On May holidays, many residents of Russia put St. George ribbons in their buttonholes as a sign of memory and respect for the heroism of soldiers during the Great Patriotic War. These ribbons became so common in the May day routine that many forgot that the St. George ribbons were introduced long before the formation of Soviet power and the victory in the Second World War.
Instruction manual
1
The Order of St. George was introduced in the Russian Empire by Catherine the Second in 1769. He had four classes and was the highest military award in the state. Soldiers and officers who committed outstanding deeds or military feats in a military battle were honored to be awarded this order.
2
The order of the first class had three signs - a star, a cross and a ribbon of two orange and four black stripes. The colors of this ribbon symbolized gunpowder and fire. After the end of the Russo-Turkish war, regiments that proved their military prowess in the battlefields were awarded the St. George standards.
3
For many years after the 1917 revolution in Russia, the tradition of awarding the Order of St. George was forgotten, as a relic of the bourgeois past and the remnant of tsarism, although the insignia itself was not officially abolished and was still considered the highest award.
4
During the Great Patriotic War, there was a demand for an award that could adequately appreciate the feat of Russian soldiers and officers. On November 8, 1943, the Order of Glory of three degrees was established, to which was attached the St. George ribbon. She slightly changed her appearance and the alternation of colors. From that moment, the pads of the Order of Glory began to be tightened with an updated ribbon.
5
The revival of the Order of St. George itself began with the adoption by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of a decree in 1992 on the establishment of the order of the same name. With the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War, the tradition of tying St. George ribbons appeared, and the tradition even acquired its own rules over the years. So, it is considered unacceptable to tie the tape below the belt, use it as a decoration (scarves, bows) or weave into hair. It is customary to wear the ribbon on the lapel in the form of a double-edged bow, tie it on a bag or place on a car antenna for public viewing. Since then, the ribbon proudly strides the planet. Already in more than thirty countries of the world, on the eve of Victory Day, a thousand people are tied with a St. George ribbon in memory of the war heroes who defeated the fascist horde.
6
However, not all are accepted in this form and value. Historians say that the use of the St. George ribbon in this context detracts from its importance, because in the years of the Battle of Sevastopol it was an independent and very significant award. In addition, it is more accurate to call the tape not St. George's, but Guards, which at the time of its distribution was performed in gold and black.
