December 4: double holiday for rocket and artillery troops and believers in Ukraine
4 December 2024 09:22
Ukraine celebrates the Day of Missile and Artillery Forces for the first time on December 4. Believers also honor the memory of St. Barbara the Great Martyr. On this day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi congratulated Ukrainian rocket and artillery men – the Knights of St. Barbara, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The Day of Missile and Artillery Forces was established by a presidential decree of October 31, 1997. Previously, the holiday was celebrated on November 3, which was associated with the events of World War II and was dedicated to the beginning of the operation to liberate Kyiv in 1943.
Since 2024, the Day of Missile and Artillery Forces has been celebrated on December 4. The decision to move the date was made because of the desire to move away from Soviet roots and turn to Christian traditions of celebration, as December 4 is the Day of St. Barbara, who is considered the patron saint of artillerymen in many countries. She is invoked for protection from thunder and explosions. These beliefs are connected with an episode in the life of the great martyr: after her tragic death, lightning struck her offenders. It is thunder and lightning that represent artillery fire and are depicted on the emblem of Ukrainian artillerymen.
St. Barbara is considered the patron saint of artillerymen not only in Ukraine, but also in the armed forces of Spain, France, Poland and the United States.
“Today we have returned to the old traditions, because since the advent of artillery, soldiers of many nations, including Ukrainian gunners, have considered St. Barbara their patron saint. Ukrainian warriors believed that St. Barbara protected them from sudden death, and lightning and thunder, as a symbol of her protection, are the personification of the power and destructive force of artillery,” noted Syrsky.
In his congratulations, he wished the soldiers of the Rocket Forces and artillery “to hit their targets accurately and destroy Russian terrorists.”
Syrsky emphasized that currently at the front “it is the rocketry and artillery that inflict the greatest amount of fire damage on the enemy and effectively destroy the Russian occupiers.”
“Shells and rockets that hit the target accurately carry the revenge of the entire Ukrainian people against the Russian invaders for the destroyed Ukrainian cities, for the ruined fates of our compatriots, for every killed and tortured Ukrainian, for every child’s tear. Also on this day, I would like to remember all Ukrainian soldiers-artillerymen and rocket scientists who died in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence and the freedom of the Ukrainian people! Eternal memory and eternal glory,” Syrsky said.
