Gunsmith's Day will be celebrated in Russia on September 19
Every year on September 19, Russia celebrates the holiday of all employees of the defense industry - the Day of the Gunsmith. In 2023, it falls on a Tuesday. Read about how the date of the celebration was chosen and what traditions are associated with it in the Izvestia material.
Gunsmith's Day in 2029 — history
Small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creator of the famous machine gun, adopted not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world, had a hand in the appearance of the Gunsmith's Day. In 2010, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who held the post of Prime Minister at the time, at the Izhmash enterprise in Izhevsk. Kalashnikov appealed to the head of government with a request to approve a day on which representatives of the defense industry could gather together and summarize their work.
Earlier, a similar initiative was taken by the Union of Russian Gunsmiths, and Putin promised to choose a suitable date for such an event. In 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev issued a decree according to which the Day of the Gunsmith began to be celebrated every year on September 19.
The choice of the holiday date was due to two factors. In the XVI century in Russia there was a special position — a gunsmith. This was the name of the person who controlled the production of weapons, and was also responsible for their purchase, storage and distribution in the princely regiments. It is not known for certain when the first gunsmiths appeared, but the earliest mention of them is contained in the chronicle for September 1508. This fact influenced the choice of the month of the holiday.
September 19 was chosen as the date of the celebration, since on this day the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Archangel Michael, who is considered the leader of the heavenly host. Since the XIX century, he has also been revered as the patron saint of the gunsmiths of Izhevsk, one of the weapons capitals of Russia.
To date, the military-industrial complex is one of the most promising, high-tech and knowledge-intensive sectors of Russian industry. Its enterprises employ about 2 million people.
Gunsmith's Day in 2023 — traditions
Gunsmith's Day is celebrated in all cities of Russia, but for residents of the country's weapons capitals, Tula and Izhevsk, this holiday is especially important. Concerts are organized in his honor, fireworks are launched, and military equipment parades are held. Athletes and military personnel participate in competitions in a variety of disciplines, including those related to weapons. So, in 2023, the Russian drone Racing and freestyle championship for drone operators will be held in Tula.
Museums, exhibition centers and libraries are also preparing holiday programs. They invite visitors to exhibitions, lectures, seminars, workshops and film screenings dedicated to the arms industry and famous gunsmiths.
Gunsmith's Day in 2023 — how to congratulate
In 2023, the Day of the Gunsmith falls at the beginning of the working week, so congratulations should be postponed to the evening. You can send a postcard and a small gift in the morning to cheer up the hero of the occasion before work.
A universal variant of congratulations is a festive dinner. If you have free time, you can visit an arms exhibition, a historical museum or go for a walk around the city with family and friends. Fans of outdoor activities will enjoy playing laser tag, paintball or orienteering.
A good gift for a gunsmith will be a classic shirt, tie, Swiss knife, weapons reference book or encyclopedia. As a pleasant souvenir, you can choose a mug with a handle in the form of a pistol grip, a keychain in the form of a weapon or a military-themed diary.
Gunsmith's Day in 2023 — interesting facts
In honor of the Gunsmith's Day, Izvestia made a selection of interesting facts about weapons in Russia and other countries.
In 1984, Soviet engineers developed a pistol for astronauts. It fired not bullets, but laser beams and was intended to blind opponents and their optical systems. You can see this amazing means of self-defense in the museum of the Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great.
In Russia, the name of a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher is abbreviated to the abbreviation RPG. In English, it sounds the same — RPG. This word was borrowed from the Russian language, and in reverse order: first, an abbreviation came into use, and then they came up with the decoding of rocket-propelled grenade.
During the First World War, cats were frequent companions of soldiers. They helped catch mice in the trenches and warned about the beginning of a gas attack. If the fighters noticed that the animal was behaving strangely and was trying to get away, they immediately put on gas masks.
A Kalashnikov assault rifle is depicted on the national flag and coat of arms of Mozambique. It can also be seen on the coats of arms of Zimbabwe and East Timor.
The warriors of the ancient Maya civilization used hornets and wasps as weapons. They placed the nests of these insects in pumpkin vessels and hurled them into the ranks of opponents, wreaking havoc and panic.
Earlier, Izvestia told how Russia celebrates the holiday of the youngest unit of the army — the Day of Space Troops .
