1.
Ukraine
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Ukraine is currently in territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014 but which Ukraine and most of the international community recognise as Ukrainian. Including Crimea, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2, making it the largest country entirely within Europe and it has a population of about 42.5 million, making it the 32nd most populous country in the world. The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC, during the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, two brief periods of independence occurred during the 20th century, once near the end of World War I and another during World War II. Before its independence, Ukraine was typically referred to in English as The Ukraine, following independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state. Nonetheless it formed a limited partnership with the Russian Federation and other CIS countries. In the 2000s, the government began leaning towards NATO, and it was later agreed that the question of joining NATO should be answered by a national referendum at some point in the future. Former President Viktor Yanukovych considered the current level of co-operation between Ukraine and NATO sufficient, and was against Ukraine joining NATO and these events formed the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, and the War in Donbass in April 2014. On 1 January 2016, Ukraine applied the economic part of the Deep, Ukraine has long been a global breadbasket because of its extensive, fertile farmlands and is one of the worlds largest grain exporters. The diversified economy of Ukraine includes a heavy industry sector, particularly in aerospace. Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate powers, legislative, executive. Its capital and largest city is Kiev, taking into account reserves and paramilitary personnel, Ukraine maintains the second-largest military in Europe after that of Russia. Ukrainian is the language and its alphabet is Cyrillic. The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodoxy, which has strongly influenced Ukrainian architecture, literature, there are different hypotheses as to the etymology of the name Ukraine. According to the older and most widespread hypothesis, it means borderland, while more recently some studies claim a different meaning, homeland or region. The Ukraine now implies disregard for the sovereignty, according to U. S. ambassador William Taylor. Neanderthal settlement in Ukraine is seen in the Molodova archaeological sites include a mammoth bone dwelling
2.
Flag of Ukraine
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The state flag of Ukraine is a banner of two equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow. As a national flag, the blue and yellow bicolour has been used since the 1848 Spring of Nations when it was hoisted over the Lviv Rathaus. It was officially adopted as a flag for the first time in 1918 by the short-lived West Ukrainian Peoples Republic. When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, the flag was outlawed, people who hoisted the blue-yellow flags in the Soviet Ukraine were prosecuted as criminals. Ukraine has celebrated Flag Day each year on August 23 since 2004, the Law of Ukraine states that the colours of Ukrainian flag are blue and yellow, but other state bodies have determined the colours. In the table below the colours are given according to the technical specification DSTU4512,2006, There are specialists who argue that, according to rules of heraldry, the current set of colours cannot coexist. The head of the Ukrainian Heraldry Society has pointed out that it is not heraldry, but rather vexillology, that studies flags. Article 20 of the Constitution of Ukraine states the following, citing, in addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings, such as Verkhovna rada in Ukraine use vertical flags. Most town halls fly their town flag together with the flag in this way. The proportions of these flags are not specified. When hung like a banner or draped, the band should be on the left. When flown from a flagpole, the blue band must face the mast. The flag did not appear on Ukrainian official postal stamp issues until the 1992 was released, since that time the flag has frequently appeared on stamps. Cinderella stamps of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists were printed outside Ukraine during the Soviet period, traditionally, the flag may be decorated with a golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag, as long as it does not deface the flag proper. The beginning of this tradition was the flag of the Ukrainian SSR, the Great Soviet Encyclopedia shows a flag decorated with a gold star. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, no specific law governs the legality of this fringe. Ukrainian flags are displayed continuously at certain locations. Maidan Nezalezhnosti, main square of Kiev, traditional place for political rallies, presidential Administration Building, Verkhovna Rada building and Budynok Uryadu
3.
