Defenders Day (Ukraine)

Defenders Day^[6] is a public holiday^[7] in Ukraine celebrated annually on 1 October.^[8] The holiday honors veterans and fallen members of the Ukrainian armed forces.^[9][10] Its first celebration was in 2015.^[8][11][12]

Defenders Day
Official name	День захисників та захисниць України^[1]
Observed by	Ukrainians
Significance	Celebrating the armed forces during Intercession of the Theotokos^[2] 1 October is also the date of the founding of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Day of Ukrainian Cossacks
Celebrations	Concerts, expos, military parades, marches and festivals^[3]^[4]^[5]
Date	1 October
Next time	1 October 2024 (2024-10)
Frequency	Annual
First time	2015

History

On 14 October 2014, a decree by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko decreed the new holiday "Defender of Ukraine Day" (Ukrainian: День захи́сника́ Украї́ни, romanized: Den zakhysnyka Ukrainy) due to the Russo-Ukrainian War and decommunization in Ukraine.^[13][7] This decree was approved by the Ukrainian parliament (the Verkhovna Rada) on 5 March 2015.^[14] The holiday replaced the former 23 February's holiday called "Defender of the Fatherland Day", which had its origin in the Soviet Union.^[15] As the Ukrainian SSR, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union from 1922 until Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991.^[16] On 24 August 2014 (Independence Day of Ukraine) President Poroshenko had proclaimed that Ukraine should not celebrate the holidays of the "military-historical calendar of Russia" but "We will honor the defenders of our homeland, not someone else's".^[17]

According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in 2017 only 10% of the Ukrainian population celebrated the holiday.^[18] In 2021 KIIS opinion polls showed that the holiday was popular among 29% of respondents.^[18]

On 14 July 2021 parliament officially altered the name to (Ukrainian: День захи́сникі́в і захи́сни́ць Украї́ни, romanized: Den zakhysnykiv i zakhysnyts Ukrainy), explicitly to include the female defenders of Ukraine (in Ukrainian grammar захисників is the masculine form of the word defender and захисниць the feminine form).^{[7][1][19][20]}

After the Bishops' Council was held on May 24, 2023, it became known that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine would ask the authorities to shift the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, as well as the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, due to a calendar reform [uk], because the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in the OCU and UGCC will be celebrated on October 1 from 2023.^[21] On 28 June 2023 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law that moves the Day of Defenders of Ukraine from October 14 to October 1.^[22][23] Parliament approved this law on 14 July 2023 by 241 deputies supported the law.^[8] On July 28 2023, Zelenskyy signed the draft law and Presidential Decree No. 455/2023 "On Amendments to Certain Decrees of the President of Ukraine", so the date of the holiday was finally shifted.^[24]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022 led to a reappraisal of the popularity of Defenders Day in Ukraine.^[18] A March 2024 study by KIIS found that the popularity of Independence Day of Ukraine and Defenders Day had both almost more than doubled (from 37% to 64% and from 29% to 58%).^[18]

Intercession of the Theotokos in Ukrainian history

The chairman of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Volodymyr Viatrovych, motivated the choice of the date for 14 October on the Ukrainian historical tradition of honouring the Ukrainian army on the day of the Intercession of the Theotokos.^[14][1] This holiday has been celebrated by Ukrainians since the 12th century.^[14] The holiday was especially popular among Ukrainian Cossacks, who celebrated it since at least the 17th century as they believed the Mother of God (also known as "Theotokos") to be their patroness.^[14] The fourteenth of October is also the Day of the Ukrainian Cossacks.^[13]

During the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917–1920) the military symbolism of the holiday was adopted by the soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army.^[7][1]

In an effort to adopt some Cossack traditions, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (1942–1956) chose the day of the Intercession of the Theotokos to be the official day of their establishment.^[7][14]

See also

• Public holidays in Ukraine
• Ukraine history

References

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Defender of Ukraine Day.

1. (in Ukrainian) Defender's Day was renamed Defenders and Defenders' Day, BBC Ukrainian (14 July 2021)
2. Ukraine celebrating Defender Day (Video), UNIAN (14 October 2018)
   "Методичні матеріали Українського інституту національної пам'яті щодо відзначення 14 жовтня Дня захисника України | Офіційний веб-сайт УІНП". www.memory.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
3. Ukraine celebrates Defender Day, UNIAN (14 October 2016)
4. (in Ukrainian) For the first time in 30 years, a military parade took place in Luhansk region, Ukrayinska Pravda (14 October 2021)
5. (in Ukrainian) A Defenders Day march begins in the center of Kyiv, Ukrayinska Pravda (14 October 2021)
6. Nuzhnenko, Serhiy (15 October 2021). "Ukrainians March In Honor Of Armed Forces On Defenders Day". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
7. Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine celebrated today, Ukrinform (14 October 2021)
8. "Parliament changes dates of Christmas, Statehood Day, Day of Defenders". Ukrinform. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
9. "October 14 declared 'Defenders of Ukraine Day' after lawmakers back Poroshenko's proposal". Ukraine Today. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
10. "President proclaimed October 14 the Day of Defender of Ukraine". 14 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
11. Ukraine marks first 'Defenders Day' with harsh words for Putin, Fox News Channel (14 October 2015)
12. "Ukraine honours servicemen during celebrations of first-ever Defenders' Day", Ukraine Today (14 October 2015)
13. Ukraine's Defenders Day to be observed on October 14, February 23 celebration canceled, Interfax-Ukraine (14 October 2014)
    President proclaimed October 14 the Day of Defender of Ukraine, president.gov.ua (14 October 2014)
14. New Oct. 14 state holiday has Orthodox, Cossack roots, Kyiv Post (8 October 2015)
15. (in Ukrainian) Таємниця 23 лютого. Українцям є що святкувати "'Mystery of February 23. Ukrainians have something to celebrate", Ukrayinska Pravda (23 February 2013)
16. A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples by Paul Robert Magocsi, University of Toronto Press, 2010, ISBN 1442610212 (page 563/564 & 722/723)
17. (in Ukrainian) Poroshenko: Ukraine will never celebrate February 23 25 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, TVi (24 August 2014)
    English-language translation of Poroshenko's Independence Day remarks in Kyiv, Kyiv Post (24 August 2014)
18. Volodymyr Paniotto (7 March 2024). "PRESS RELEASES AND REPORTS - ATTITUDE OF UKRAINIANS TO PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND IN PARTICULAR TO MARCH 8". Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
19. Президент України Володимир Зеленськи. Офіційне інтернет-представництво. "Президент підписав закон про День захисників і захисниць України". president.gov.ua (in Ukrainian).
20. . 14 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
21. "ПЦУ проситиме перенести День захисників і захисниць на 1 жовтня". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 June 2023.
22. "Zelensky Introduces Proposed Draft Law to Change Holiday Dates". Get the Latest Ukraine News Today - KyivPost. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
23. "Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a law on changing holiday dates". babel.ua. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
24. Свобода, Радіо (28 July 2023). "Зеленський затвердив перенесення святкування Різдва на 25 грудня". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 July 2023.