To the Front!

This week marks the celebration of Defenders of the Fatherland Day on the 23rd. Since the elimination of Red Army day from the calendar, this has become one of the premier military holidays. But it’s not just for the armed forces, anymore.

Every able-bodied Russian male is considered a potential defender of the homeland, so the day is actually marked by a celebration for all men. Women extend their congratulations and shower them with fawning attention on what has become, for all purposes, a Men’s Day.

We had a party in the conference room after work to mark the day. All the women made flowery speeches about the “handsome and intelligent” men who they have the pleasure to have as colleagues. Then, each woman presented to each man a gift. We all got a silver, mint proof 3 ruble coin – the kind you get from the bank in a little jewelry box.

It was a very nice gesture, and especially nice to include me in their celebrations. The awkwardness of the situation wasn’t lost on anyone, and we all made jokes about my participation. Receipt of the coin may oblige me to perform military service in Russia, now, one fellow said. Never mind that, another said; but it won’t look good when you run for senator and they find out you’re a paid agent of a foreign government.

Anyway, I even got a card as a Defender of the Fatherland. It begins “Even though you don’t have this holiday in America…” Well, I may be an American but my Russian colleagues are quite intent on making sure that I have an authentic experience.


Gifts for an Honorary Defender of the Fatherland.

So in honor of the holiday, last Thursday and Friday were days off. Lest we get too carried away with prolonged revelry, the government has adjusted the holiday schedule to make it just slightly less thrashing to worker productivity. While Thursday and Friday are days off, Sunday has been converted back into an official work day.

But before you feel too bad for the women of Russia, March 8th marks International Women’s Day – a massive celebration of all that femininity entails – in a combination of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. You can be sure that I’ll write about that one, too, when the time comes.