Metallurgist Day (17/07)

Every year on the third Sunday of July, people of the courageous profession celebrate their holiday – metallurgists. Metallurgist Day was established on September 28, 1957 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Thus, the Soviet government noted the important contribution and merits of domestic metallurgy during the Great Patriotic War, as well as during the period of economic recovery of the country in the post-war years.

Metallurgist Day confirmed its status in 1980 and in 1988, when the Supreme Council issued repeated decrees on the celebration of professional holidays. It was preserved in the calendar even after the collapse of the USSR –, not only in Russia, but also in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

Today this day is celebrated by representatives of different professions, each of which is in one way or another connected with ferrous or non-ferrous metallurgy: blast furnacemen, steelmakers, distributors, foundries, blacksmiths and many others. This holiday is also considered by miners who extract ore – the necessary component for metal production.

Some of these professions have existed for centuries. Archaeological finds indicate that man learned to process metal back in the fifth to sixth millennium BC. Even in the ancient world, an idea arose about three centuries of humanity – stone, bronze and iron, – which once again emphasizes the importance of metals for the development of society, and also speaks of the ancient history of metallurgical art.

Today Metallurgist Day is celebrated by – and this is not an exaggeration of – hundreds of thousands of people in Russia and abroad. As a rule, on this day, grandiose holidays are held in cities where metallurgical or mining and processing plants operate. Employees of enterprises march along the main streets, participate in a variety of sports and cultural events, attend concerts and ceremonies. The presentation of awards to particularly distinguished employees is often timed to coincide with Metallurgist Day.

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