What do the colors of the St. George's ribbon mean? St. George Ribbon - history of the symbol What the St. George Ribbon was awarded for
The “St. George Ribbon” campaign has started in Russia, distributing the main symbol of Victory Day until May 9. But many people treat it carelessly and wear it incorrectly - in our material we will tell you how to tie it beautifully and wear it with dignity.
History of the black and orange ribbon
For the first time black and yellow tape in the system Russian awards appeared during the reign of Empress Catherine the Second, it began to be attached to the Order of St. George the Victorious. The Order of St. George became the highest award in Russian Empire: They were awarded for excellence in military exploits. The order had four degrees, it was issued to officers and soldiers (the soldier's order was called the “Insignia of the Military Order”). Later, the yellow color in the ribbon was replaced with orange.
In 1913, another medal appeared in Russia using a black and orange ribbon - the St. George Medal. It was awarded to lower ranks for courage and bravery shown in peace or war.
After October revolution In 1917, the Order of St. George the Victorious, like other awards of the empire, was abolished. However, at the fronts civil war both former generals and commanders of the Red Army continued to award soldiers for excellence in battle with the Order of St. George and the St. George Medal.
The black and orange ribbon appeared again in 1941. Then, for the courage and bravery of personnel, such ribbons began to be given to units, formations and ships. The ribbon was called “Guards”.
Later, already during the Second World War in 1943, the Order of Glory was established, to which a “guards ribbon” was attached.
The St. George ribbon became a real symbol of Victory in 1945, when by Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces the medal “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War” was established. Patriotic War in 1941-1945." This award was received by 15 million people - front-line soldiers and home front workers. A St. George ribbon was also attached to the medal.
Medal "For Victory over Germany" In 1992 in Russian Federation revived the former Order of St. George. Thus, the order and ribbon became a symbol of the continuity of generations and traditions of Russia.
In 2005, the RIA Novosti news agency and the Student Community, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Victory, announced the St. George Ribbon campaign - volunteers throughout Russia distributed thousands of ribbons to honor the memory of war heroes. The event has become an annual event and this year will pass for the 13th time in a row.
What do the colors of the St. George ribbon symbolize?
Count Litta in 1833 wrote about the introduction of the ribbon by Catherine II: “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that its ribbon unites the color of gunpowder and the color of fire.” Therefore, it is generally accepted that orange means flame, and black means smoke.
There is another version of the symbolism of the colors of the ribbon: black is the eagle on the coat of arms of Russia, and orange is the golden background (in heraldry, golden can be represented by yellow or orange colors). Thus, the ribbon reproduces the colors of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
How to wear the St. George's ribbon?
The St. George ribbon is not a decoration that can be tied anywhere: you should not wear it on your head, below the belt, on a bag, or tie it on a bicycle or car. It should be worn near the heart, attached to clothing (for example, it is convenient to use the lapel of a jacket).
You can tie a ribbon different ways, in this video you will learn about ten of them:
We also remind you that our newspaper is running. Send us materials about your heroes, and we will post them on the main page.
,Today, the St. George's Ribbon is perceived more as a modern fashion accessory on certain May days, which does not stand up to criticism. But few people know the history of the symbol of Victory and courage, courage and perseverance. The history of the origin of the color of the ribbon is even less familiar. And why is the ribbon called St. George's?
What you need to know about the St. George's Ribbon - we offer you a selection of 10 most important facts.
No. 1. Slogan
People started talking about the St. George's Ribbon, as a symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, in the mid-2000s.
In 2005, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Victory, a non-political action began under the well-known slogans:
“Grandfather’s Victory is my Victory”, “Tie it up. If you remember!”, “I remember! I’m proud!”, “We are the heirs Great Victory!", "Thank the granfather for the victory!"
No. 2. Author of the idea
The idea of the action came from a group of journalists from the Russian International Information Agency RIA Novosti.
No. 3. Code of the St. George's Ribbon promotion
The St. George Ribbon Code consists of 10 points:
- Promotion "St. George's Ribbon" - not commercial and not political.
- The purpose of the action is creation of a holiday symbol - Victory Day .
- This symbol is an expression of our respect for veterans, a tribute to the memory of those who fell on the battlefield, gratitude to the people who gave everything for the front. To all those thanks to whom we won in 1945.
- "George Ribbon" is not a heraldic symbol . This is a symbolic ribbon, a replica of the traditional bicolor St. George ribbon.
