Defender of the Fatherland Day is a public holiday in Kazakhstan celebrated annually on May 7.
It honors the former and current members of the country’s armed forces.
In the Soviet Union, there was a holiday named Soviet Army and Navy Day.
It was celebrated on February 23.
After the dissolution of the USSR, some of the former Soviet republics continued to celebrate it as Defender of the Fatherland Day.
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev decided to cut all ties with the country's Soviet past and moved the holiday to May 7.
The date was chosen because on this day in 1992, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan were created.
Which is why the holiday is sometimes referred to as Armed Forces Day.
It was announced as a national holiday in October 2012 and was first celebrated on May 7, 2013.
