Today we will try to tell you about the state symbols of Ukraine. This is a country with an interesting and distinctive history, and Ukrainian symbolism has its roots in ancient times. As you will learn later, some signs are known from the early Middle Ages.
We will try to trace the history of the formation of each of the national symbols, completing the sections with a description of modern state attributes. You will also learn about the symbols of the President of Ukraine.
State symbols
The Constitution of Ukraine legislatively defines the following State symbols of Ukraine: the state flag, the national anthem and the national emblem.
All these attributes were adopted, according to the decree of the Verkhovna Rada, in January - February 1992. Only the final text of the anthem was approved in March 2003.
Below we will consider Ukrainian symbols in more detail. Photos of various state signs will be given in the appropriate sections.
Coat of arms
The oldest symbol of Ukraine (trident) is first mentioned on the seals of princes of the Rurikovich clan. But there existed varied versions of the tridents and the tridents. Each new prince tried to make his changes to this symbol. The most similar version of the mark is the seal of Vladimir the Great.
Where did this image come from? Researchers offer us two versions. According to the first, this is a slightly altered double-toothed sign of the Khazar Khaganate, which is found in large numbers on coins and vessels.
The second option is more believable. Based on the fact that Rurik came to Russia from Scandinavia, many in his squad wore the protective sign “Thor's hammer”. He later poured into a stylized falcon, which dives down, attacking the prey.
It is this version that is today the most historical. There is, however, one more option. Some researchers see in the trident a combination of pitchforks, anchors and scepters. There is even a reading of the encrypted word “will” in the curlicues of this sign.
Thus, the indisputable fact is only that this symbol refers to the eighth to tenth century.
After Kievan Rus disintegrated, this symbol also disappears for several centuries. Daniil Galitsky has a crowned lion on the seal, and in the Zaporizhzhya army a Cossack with a musket was a distinctive sign.
In the process of accession of some lands to Muscovy, all symbolism was replaced by a double-headed eagle.
The return to the trident occurs only during the Ukrainian People's Republic. Then he was replaced by a golden lion and a Cossack on a blue background in the Ukrainian state and a hammer and sickle in the Soviet Union.
The final restoration of the trident occurred only in 1992. But this will be discussed further.
Modern coat of arms
The first national symbol of Ukraine, which we started talking about, is the coat of arms. Earlier we examined a brief history of its formation. In a modern state, theoretically, this symbol consists of the Big and Small emblems. But in fact, only the latter exists. The large coat of arms is still at the bill stage.
Judging by its text, it should have a trident, as a symbol of Vladimir the Great, a Cossack with a musket (Zaporizhzhya army) and a lion with a crown (a sign of the Galicia-Volyn state).
The small coat of arms was approved in February 1992 by decree of the Verkhovna Rada. It depicts the sign of the Kiev Prince Vladimir the Great, who baptized Russia in 988.
There are official color and black and white versions of the Small Coat of Arms, a separate sign of Prince Vladimir and a detailed scheme for constructing the coat of arms.
Flags in different periods of history
As we have already seen, the national symbols of Ukraine changed at different periods of history. The flag was no exception. The color that adorns the banner today was again adopted only after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992. What was before this?
The Lviv Banner (yellow lion on an azure background) was the first documented evidence of such a coloring. This event dates back to the distant 1410, when the Battle of Grunwald took place.
Hetmanism of 1755–64 had standards with the same coloring. The first actual use of two horizontal stripes was the flag of the Black Sea Cossack army, which he awarded Alexander I.
In 1848, these colors were used by the Lviv Main Russian Council, during the revolution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Further, this color Ukrainian symbolism was used in 1918 in the UNR and the Ukrainian state.
During the Soviet Union, the main color was red, but until 1941 there was a blue-yellow flag in Subcarpathian Rus.
Modern national flag
So, the national symbol of Ukraine, which we are talking about now, is the flag. Earlier we examined various stages of its development.
Now it is important to make a comment regarding its exact coloring. It is defined only in the Pantone Matching System program. There, yellow corresponds to the shade with the code "Pantone Coated Yellow 012 C", and blue - "Pantone Coated 2935 C".
If you do not know this specificity, then the flags of several cities and regions may seem like an exact copy. Among them there are cities such as Bieberbach an der Ries, Chemnitz, Gryfow Slaski, Herrera, Lower Austria and others. Also, a similar flag was until 1918 in the Duchy of Braunschweig.
The official version of the decoding of flowers is a blue sky over a yellow field of wheat.
History of the writing of the anthem
The national symbols of Ukraine also include a hymn. The history of his writing goes back to 1862. Then the Ukrainian poet and folklorist Chubinsky wrote the famous poem "Ukraine Has Not Dead Yet."
Judging by the recollections of eyewitnesses, the writing was influenced especially by the Serbian national song. Although upon closer examination, the Ukrainian anthem very much resembles the Polish “Dombrowski March”.
Chubinsky's poem was first published in 1863 in a Lviv magazine. Over time, it becomes quite popular in Western Ukraine. It was at this time that Verbitsky became interested in him, who for the first time performed this composition in Przemysl.
From 1917 to 1939, this song was used as a national anthem. In Soviet times, when national Ukrainian symbols were not very welcomed, there was a different composition, to the words of Tychyna, and in 1992 the old anthem was restored.
Similar songs of other nations
As you have seen, the symbols of Ukraine are often similar to the attributes of other nations. Let's give some examples.
The Ukrainian anthem resembles the Polish anthem Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, written based on the March of Dombrowski. The Illyrian Croat movement - “Još Hrvatska ni propala” had a similar song.
All these compositions are united by one idea - the popular movement in the struggle for independence.