- The use of original St. George's or Guards ribbons in the promotion is not allowed. "St. George's Ribbon" is a symbol, not a reward.
- "George Ribbon" cannot be the object of purchase and sale .
- "George Ribbon" cannot serve to promote goods and services. The use of tape as an accompanying product or element of product packaging is not allowed.
- "George Ribbon" distributed free of charge. It is not permitted to issue a ribbon to a visitor to a retail establishment in exchange for a purchase.
- Not allowed usage"St. George's Ribbon" for political purposes any parties or movements.
- The “St. George Ribbon” has one or two inscriptions: the name of the city/state where the ribbon was produced. Other inscriptions on the ribbon are not allowed.
- This is a symbol of the unbroken spirit of the people who fought and defeated Nazism in the Great Patriotic War.
Naturally, like any code in the Russian Federation, it is also not observed by every citizen. From 2005 to 2017, paragraph 7 of the code is considered the most violated. On the eve of the holiday, enterprising businessmen do whatever they can with impunity: manicures, vodka, beer, dogs, wet wipes, ice cream, mayonnaise, and even toilets- madness at its finest:
This is such speculation on the topic of war and victory... Petty, low, mean, disgusting...
No. 4. On banknotes
The St. George's ribbon is depicted on the commemorative banknotes of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic issued by the Central Bank of Transnistria to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
No. 5. Correspondence
St. George's Ribbon appearance and the combination of colors corresponds to the ribbon that covers the order block for the medal “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" became the most popular medal. As of January 1, 1995, approximately 14,933,000 people have been awarded the medal.
Among the recipients are 120 thousand soldiers of the Bulgarian army who took part in hostilities against the German army and its allies.
No. 6. "Georgievskaya" or "Gvardeyskaya"
The ribbons distributed as part of this event are called St. George's ribbons, although critics argue that in fact they correspond to the Guards, since they mean a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War and have orange stripes, not yellow. The fact is that since the fall of 1941, units, formations and ships, for the courage and heroism of their personnel, which they showed in defending the Fatherland, were awarded the honorary title “Gvardeyskaya”, “Gvardeysky”, not “Georgievsky” or “Georgievskaya”.
In fact, everything is simple - the guards ribbon is characteristic of Soviet era reign, while St. George's - for the royal one. And they differed slightly - in color and width of the stripes. The Bolsheviks, who abolished the award system in 1917, only copied the tsar's award in 1941, changing the color slightly.
Guards ribbon in the USSR. Postcard. By the way, according to a common version, the term “guard” appeared in Italy in the 12th century and designated a selected detachment for guarding the state banner. In Russia, the first guard detachments were created in 1565 by decree of Ivan the Terrible - they were all part of his personal guard. Today they are called bodyguards, and in the times of Ivan the Terrible - guardsmen. The basis of the tsar’s personal guard were the “best” representatives of the most noble families and descendants of appanage princes... The guardsmen had to stand out from the crowd, and like monks, who were easy to distinguish by their black robes, special black clothes were invented for the tsar’s guard. This fact, by the way, explains the color of the clothes of modern bodyguards...
Paradoxically, the Bolsheviks, hating everything tsarist, overthrew the term “Georgievsky”, returned in 1941 another tsarist term “Guards”, but called it their own, Soviet...
No. 7. When first appeared
The St. George Ribbon appeared on November 26 (December 7) 1769. under Catherine II, along with the Order of St. George - the highest military award of the Russian Empire. The motto of the order was: “For service and bravery.”
Catherine II with the Order of St. George, 1st degree. F. Rokotov, 1770 The first holder of the order was the Empress herself - on the occasion of its establishment... And “For service and courage” - Fyodor Ivanovich Fabritsian - Russian general, hero Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774
Under his command, a special detachment of Jaeger battalions and part of the 1st Grenadier Regiment, numbering 1,600 people, completely defeated a Turkish detachment of 7,000 people and occupied the city of Galati. For this feat, on December 8, 1769, Fabritian was the first in history to be awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.
And the first full holder of the Order of St. George was the outstanding Russian commander, commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Patriotic War of 1812, student and comrade-in-arms of A.V. Suvorov - Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov.
