Opening holiday on February 23. Defender of the Fatherland Day: the history of the holiday, how to celebrate, congratulations. February - the history of the holiday and its modern meaning in Russia

The historian explained whose birthday all of Russia celebrates on February 23 and why it is worth congratulating women on the “male” holiday.

Despite the fact that in 1999 International Men's Day appeared on the calendar of holidays (November 19, it was first celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago), in Russia the main holiday of all men is still February 23. According to the established tradition, not only the current defenders of the Fatherland are congratulated on this day, but also, so to speak, the defenders of potential - in other words, all men, young and old.

Of course, this holiday is especially honored by the military, who both in wartime and in peacetime stand guard over our Motherland. It is also important for war veterans, and for those who passed the Great Patriotic War, February 23 is the second most important holiday after May 9.

But where did this date come from? We all know very well that on May 9, 1945 Soviet Union celebrated the victory over Nazi Germany, and what happened on February 23?

At first glance, everything here seems to be on the surface: on February 23, 1918, the Red Guards won their first victories near Pskov and Narva over the troops of Kaiser Germany. At least that's how it is written in most historical sources. Initially, the holiday was called "Day of the Red Army and Navy."

There are a number of versions on the topic of when it would really be worth celebrating Defender of the Fatherland Day. After all, the Decree on the organization of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) was adopted by the Council of People's Commissars on January 28 (January 15, old style), 1918. A year later, the chairman of the Higher Military Inspectorate of the Red Army, Nikolai Podvoisky, proposed celebrating the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army, but he did it too late - his application went to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee only on January 10, 1919, and they did not manage to establish the holiday on time.

Then the Moscow Council, headed by Kamenev, took up this issue. Lev Borisovich suggested that the birthday of the Red Army be timed to another holiday - Red Gift Day. It was something like a charity event initiated by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee: on this day, the population was supposed to donate gifts for the Red Army. However, February 17, on which the holiday was planned, fell on a Monday, so it was decided to celebrate both Red Gift Day and Red Army Day on the next Sunday, that is, February 23.

Here is such a difficult fate for the main men's holiday our country! We asked Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Moscow State Pedagogical University Vasily Tsvetkov to unravel the tangle of information around this date.

Voroshilov's doubts

- Vasily Zhanovich, help us understand the history of February 23rd. Where did this date actually come from? Frankly, I was surprised to see so many different options its occurrence: both the first arrival of Trotsky to the front, and even the defeat of the Red Army, which the Bolsheviks allegedly tried to make amends with the help of festive celebrations ...

Yes, now there are many different versions about how this holiday appeared. This happened due to the fact that on February 23, 1933, Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, being People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the USSR, unexpectedly announced at a solemn meeting in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Red Army: “By the way, the timing of the celebration of the anniversary on February 23 wears rather random and difficult to explain character and does not coincide with historical dates. But I believe that if we approach this issue historically, then there are two important moments. Firstly, February 23, 24 and 25 (in any case, it is considered so) are the days of the most massive enrollment of volunteers in the Red Army. After all, according to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of January 15, 1918, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was originally formed precisely on a voluntary basis. And during this period of time - from February 23 to February 25 - the largest number of volunteers enrolled in its ranks.

And on the same day, as far as I understand, the appeal of the Council of People's Commissars “The socialist fatherland is in danger” was published, as well as the “Appeal of the Military Commander-in-Chief” Nikolai Krylenko with the words: “All to arms! All in defense of the revolution!”?

The appeal was published a little earlier - on February 22. But, in principle, it can also be attributed here. But the most important thing is that on February 23, 1918, the first combat clashes of the Red Army (with German troops. - Note. ed.) in the directions of Narva and Pskov. Soldiers of the Red Guard, sailors of the Baltic Fleet, Estonian Red Guards took part in them...

But a number of historians claimed that on February 23, no battles were recorded in either the Soviet or German military archives.

No, there were battles. All combat actions, together with the cards, are very well described in Alexander Cherepanov's book Born in Battles. This is a man who himself participated in all these battles: he was the commander of the 2nd Red Army Regiment, which included volunteer soldiers of the 12th Army of the Northern Front.

