The national symbols of ukraine The National Flag

The Ukrainian Constitution states that the National symbols of the country are the National Flag, the National Emblem and the National Anthem. They were adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in 1992. The Ukrainian flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width. The top is blue and the bottom is yellow. These are the colours of the sky, the mountains, the rivers and the golden fields of our beautiful country. Blue and yellow (or gold) were symbols of Kyivan Rus long before the introduction of Christianity. These colours can be found on the ancient emblems of the cities of Mirgorod, Lubny, Pryluky and some others. In the seventeenth century the banners of the Cossacks were blue with gold stars or with pictures of saints embroidered in gold.

The National Emblem (coat of arms)

Similar to other European nations, the National Emblems of Ukraine have changed during the millennium of Ukrainian history owing to various political, social, cultural and other factors. The contemporary national coat of arms of Ukraine is a trident. The first image of a trident appeared in the ninth century A.D. when Ihor, Prince of Kyivan Rus sent ambassadors to sign a treaty with the Byzantine Emperor and they sealed the document with a trident. As the official emblem of Kyivan princes the trident was stamped on the gold and silver coins and seals of Volodymir the Great (979 -1015), the Grand Prince of Kyiv; you can also see it on frescoes and porcelain dishes of that time. The trident left to Volodymir the Great by his ancestors became a hereditary preheraldic badge of all his descendants and rulers of the Kyivan Rus. Tridents continued to be used as additional dynastic badges until the 15th century, though the image of Saint Michael the Archangel was the highest national symbol in the 12th century.

The secrets of the origin and meaning of the Ukrainian trident have still not been completely solved by scholars. The archaeological finds of tridents in Ukraine go back to the first century A.D. Undoubtedly this emblem was a mark of authority and a mystic symbol of one or several of the ethnic groups which inhabited ancient Ukrainian territory and which came to compose the Ukrainian nation. It is thought that the trident represented the division of the world into three spheres: the earthly, the celestial and the spiri­tual - as well as the union of the three natural elements: air, water and earth.

In 1918 the trident was adopted as the national symbol of independent Ukraine /The Soviet Ukraine replaced it with its own coat of arms - a crossed hammer and sickle on a red shield with a red star above it and the rising sun in the base. Sovereign Ukraine adopted the trident as its emblem again in 1992.

The National Anthem of Ukraine

The Anthem of Ukraine «Shche ne vmerla Ukraina» («Ukraine Has Not Perished Yet») is of quite recent origin. In 1863 the Lvivjournal «Meta» («The Goal») published the poem of the scientist and poet Pavlo Chubynsky which was later mistakenly ascribed to Taras Shevchenko. In the same year it was set to music by the Galician composer Mykhaylo Verbytsky, first for solo and later for choral performance. As a result of its catchy melody and patriotic lyrics, the song quickly acquired popularity. In 1865 it was sung at the conclusion of the program at the great Shevchenko celebration in Peremyshl. In 1917 the song was officially adopted as the anthem of the Ukrainian state.

The Soviet Ukraine had no anthem of its own until 1949. Instead «The Internationale» and later «The Hymn of the USSR» were used. In November 1949 an Anthem of the Ukrainian Republic «Zhyvy, Ukraino» (“Live, O Ukraine”) was adopted. When Ukraine gained its souvereignty, “Ukraine has not yet perished” became the state anthem again.

Speak on the following:

Why do you think each independent state should have its national symbols?

Have you ever seen or heard the national anthem of your country being sung by its citizens'?what occasions?

What feeling do you think people have when they sing their national anthem?

On what occasions are national flags hung in the streets?

Where can you see the national emblem of the country?

Do you agree that the design of the national flag should be used anywhere and everywhere?

Can people, in your opinion, become more patriotic if they know more about the history of¹

state symbols of their country?

What do you think should be done to make people feel really patriotic.

Lesson 4