The last lifetime portrait of M. I. Kutuzov, R. M. Volkov, 1813. In the portrait, the Badge of the Order of St. George, 1st degree (cross) on the St. George ribbon (behind the hilt of the sword) and its quadrangular star (2nd from the top) . No. 8. Ribbon color
The ribbon was worn depending on the class of the gentleman: either in the buttonhole, or around the neck, or over the right shoulder. The ribbon came with a lifelong salary. After the death of the owner, it was inherited, but due to the commission of a shameful offense it could be confiscated from the owner. The Order Statute of 1769 contained the following description of the ribbon: “Silk ribbon with three black and two yellow stripes.”
However, as the images show, in practice, not so much yellow as orange was initially used in practice (from a heraldic point of view, both orange and yellow are just variants of displaying gold).
The traditional interpretation of the colors of the St. George's ribbon states that black means smoke, orange means flame . Chief Chamberlain Count Litta wrote in 1833: “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that the ribbon connects it color of gunpowder and color of fire ».
However, a prominent specialist in Russian faleristics, Serge Andolenko, points out that black and yellow colors, in fact, only reproduce the colors of the state emblem: a black double-headed eagle on a gold background.
The image of George both on the state emblem and on the cross (award) itself had the same colors: on a white horse, white George in a yellow cloak killing a black snake with a spear, respectively, a white cross with a yellow-black ribbon.
“The Miracle of George on the Dragon” (icon, late 14th century) No. 9. Why is it named after St. George the Victorious?
This saint has become extremely popular since early Christianity. In the Roman Empire, starting from the 4th century, churches dedicated to George began to appear, first in Syria and Palestine, then throughout the East. In the West of the empire, Saint George was considered the patron saint of chivalry, participants crusades; he is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In Rus' since ancient times, St. George was revered under the name Yuri or Yegory.
According to one version, the cult of St. George, as often happened with Christian saints, was put forward as opposed to the pagan cult of Dionysus , temples were built on the site of the former sanctuaries of Dionysus, and holidays were celebrated in his honor on the days of Dionysius.
The name George comes from the Greek. γεωργός - farmer. In the popular consciousness they coexist two images of the saint: one of them is close to the church cult of St. George - a serpent fighter and a Christ-loving warrior, another, very different from the first, to the cult of the cattle breeder and tiller, the owner of the land, the patron of livestock, who opens the spring field work
Saint George, together with the Mother of God, is considered the heavenly patron of Georgia and is the most revered saint among Georgians. According to local legends, George was a relative of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the enlightener of Georgia. And the Cross of St. George is present on the flag of the Georgian church. It first appeared on Georgian banners under Queen Tamara.
This is interesting:
It is well known that the St. George Ribbon appeared along with the Order of St. George. So, since St. George was considered a Christian saint, how should Muslim defenders be rewarded? Thus, for non-believers, a version of the order was provided, in which, instead of St. George, the coat of arms of Russia, a double-headed eagle, was depicted. The model of the order with an eagle was approved by Nicholas I on August 29, 1844 during the Caucasian War, and Major Dzhamov-bek Kaitagsky was the first to receive the new badge. In this regard, in the memoirs and fiction There are moments when officers, immigrants from the Caucasus, are perplexed:
“Why did they give me a cross with a bird, and not with a horseman?”
Badge of the Order of the 3rd class. for officers of non-Christian faith, since 1844 No. 10. Restoration of the Order of St. George
Once abolished by the Bolsheviks, the Order of St. George has today been restored, and by Decree of the President of Russia No. 1463 of August 8, 2000, it serves as the highest military award in Russia. The restored Order of St. George has the same external features as in tsarist time. Unlike the previous order, the order of awarding has been slightly changed: not only the 3rd and 4th degrees, but all degrees are given sequentially. An annual pension is not provided for holders of the order, whereas under Catherine II a pension was provided - it was received throughout life. After the death of the gentleman, his widow received a pension for him for another year.
More precisely, the truth about her. In short, we are clearing up the mess that was created by liars and demagogues.
The other day, a man who considers himself a communist reproached me: “You replaced the symbols of Victory with your ribbon, and now you want your neighbors to swear allegiance to this fake,” it was said about.