There were no victories, that's for sure, but there was a suspension of the German offensive. This happened not even quite near Narva, but rather near Revel (present-day Tallinn). There, at the Keila railway station, on February 23, the Estonian Red Guards fought the Germans and stopped their advance for a day. Before that, there were also battles, but these were not the battles of the Red Army - these were the battles of the old Russian army. And we are talking about the battles of new units that came to the front from Petrograd - that is why this date is considered the birthday of the Red Army.

Congratulate not only boys

What are the most famous stories about February 23rd? For example, I read these strange stories about the defeat of our army, which they allegedly then tried to disguise as a holiday. Doesn't sound very convincing...

Of course, there are some stories. Basically they concern two points. The first is that on this day the Council of People's Commissars received an ultimatum from the German command and accepted it. The ultimatum was indeed presented on February 23, 1918, but this did not affect the front in any way - they did not even immediately find out about it. And the second point concerns the fact that on this day near Narva there was a rout of a detachment of sailors under the command of Pavel Dybenko. But the fact that Defender of the Fatherland Day supposedly began to be celebrated on February 23 in order to forget the shame of defeat is, of course, all tales. And then, the stories about the shameful flight of Dybenko are not true. In fact, his sailors did not flee, but suffered heavy losses and simply could not advance further.

The holiday, celebrated on February 23, changed its name several times. At first it was called "Day of the Red Army and Navy", and from 1946 to 1993 - "Day of the Soviet Army and Navy". What was the reason for this renaming?

This is pure continuity. The Red Army was renamed the Soviet Army, but the old exploits and old memorable dates were not abandoned. After all, it was not a different, new army, but an army that was successor to the Red Army. So everything is logical here.

Each regiment has its own saint

But is it known at what point the holiday dedicated to the creation of the Red Army turned into Defender of the Fatherland Day in our modern sense?

Yes, this is clearly known. On March 13, 1995, President Boris Yeltsin signed the Federal Law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia." It was then that the Defender of the Fatherland Day appeared in such a fairly broad sense. But even then this holiday was not a day off. It was made non-working not so long ago - in 2002. Before that, February 23rd was just memorable date, and it was believed that this was a purely military day. Then it began to be interpreted more broadly - so that any man, if he has conscious patriotism, of course, will go to defend his homeland. Informally, this holiday has become known as "Men's Day", since it is supposed that after all a man should serve in the army, since we still have military service, and this seems quite logical. Although in fact we know very well that not everyone served in the army, and Men's Day is a bit of a different context. All this is very conditional. After all, International Women's Day was also initially considered a day of women's struggle for their rights, and not just a world women's holiday.

By the way, about women. Since February 23 is a military holiday, is it customary to congratulate the fair sex on this day who are associated with military affairs?

If they are military, then yes, of course. Why not? Moreover, it is not at all necessary that a woman is directly related to military service. For example, as far as I know, in schools where there are cadet classes, on February 23 all cadets are congratulated, and girls study there too. So, not everything is so simple here, and not only boys can be congratulated on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

It’s hard to say unequivocally here, because in other countries this holiday was timed either to some of their own historical dates, or decrees on the creation of local national armies. But "international" is a strong word. Because if we take, for example, the Orthodox tradition that existed before the revolution, then St. George's Day was widely celebrated. It was installed on December 9 in memory of the consecration of St. George's Church in Kyiv. But also this date is still celebrated as the Day of Heroes of the Fatherland (St. George has long been considered the patron saint of the Russian army, and on December 9 (November 26, old style) in Russian Empire celebrated the day of the Order of St. George, or the Day of the Knights of St. George; it was celebrated by knights of the Order of St. George, the lower ranks, awarded the St. George Cross, and units that had collective St. George awards. - Note. ed.). In addition, each regiment, each military unit also had its own regimental holiday, celebrated in honor of the patron saint of this particular unit. So February 23 is already the day of the Red Army; that is, exactly February 23, 1918, and not February 23 in general.