Coat of arms of Ukraine
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It appears on the Presidential standard of Ukraine. Blue colored tridents are considered to be irregular representation by the Ukrainian Heraldry Society, the small coat of arms was officially adopted on 19 February 1992, while constitutional provisions exist for establishing the great coat of arms, which is not yet officially adopted. The small coat of arms was designed by Andriy Grechylo, Olexiy Kokhan and Ivan Turetskyi and it is a representation of the seal-trident of Volodymyr the Great. The Great coat of arms which has not been adopted consists of the coat of arms. The trident was not thought of as a national symbol until 1917, on 22 March 1918, the Central Rada adopted it as the coat of arms of the short-lived Ukrainian Peoples Republic. During the Soviet period of 1919-1991 and independence between 1991-1992 the state symbols were consistent with the Russian SFSR and the Soviet Union - a hammer, the modern trident symbol was adopted as the coat of arms of the Ukrainian Peoples Republic in February 1918. The design has precedents in seals of the Kiyivan Rus, the first known archeological and historical evidence of this symbol can be found on the seals of the Rurik dynasty. The symbol was also found on the bricks of the Church of the Tithes in Kiyiv, the tiles of the Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, and the stones of other churches, castles, and palaces. There are many examples of it used on ceramics, weapons, rings, medallions, seals, most historians agree that the medieval symbol was not intended as depicting a trident, but most likely a stylized falcon. Depictions of a falcon with a cross above its head have been found in Old Ladoga. Such a falcon, along with a cross are also featured on the coins of Olaf Guthfrithsson, falconry for centuries has been a royal sport in Europe. The gyrfalcon was considered a bird and is mentioned in one of the earliest epics of Ruthenia. Later images of the trident among the Rurikids resemble more a bident or the letter У, the Tryzub was also used in conjunction with the Russian tricolor, as the symbol of the anti-communist movement National Alliance of Russian Solidarists in the early 20th century. Furthermore, the Tryzub is heavily used in the heraldry of the Italian Army to commemorate the Italian participation on the Eastern Front during World War II. At least 36 units of the Italian Army carry the Tryzub in their Coat of Arms, a three-fingered hand salute is sometimes used to mimic the Tryzub, as for example in pro-independence demonstrations in the late 1980s and in the logo of the Svoboda party. The coat of arms for Kingdom of Rus and Duchy of Galicia–Volhynia existed since 12th century and it consisted of lion rampant Or on heater shield Azure. After the occupation of Eastern Galicia by the Kingdom of Poland as a result of the Galicia–Volhynia Wars and it was abandoned with partition of Poland and annexation of territory by the Austrian Empire. At the end of World War I and dissolution of Austria-Hungary, with annexation of the West Ukraine by Poland again in 1918 and later the Soviet Union, the gold lion symbol became coat of arms for city of Lviv
4.
Vyshyvanka
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Vyshyvanka is the colloquial name for the embroidered shirt in Ukrainian national costume. The knowing eye could detect where a person hailed from by the clothes on their back, embroidery is thus an important craft within Ukraine and different techniques exist to suit local styles with their own particular patterns and colours. Traditionally, the thread was coloured according to local formulas using bark, leaves, flowers, berries, in this way, the local environment is literally reflected in the colour of the embroidery. Vyshyvanka is used as a talisman to protect the person wearing it, embroidery was used in vulnerable places on the garment where evil spirits could potentially enter the body, along the neckline, cuffs, shoulders, back and hem. Vyshyvanka Day is celebrated on the third Thursday of May and it is intended to unite all Ukrainians over the world, regardless of religion, language they speak or their place of residence. It is a flash mob holiday, which is not attached to any holiday or feast day. On this day many Ukrainians wear vyshyvankas to demonstrate adherence to the idea of identity and unity. In its US May issue Vogue wrote that the vyshyvanka has made waves far past the Eastern European country. The Times of London declared it this summers most sought-after item of clothing, french actress Melanie Thierry wore a vyshyvanka at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands wore a dress when visiting the 2016 Summer Olympics. Ukrainian wreath Vyshyvanka, high quality photos on kievgiftshop Etno-vyshyvanka. kiev. ua
5.
Pysanka
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A pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, to write, as the designs are not painted on, many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the Belarusians, Bulgarians, Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Poles, Romanians, Serbs, Slovaks, Slovenes and Sorbs. Pysanka is often taken to any type of decorated egg. Several other types of decorated eggs are seen in Ukrainian tradition, krashanky –from krasyty, to decorate– are boiled eggs dyed a single color, and are blessed and eaten at Easter. Pysanky –from pysaty, to write– are raw eggs created with the wax-resist method, the designs are written in hot wax with a pinhead or a special stylus called a pysachok or a kistka which has a small funnel attached to hold a small amount of liquid wax. The word that is used to describe the egg comes from the Ukrainian verb pysaty. Wooden eggs and beaded eggs are referred to as pysanky because they mimic the decorative style of pysanky in a different medium. Krapanky –from krapka, a dot– are raw eggs decorated using the wax-resist method and they are traditionally created by dripping molten wax from a beeswax candle onto an egg. They can be considered the simplest version of a pysanka, or a proto-pysanka, dryapanky –from dryapaty, to scratch– are created by scratching the surface of a dyed egg to reveal the white shell below. Malyovanky –from malyuvaty, to paint– are created by painting a design with a brush using oil or water color paints and it is sometimes used to refer to coloring on an egg. Nakleyanky –from kleyaty, to glue on– are created by glueing objects to the surface of an egg, travlenky –from travlenya, “etching” – are created by waxing eggs and then etching away the unwaxed areas. This is not a traditional Ukraine practice, but has become popularized recently, biserky –from biser, beads– are created by coating an egg with beeswax, and then embedding beads into the wax to create geometric designs. Lystovky –from lystya, leaves– are created by dyeing an egg to which small leaves have been attached, according to many scholars, the art of wax-resist egg decoration in Slavic cultures, and particularly in Ukraine, probably dates back to the pre-Christian era. They base this on the nature of the practice. As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshipped a sun god, the sun was important - it warmed the earth and thus was a source of all life. Eggs decorated with nature symbols became a part of spring rituals. In pre-Christian times, Dazhboh was one of the deities in the Slavic pantheon, birds were the sun gods chosen creations