And he cited as evidence Nevzorov’s exemplary performance, which can be considered the quintessence of all the lies on this matter. Below is an excerpt of the recording and text, and full version you can read and watch:
“The definition of the ribbon that people tie to themselves on May 9 as "Colorado" , based on the color of the Colorado potato beetle, I actually gave once on Channel Five. Naturally, I have nothing against May 9th. But if you take this so seriously, if it is extremely important for you, then you must be extremely neat and serious, including in symbolism .Now let's clear up this nonsense. By the way, we can say “thank you” to Alexander Glebovich for so briefly and sensibly summing up almost all the main distortions, omissions and outright lies about the St. George’s ribbon.St. George's Ribbon, was unknown in the Soviet Army . The Order of Glory was established only in 43, was not particularly popular, did not even enjoy fame at the front , the award must have a certain historical path in order for it to become popular and famous, and just the opposite, General Shkuro, General Vlasov, many The highest ranks of the SS supported the cult of the St. George ribbon . It was a tape of both the Vlasovites and the highest ranks of the SS.
Understand no matter how we treat Soviet state, but the color of victory, and we must treat this calmly and courageously, victory color - red . The red color was raised banner over the Reichstag , under the red banners people marched into the Patriotic War, not under any others. And anyone who pays attention and pain to this holiday should probably be precise in observing this symbolism too.”
And I know, of course, that Soviet system awards and signs there was no concept of “St. George Ribbon”.
But do we every time want to plunge into the jungle of faleristics like: “the ribbon is a silk rep moiré ribbon of golden-orange color with three longitudinal black stripes applied to it with edging 1 mm wide”?
Therefore, for simplicity of presentation, let’s conventionally call it “St. George’s ribbon” - after all, everyone understands what we are talking about? So…
Victory symbol
Question: When did your St. George ribbon become a symbol of Victory?
Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
It looked like this:
and like this:
Soviet naval guards at the Victory Parade
Guards ribbon on a USSR post stamp ( 1973 !!!)
and, for example, like this:
Guards ribbon on Gvardeysky naval ensign destroyer "Gremyashchiy"
Order of Glory
A.NEVZOROV:And further:
My friend Minaev, don’t forget about mine former profession. I was once a reporter, after all. That is, I must be absolutely shameless and unprincipled.
S. MINAEV:And finally, to dot the i's - one more quote:
Listen, this is amazing, because you are completely cynical in answering questions around which everyone usually starts picking at their fingertips and saying that it was just such a time.A.NEVZOROV:
There was no such time. We were all, to one degree or another, on gold chains from various oligarchs, they boasted about us, they outbid us. We tried to escape, taking with us, if possible, the gold chain.
“That Berendey hut, which was built on the ruins of my homeland, is not a shrine for me.”Therefore, listening to discussions about orders, about glory, about war and exploits, about Colorado beetles and “a serious attitude towards symbolism” - do not forget (just for the sake of objectivity) WHO EXACTLY talks about all this.
"Vlasov ribbon"
Like many inspired liars, Nevzorov, looking for numbers to confirm his speculations, forgot about common sense.
He himself said that the Order of Glory was established in 1943. And the guards ribbon came even earlier, in the summer of ’42. And the so-called “Russian liberation army"was only officially established six months later, and operated mainly in 43-44, while officially subordinate to the Third Reich.
Tell me, can you imagine that the official military orders and insignia of the Wehrmacht coincided with the awards of the enemy army? To German generals created military units and formalized the use of insignia in them Soviet army?
It is reliably known that the “Russian Liberation Army” fought under the tricolor, and used a parody of St. Andrew’s flag as symbolism.
The land fleet in the steppes of Ukraine turned out to be, as you can see, not a joke at all... :)
And it looked like this:
And that is all. They received awards from the German Wehrmacht in accordance with the regulations established by it.
Order of the Patriotic War
During the war this order were awarded 1.276 million people , including about 350 thousand - Order of the 1st degree.
Think about it: also more than a million! It is not surprising that it has become one of the most popular and recognizable symbols of Victory. It was this order, together with the Order of Glory and the medal “For Victory,” that was almost always seen on front-line soldiers returning from the war.
It was with him that they returned (for the first time in a while Soviet power!) orders different degrees: Order of the Patriotic War (I and II degrees) and later - Order of Glory (I, II and III degree), which has already been discussed.
Order "Victory"
The name is telling. And why it became one of the symbols of victory later, after 1945, is also understandable. One of the three main symbols.