- BUT Western countries where the socialist regime once operated? Czechoslovakia (Czechoslovakia), the Baltic countries?

I am sure that for the former socialist countries, everything is not so simple either. In the Czech Republic, the memory of the Czechoslovak Corps is still honored, they never abandoned these traditions; the Poles are the Polish Army, they have their own traditions associated with this; Ukraine has Cossacks Day. So we, as the successors of Soviet Russia, have the right to consider February 23 as a purely our holiday. But, by the way, the military holiday of St. George the Victorious, as far as I know, is also still celebrated. And there is also a Cossack holiday in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker, it is called "Nikola Summer". It is celebrated on May 9 (May 22 according to a new style) in honor of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Italian city of Bari at the end of the 11th century. This is also an old Orthodox tradition.

ATMuseum of the military uniform of the Russian Military Historical Society (Moscow, Petroverigsky lane, house 4, building 1) the exhibition "Born in battles" was opened - to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.The exhibition features authentic items military uniform clothes and equipment of the Red Army in different periods of its existence: an overcoat with "conversations" of a Red Army cavalryman of the 1922 model; summer everyday uniform of the commanding staff of the armored forces of the Red Army of the 1935 model; uniform of the 1943 model, created for female military personnel; dress uniform generals of the Red Army, designed specifically for the Victory Parade of 1945. We invite you!

The holiday is still celebrated in a number of CIS countries.

Unofficially celebrated as Men's Day

The history of the holiday originates on January 28 (January 15 according to the old style) 1918. On this day, against the backdrop of the ongoing World War I in Europe, the Council of People's Commissars (the actual government of Soviet Russia), headed by its chairman Vladimir Lenin, adopted a Decree on the organization of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA).

In the first days of January 1919, the Soviet authorities remembered the approaching anniversary of the decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the organization of the Red Army. On January 10, the chairman of the Higher Military Inspectorate of the Red Army, Nikolai Podvoisky, sent a proposal to the presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army, timing the celebration to the nearest Sunday before or after January 28. However, due to the late submission of the application, no decision was made.

Then the Moscow Soviet took the initiative to celebrate the first anniversary of the Red Army. On January 24, 1919, its presidium, which at that time was headed by Lev Kamenev, decided to coincide with these celebrations on the Day of the Red Gift. This day was arranged by the relevant commission under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in order to assist the fighting Red Army soldiers. The Day of the Red Gift was scheduled for February 16, but the commission did not have time to hold it on time. Therefore, the Day of the Red Gift and the Day of the Red Army, timed to coincide with it, decided to celebrate on the following Sunday after February 16, i.e. February 23.

In 1920-1921. Red Army Day was not celebrated.

On January 27, 1922, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a resolution on the 4th anniversary of the Red Army, which stated: “In accordance with the resolution of the IX All-Russian Congress of Soviets on the Red Army, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee draws the attention of the executive committees to the upcoming anniversary of the creation of the Red Army (February 23).”

In 1923, the decision of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, adopted on January 18, stated: “On February 23, 1923, the Red Army will celebrate the 5th anniversary of its existence. On this day, five years ago, the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 28 of the same year was published, which laid the foundation for the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, the stronghold of the proletarian dictatorship. However, this statement was not true, because. the said decree was published in the central newspapers almost immediately after its adoption.

The 10th anniversary of the Red Army in 1928, like all the previous ones, was celebrated as the anniversary of the decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the organization of the Red Army of January 28 (15 according to the old style) of January 1918, but the very date of publication, contrary to the truth, was directly connected with February 23.

In 1938, in the “Short Course on the History of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks”, a fundamentally new version of the origin of the date of the holiday was presented, not related to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars. The book stated that in 1918 near Narva and Pskov “the German occupiers were given a decisive rebuff. Their advance on Petrograd was suspended. The day of rebuffing the troops of German imperialism - February 23 became the birthday of the young Red Army.

Later, in the order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated February 23, 1942, the wording was changed: birth of the Red Army.

