Introduction. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the issues of institutional memory and symbolic chronology, including in the system of vocational education, which is facilitated, in particular, by the establishment of the Day of Secondary Vocational Education (SVE), officially established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 25 July 2022 and annually celebrated on 2 October. The proposal to celebrate in 2025 the anniversary of SVE, timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR ‘On State Labour Reserves’ of 2 October 1940, raises certain historical and terminological questions.
The aim is to understand the phenomenon of choosing a calendar date for a celebrated event in the context of the socio–cultural history of the country.
Methods. The methodology of reflection is based on the structural-functional approach to socio-cultural processes, the apophatic paradigm and the sourceological bases of analysis, which actualise the potential of the method of explication of meanings.
Results. A model of vocational education (VE) focused solely on supplying the labour market with personnel and adapting to it requires a clear chronology, defined reference points and periodisation of processes, as well as fixed and permanent occasions for celebration. A model of VE aimed at acting as a catalyst for economic development is multi-variant and ambiguous — both in terms of the existing structure of the labour market and the institutional structure of the economy, as well as in terms of its chronology, which is multidirectional and cannot be reduced to a single common denominator.
Scientific novelty lies in explaining the causes of polychrony, using the example of social responses to events in the history of domestic vocational education.
The practical significance lies in the motivation for meaningful celebration.