His ribbon combines the colors of 6 other Soviet orders, separated by white spaces half a millimeter wide:
- Orange with black in the middle - Order of Glory (along the edges of the tape; those same colors hated by Nevzorov and some modern “communists”)
- Blue - Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
- Dark red (Bordeaux) - Order of Alexander Nevsky
- Dark blue - Order of Kutuzov
- Green - Order of Suvorov
- Red (central section), 15 mm wide - Order of Lenin ( highest award in the Soviet Union, if anyone doesn’t remember)
Today, when people like to rewrite history, it would not hurt to remember with what respect these orders awarded to the allies are kept abroad:
- Eisenhower's award is located in the 34th President of the United States Memorial Library in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas;
- Marshal Tito's award is on display at the 25 May Museum in Belgrade (Serbia);
- Field Marshal Montgomery's decoration is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London;
“The Order of Victory, as the highest military order, is awarded to persons of the highest command staff“The Red Army for the successful conduct of such military operations on the scale of several or one front, as a result of which the situation radically changes in favor of the Red Army.”Victory symbols
Now let's draw simple and obvious conclusions.
Tens of millions of soldiers are returning home from the front. There is some percentage of senior officers, a little more of junior officers, but mostly privates and sergeants.
Everyone has the Victory Medal. Many have the Order of Glory, and some also have 2-3 degrees. It is clear that full cavaliers are especially honored, namely their portraits in the press and at meetings, concerts and other public events - there they are, too, with all their orders.
The naval guardsmen also naturally wear their insignia with pride. Like, they're not cut out for it - the guards!
So, pray tell, is it surprising that three symbols become the main, most popular and recognizable: the Order of Victory, the Order of the Patriotic War and the St. George Ribbon?
Who is not happy with the St. George ribbon on today's posters? Well, let's all come here, let's watch the Soviet ones. Let's look at how they "replaced history."
“We’ve arrived!”
One of the most famous posters. Drawn shortly after the Victory. And it already contains the symbolism of this Victory. There was a little background.
In 1944, Leonid Golovanov on his poster “Let's get to Berlin!” portrayed a laughing warrior. The prototype of the smiling hero on the march was a real hero - the sniper Golosov, whose front-line portraits formed the basis of the famous sheet.
And in 1945 the already legendary “Glory to the Red Army!” appeared, in the upper left corner of which the artist’s previous work is quoted:
So, here they are - the true symbols of Victory. On the legendary poster.
On the right side of the Red Army soldier’s chest is the Order of the Patriotic War.
On the left is the Order of Glory (“unpopular,” yeah), the medal “For Victory” (with the same St. George’s ribbon on the block) and the medal “For the Capture of Berlin.”
The whole country knew this poster! He is still recognized today. Perhaps only “The Motherland is Calling!” is more popular than him! Irakli Toidze.
Now someone will say: “It’s not difficult to draw a poster, but in life it wasn’t like that.” Okay, here you go"in life"
Ivanov, Viktor Sergeevich. Photo from 1945.
Here's another poster. How is the star edged?
Okay, this is the end of the 70s, someone will say that it’s not true. Let's take something from the Stalin years:
Well? "Vlasov ribbon", Yes? Under Stalin? Seriously?!!
How did Nevzorov lie? “The ribbon was unknown in the Soviet Army.”
Well, we see how she “wasn’t famous.” Already under Stalin it became both a symbol of the Red Army and a symbol of Victory.
And here is a poster from the Brezhnev era:
What's on the fighter's chest? Only one only “an unpopular and even little-known order,” as far as I can see. And nothing more. By the way, this emphasizes that the fighter is a private. There is no cult of "commanders", this was a feat of the people.
(By the way, most of the posters are clickable).
And here’s another one, for the 25th anniversary of the Victory. The year 1970 is written on the poster:
And the glorious date is written “an unknown ribbon in the Soviet army”, which"is not a symbol of Victory."
Look what's going on! What is our current government like? And it reached 1945, and in the 60s She slipped “fake” ones into the 70s!
And here they are again! “Their” ribbon again:
“USSR postcard for May 9
"May 9 - Victory Day"
Publishing house "Planet". Photo by E. Savalov, 1974
.
Order of the Patriotic War, II degree"
And here's another one again:
In Russia, the St. George Ribbon is one of the iconic symbols. At the same time, not everyone knows about how, when and why it arose, what its colors mean, how it differs from other symbols that are now in circulation in our country, as well as abroad. Let's talk about it.