In 1951, the last interpretation of the holiday appeared. In history civil war in the USSR” it was stated that in 1919 the first anniversary of the Red Army was celebrated “on the memorable day of the mobilization of workers to defend the socialist Fatherland, the mass entry of workers into the Red Army, the broad formation of the first detachments and units of the new army.”

In the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 N32-ФЗ “On the Days of Military Glory of Russia”, February 23 is officially called “The Day of the Red Army's victory over the Kaiser troops of Germany in 1918 - the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland”.

In accordance with the changes made to the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory of Russia” by the Federal Law of April 15, 2006, the words “Day of the victory of the Red Army over the Kaiser troops of Germany (1918)” were excluded from the official description of the holiday, and it is also set out in a single including the concept of "defender".

Since 2002, according to the decision of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, February 23 is a non-working day in Russia.

We praise those who did not cry

From your pain

But did not hide the tears

On the graves of friends

Those who were men

Not in words

Coward did not celebrate

Sitting in the bushes

Those best

Sons of mankind

Those who are on guard of the Fatherland!

There is one quality in people,

It is given to us or not given,

When a machine gun is scribbling in a fever,

And so in everything, and everywhere, and always,

When trouble falls on the shoulders,

When life takes you by the throat

One lies, the other runs forward.

Well, what to do, it looks like this:

Let's pour wine into glasses.

My first toast and my last toast

For those who rose to their full height!

We wish to love our Motherland

And be a real man

Become the best among the wonderful,

Defender and citizen!

We wish you health and joy,

Good luck, prosperity and happiness,

Good, reliable comrades,

Real friends and girlfriends!

This holiday is out of bounds

It is not just a holiday for soldiers,

It is not only for people in uniform,

That they are in the service of the Motherland.

This holiday is a holiday of a man

With full right we can name.

In honor of men today, congratulations

From their life partners will sound.

February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day, which has become a truly popular men's day not only in Russia, but also on the ruins of the once powerful USSR. It is also celebrated in Ukraine, Belarus, Transnistria and Kazakhstan.

How did this red date appear on our calendars? - from the distant 1918 to the present day.

How did February 23rd come about?

For the first time, the anniversary of the newborn Red Army was celebrated in 1919. In the days of February, a year was celebrated for the confrontation between the German troops and the army of the new state being created. Now there are many options for interpreting what happened in February 1918, but it is not our task to plunge into the intricacies of historical intrigues. Therefore, we will focus on the facts that influenced the fact that today February 23 is a truly national holiday:

For the first time, the holiday acquired its official name in 1922. Then it was called the Day of the Red Army and Navy.
In 1923, the 5th anniversary of the young Red Army was widely celebrated. And although in fact the Decree on the organization of the Red Army was adopted at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars on January 28, 1918, it has historically developed a tradition to celebrate the holiday on February 23.
February 23, 1938 was approved anniversary medal"XX years of the Red Army", and the holiday became not only official, but also solemn.
During the years of the Great Patriotic War February 23 took on a special meaning. Each family was waiting for news from their relatives and friends from the front, so the Red Army Day was celebrated by everyone. They congratulated their beloved warriors in writing and in absentia and hoped very much that they would return home as soon as possible. It is in those years that the origins of people's love and attention to this date lie.
During the Great Patriotic War, this holiday was celebrated in a special way. On February 23, 1943, the Red Army defeated the enemy near Stalingrad, turning back the almost 20-month-long German offensive. Exactly one year later, on February 23, 1944, the army of our country celebrated its holiday by crossing the Dnieper. On February 23, 1945, the Red Army already celebrated in Europe. Our country was liberated from fascist invaders.

