Flag Day

Ukraine has two colours of its flag: blue and yellow. This colour combination dates back to the 13th century, with the coat of arms of the city of Lviv having the golden lion shown against a blue background. The modern flag can be traced to 1848, when a wave of revolutions for self-determination swept across many countries in Europe.

After WWI, in 1918, Ukraine gained its independence and the blue and yellow flag was adopted. Conquered by the soviets, Ukraine was banned from using this flag, until it regained its independence in 1991. When the Act on Independence of Ukraine was adopted on 24 August 1991, the flag was brought to the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament]. In 1992 the blue & yellow flag was adopted as the official flag of Ukraine.

Children include the flag often in their paintings, either as a fabric flag or through its symbols - a bright blue sky over a field of endless wheat. Blue sky makes one think of freedom. Wheat is a symbol of plenty, but it has an even deeper meaning in Ukraine, originating from the memory of the Holodomor, the man-made famine orchestrated by the Kremlin in 1932-1933, which led to the deaths of at least 3.9 million Ukrainians.

Today Flag Day is celebrated on the 23 August and Independence Day on the following day. This is a relative new tradition, the day being decided upon in 2004 and marked by displaying the flag since 2009. Ukrainians would celebrate the occasion by wearing a Vyshyvanka, the traditional costume, and raising the flag outside cafes, restaurants, shops, museums, and so on.

These two pictures show the importance of the flag for the Ukrainians.

On the left, after the liberation of Kherson in 2022, a woman takes out the hidden flag. She hid it, wrapped in three plastic bags for protection, underneath a concrete slab in her garden, during the occupation.

On the right are flags commemorating the fallen soldiers. Each flag has the name of a hero on it.