St. George's Ribbon: history
The history of the film is inextricably linked with the history of the Russian state. More precisely, from the Russian state symbols. Back in the first half of the 18th century, Russia decided what its sovereign colors should be. These colors were black, white, and yellow (or golden). It is these three colors that are reflected on the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The sovereign eagle was symbolized in black, the field of the coat of arms was golden, and the Russian saint, St. George the Victorious, was symbolized in white. It is from here, that is, on behalf of St. George, that the St. George Ribbon originates.
In the mid-19th century, Empress Catherine as the highest state award in Russia introduced the Order of St. George. This order was to be awarded to Russian senior military leaders for their courage and steadfastness on the battlefield. The order was accompanied by a ribbon called St. George's, which consisted of two yellow (or golden) and three black stripes. This color scheme also had additional symbolic meaning. Thus, the golden color symbolized fire, and the black color symbolized gunpowder, and more broadly, the smoke of military fires.
The same colors of the St. George ribbon - three black and two golden stripes - are also present in the modern St. George ribbon.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian government established a military award for lower ranks - the St. George Medal in the form of a cross with the image of St. George the Victorious. The cross was attached to a bow, painted in the traditional “St. George” colors - three black and two golden stripes.
By the way, the lower rank of the Russian army, awarded four “St. Georges” (the so-called full bow) at that time had approximately the same status and social weight as the Hero had during the Second World War Soviet Union.
In the same 19th century, Emperor Alexander II decided to introduce St. George's standards (that is, banners) into the army, as well as to grant St. George's ribbons to military regiments and crews of warships. The St. George's cross was attached to the banner of the crew and the regiment, and, in addition, the St. George's ribbon was tied to the staff. Such military units received the title of “guards” and, accordingly, had the right to wear decals. In particular, the sailor guards wore not black, but black and gold ribbons on their caps.
The St. George ribbon, as well as the St. George awards, were in use in Russia until the revolution of 1917, when the Bolshevik government abolished these “symbols of tsarist times.”
Second life of the St. George ribbon
However, the St. George Ribbon did not remain in historical oblivion for long. In the first months of the Second World War soviet government decided to return to the St. George ribbon again, despite its “royal origin.” The essence of this decision was that the Red Army and its individual fighters had to be encouraged in some way to raise morale and achieve victory, and the list of awards at that time was small. It was then that we remembered the St. George Ribbon.
True, they still did not call the “St. George” ribbon, but gave it a different name - “Guards”. However, the color scheme remains the same - black and gold stripes. Soon a special “Guard” badge was issued, and the “Naval Guard” badge was issued for the naval forces. From now on, land and naval units began to have distinctive insignia on their banners - St. George's ribbons.
In 1943, the Soviet government established the Order of Glory. This order had three degrees, and, like the earlier Cross of St. George, it was awarded to the lower ranks of the Red Army. The order was given an even greater resemblance to the St. George Cross by the fact that the block of the order had the colors of the Guards (and, in fact, St. George) ribbon. And, by the way, a full holder of the Order of Glory also had almost the same authority in society and enjoyed the same respect as the once holder of a full St. George's bow.
When the Second World War was nearing its end, the USSR government established another award - the medal “For Victory over Germany.” The base of this medal was also covered with a two-color – black and gold – ribbon.
It is clear that after the victory, the ribbon with three black and two golden stripes turned into one of the most important state and national symbols. Moreover, the government strongly encouraged its use in further propaganda and patriotic educational work.
The third life of the St. George ribbon
One of the most important areas in the patriotic education of modern Russians is the memory of the victory won in the Great Patriotic War. It is quite understandable and logical that in such a matter it is impossible to do without the symbol of Victory - the Guards Ribbon. We can say this: the present time in Russia is the time of the third appearance in the lives of Russians of the famous St. George ribbon.
True, the modern appearance of the great symbol still differs in many ways from previous times. Nowadays, the St. George's Ribbon has literally stepped into the people, and, in addition to military symbolization, it has also acquired a general civil meaning.
So, on the eve of the Victory Day holiday, two-color ribbons, called St. George ribbons, are distributed to anyone who wants them, they can be seen anywhere: on the lapels of clothes, handbags, on car antennas and windshields, posters, even on the windows of retail establishments and on certain types of products sold in goods stores.
We can say that the St. George ribbon in all its forms and states in modern society it became too much. And here it is unlikely that quantity can turn into quality. In other words, the too frequent appearance of a great national symbol contributes to the profanation of this symbol, but in no way to the cultivation of patriotic feelings among citizens. But this is already a policy that has a very distant relation to the St. George Ribbon as a symbol and as a part of Russian history.