February 23 era of the USSR

Already after the war since 1949, the holiday was renamed, and February 23 became known as the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. There is a tradition to celebrate this event solemnly and on a grand scale:

On this day, military parades were held, fireworks were arranged. Veterans of the army and navy were awarded orders and medals. First honored those who were related to military service, but since in the days of the USSR most of the young men served in the army, the holiday gradually became more widespread.
It is not known who gave the first gift on this day. Most likely, at first these were small souvenirs, memorable gifts, official awards. Already in the second half of the 20th century, there was a tradition of presenting certificates, honorary medals, and then valuable gifts to those who performed excellent service or distinguished themselves in the performance of their military duty.
The tradition migrated from the official stands to ordinary families. And on February 23 they covered holiday tables, prepared gifts, and congratulated men in work collectives on the holiday of the Soviet Army and Navy.
Gradually, the difference between those who served in the army, and those who for some reason avoided it, began to fade. In fact, how to congratulate the staff of the plant? Select only those who served, and send the rest from the solemn meeting, dedicated to the holiday? This is how this day began to turn into a universal men's holiday.

Defender of the Fatherland Day or Men's Day?

After the Soviet Union became the property of history, the Day of the Soviet Army was also canceled. This holiday has not been celebrated since 1993.

But Since 1995 we have been celebrating Defender of the Fatherland Day, congratulating not only those who serve in the army and law enforcement agencies, but also those who protect our families every day - fathers, husbands, brothers.

According to the established tradition, congratulations, gifts and refreshments in honor of men are prepared on this day.

It should be noted that attempts have been made more than once to replace February 23 with other dates. So, in Ukraine, the Day of the Armed Forces was introduced, which is celebrated on December 6. Nevertheless, the fraternal Ukrainian people continued to celebrate their favorite date - February 23rd. Since 1999, Defender of the Fatherland Day has been returned to the calendar again, to the great satisfaction of Ukrainians.

Since 2006, February 23 has been declared a public holiday in Russia, which only added to its popularity.

Our history is complex and confusing. Over time, any event is interpreted differently, and seen in a different way. But this holiday has long and firmly enjoyed popular love and recognition - Defender of the Fatherland Day, an unofficial men's day, a holiday for men who protect us.

What do we celebrate on February 23? Men's Day or Defender of the Fatherland Day - everyone has heard this. What if we dig deeper?

« February 23 is a holiday, like March 8, only for men”- such an answer must have been heard more than once. Is he really male?

What are we celebrating?

It is believed that February 23 is the birthday of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, but the decree on its creation was signed on January 15, 1918. According to another version, the Kaiser troops near Pskov were defeated on this day, but it is documented that there was no victory On the contrary, on February 25 the city was taken almost without a fight, and on that day the government of Soviet Russia agreed to sign peace and accept all the conditions of Germany. What are we celebrating?

This holiday is the greatest PR move in the history of the Soviet state. To maintain the spirit of the army, new holidays were introduced:

rifle day
Red Officer's Day
Red Gift Day (the population donated things, food and money to the Red Army)

At a meeting of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies in 1919, it was proposed to celebrate the anniversary of the Red Army. The adoption of the resolution was delayed, and the Day of the Red Gift was appointed for February. It was decided to combine these two holidays and celebrate on the next Sunday, but then the date of celebration was moved to February 23.

On the one hand, the country had time to prepare, on the other hand, the socialists in Russia have been celebrating this day for several years, only a different holiday, March 8th. It's the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. When socialists throughout Europe celebrated International Women's Day, Russia joined in solidarity, only February 23 was on the calendar. In 1918, the Country of Soviets also switched to a new system of calculation, women's holiday also passed, but the festive spirit remained.

Official name

The new country needed new holidays. Therefore, when they decided to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the founding of the Red Army, the date was set for February 23, as in 1919, and the holiday became known as the Day of the Red Army and Navy. After another 5 years, the phrase “victory near Pskov” appeared in the interpretation of the holiday, and already in 1942, Stalin himself added that the Red Army detachments “utterly defeated the troops of the German invaders near Pskov and Narva.” Since 1946, the name has changed again: "Day of the Soviet Army and Navy." When the Soviet army was gone, a decree on renaming was adopted. Now every year on February 23 we celebrate.

This is how time makes its own adjustments. But the most important thing remains: the spirit of the holiday. Whatever it is called, it is still on this day that we lovingly congratulate those who protect us - our men.

