet Army and Navy Day) and is apparently similiar to our Father's Day. Our guide book clarifies by stating that even though not every man ends up in the army, the holiday honours all men, even though not all men have served in the military. (Quick question - do women defend the Fatherland?) Anyways, there have been ceremonies honouring the military across the country over the past week, and today in the park there was a bit of a dual celebration - there's a local election sometime soon and it seems as though the politicians might have sponsored a barbeque in honour of ... the Defenders of the Fatherland. So there was meat and coffee and music, and lots of different events/attractions for kids like tug-of-war, potato sack races and face painting. So it was a fun little wander around the park with lots going on in the slushy snow.


So there isn't a Defenders of the Fatherland Day for females that have served in the Soviet and/or Russian forces(or a Defenders of the Motherland Day for that matter), but women have served in Russian and Soviet military since World War I. Apparently, a certain Maria Bochkareva petitioned a Soviet leader to allow the formation of the first women's battalion in 1917. Reasons that the government agreed include:

- female soldiers would have significant propaganda value
- their example would revitalize the weary, demoralized men of the Russian army
- the presence of women would serve to "shame" hesitant male soldiers into resuming their combat duties

Interesting. So the first female combat group was the Women's Battalion of Death (lovely name), and close to 2,000 women between the ages of 13 and 25 were recruited to fight in the June offensive in 1917 against the Germans. Crazy. Participation is apparently quite low now, and perhaps it's because, as Wikipedia informs me, "attitudes towards their contribution [were] occasionally paternalistic and reluctant." Really? Anyways, random information, all gleaned from Wikipedia. Happy Russian Father's Day! And Happy Defenders of the Fatherland Day to the Soviet and Russian women that have served also. ")