05/06/2017 05/08/2017 by Mnogoto4ka
Since 1965, on May 9, Russia has celebrated Great Victory Day. From April 24 to May 12, as part of a campaign called “St. George’s Ribbon,” symbols of Victory—St. George’s ribbons—are distributed free of charge to everyone. The meaning of the action itself is simple: in honor of the holiday, the issued ribbons must be hung on bags, on sleeves, on car windshields... Alas, many do this without understanding the meaning and without knowing the history of the St. George ribbon.
The St. George Ribbon is an attribute of many military awards of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern Russia, characterized as a special insignia.
The St. George Ribbon originally appeared with the Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, the highest military award of the Russian Empire. This order was established by Empress Catherine II in 1769 to honor officers for their services on the battlefield. He had four degrees of distinction.
It is interesting that the color scheme of the insignia we are considering has given rise to a lot of controversy. According to the RIA Novosti project “OUR VICTORY” (9may.ru), Count Litta wrote in 1833: “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that its ribbon connects the color of gunpowder and the color of fire...”. According to the same website, Serge Andolenko, a Russian officer, did not agree with this explanation: “In reality, the colors of the order have been the state colors since the time when the double-headed eagle on a golden background became the Russian national emblem...” According to other publicly available information, the black-orange color scheme should be understood as the color of smoke and fire. In any case, appearing back in Tsarist Russia The symbol is firmly entrenched in history and has now become the traditional color of the May 9 holiday.
Two historical anecdotes are associated with the introduction of the Order of St. George: the first case of self-awarding occurred literally immediately after the creation of the insignia. Catherine II awarded herself the Order of the 1st degree for introducing the Order of St. George. Alexander II went even further and awarded himself it on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Order. But if we return to the symbolism, the Order of St. George was given for specific feats on the battlefield or for giving the right advice useful for military service.
IN Soviet time The St. George Ribbon did not fall into oblivion, but took an honorable place among military insignia. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 8, 1943, she became part of the Order of Glory of three degrees. It was thanks to this event that it became possible to use it as a sign of respect to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War.
There is an exact list of feats for which the Order of Glory was given. Among others, in the list you can find such items as “In a moment of danger, he saved the banner of his unit from being captured by the enemy”, “Despising danger, he was the first to break into the enemy bunker (pillbox, trench or dugout), and with decisive actions destroyed his garrison”, “Disregarding personal danger, captured the enemy’s banner in battle,” “Risking his life, under enemy fire, he provided assistance to the wounded during a number of battles,” and so on. Of course, heroes who received the Order of Glory were promoted.
The St. George ribbon adorns the blocks of the “Order of Glory” - a military order of the USSR, established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1943.
- The Order of Glory has three degrees, of which the highest I degree is gold, and II and III are silver.
- These orders were issued for personal feat on the battlefield, were issued in strict order - from lowest to highest degree.
The St. George ribbon adorns the medal blocks “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945,” established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 9, 1945. The medal was awarded to military personnel who took direct participation on the war fronts.
The St. George Ribbon is part of the “Order of St. George” - the highest military award of the Russian Federation, which awarded to senior and senior officers for conducting combat operations during an attack by an external enemy.
In addition, the St. George Ribbon is also present on other military orders, medals, standards and banners.
The colors of the ribbon - black and orange - mean “smoke and flame” and are a sign of the soldier’s personal valor shown in battle.
« George Ribbon"is one of the most interesting symbol creation projects in our country. Having appeared in the year of the sixtieth anniversary of the Victory (2005), it managed to become a tradition in 4 years. The action is recognized as the largest patriotic event in Russia. Well, this is a good result. St. George's Ribbon has glorious history and deserves that its colors symbolize the Great Victory.
Today, many people take part in the action, happily attaching ribbons to bags and clothes. Despite the fact that the organizers of the action and government officials approve of the appearance of a new patriotic symbol, many Russian residents, on the contrary, are protesting against the action. Their protest has a logical basis: the Order of St. George is an important award given for heroic actions during hostilities. The participants of the action, most likely, did not perform any feats, and therefore cannot have the right to wear a ribbon. The moral aspect of this dilemma is extremely complex, and each person decides for himself: either the ribbon is a tribute of respect, the personification of our gratitude, or the unlawful use of part of a military award.