Now on February 23 we celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day, and earlier it was called the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. That, perhaps, is all that most of us know about the history of this holiday. And, meanwhile, this story is completely ambiguous, and there are still disputes between historians about the occurrence of the date February 23. In today's article, I will try to briefly tell you the history of the holiday, which we celebrate on February 23, and highlight controversial points.

The origins of the holiday should be sought in 1918, since it was in this year that the decrees on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) and the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) were signed. The First World War was on, and the young Soviet state needed an army for protection. However, none of these decrees was signed on 23 February. The Red Army was created on January 28, and the RKKF on February 11.

It was believed that it was on February 23 that the Red Army won a major victory over the German troops near Pskov and Narva. However, many historians questioned this fact and considered it an invented myth. The fact is that there is no documentary evidence of this fact. There is not even any mention of any significant victories in the newspapers of those days. And even a year after these events (it would seem, on the anniversary of the holiday), the newspapers did not write anything about this. Such references began to appear only much later.

In 1922, a decree was signed on the solemn celebration on February 23 of the fourth anniversary of the birth of the Red Army. And in previous years, for some reason, the holiday was not celebrated.

Yuon K.F. 1923 Red Army Parade

In 1923, the 5th anniversary of the Red Army was widely and solemnly celebrated throughout the country.

It turns out that despite the fact that the Red Army itself was created in 1918, and the holiday originates from there, it began to become a truly famous holiday only 4 years later.

Since 1946, the holiday has been called Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.

In 1995, the State Duma of Russia adopts the federal law "On the Days of Military Glory of Russia". According to this law, February 23 is listed as " Day of the victory of the Red Army over the Kaiser troops of Germany in 1918 - Defender of the Fatherland Day".

But already in 2002, the State Duma adopted a resolution on renaming February 23 simply to Defender of the Fatherland Day, and since then it has become a non-working day (official holiday). Thus, the connection with the victories of the Red Army over the Kaiser troops on February 23, 1918 was removed from the description of the holiday, as an unreliable fact.

Why Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated on February 23

So why is Defender of the Fatherland Day celebrated on February 23rd? Where did this date come from? Indeed, in fact, it is neither the birthday of the Red Army, nor the birthday of the RKKF.

I must say right away that there is no exact answer to this question. And there are several versions.

Version one.

I have already voiced this version above. For a long time it was the official version. This is a victory near Pskov and Narva over the Kaiser troops on February 23, 1918. However, this fact was not confirmed.

Version two.

Initially, they wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army on the date of its creation on January 28th. However, due to bureaucratic delays, they did not have time to this date, and it was decided this year 1919 to combine Red Army Day with Red Gift Day (collection of material resources for the Red Army), which was celebrated on February 17 the previous year. However, in that year 1919, the date of February 17 fell on a Monday, and it was decided to transfer these 2 holidays to the next Sunday, which was February 23. Allegedly, since then, Red Army Day has been celebrated on February 23.

Version three.

There is another interesting version related to the transition of the calendar to new style. March 8 was a holiday for all internationalists. Before the revolution (according to the old style), we celebrated this holiday on February 23rd. And after the transition to a new style, the habit of celebrating something on February 23 remained. They were looking for some close dates, they remembered the day of the creation of the Red Army, so an excuse was found for February 23 (I immediately remembered November 7 and 4). So we got 2 holidays, popularly known as men's and women's days.

So I told you briefly the story of February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day - with different versions of the origin of this holiday regarding the date of the celebration.

Be that as it may, February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day - is a beloved nationally celebrated day on which we congratulate all men, since they are all our defenders!

Recently, the holiday has been losing its political and military coloring more and more, turning into just the day of Men. On this day, we thank our men for their strength, masculinity, love, care, support, support, simply because they are there and take care of us.

Congratulate all the men who are with you, regardless of their age.

And my help to you original congratulations- free musical greeting card Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day! The postcard is cheerful, a little humorous, so it should invariably cheer you up! And in the postcard, no less interesting gifts don't forget to check them out!