History of Ukrainian symbols. From Vladimir to the present day

Every nation has its own symbols. If they say maple, then this is about the sign of Canada.

Vegetative symbols of Ukraine include viburnum, willow, oak, poplar, periwinkle, marigolds. Since ancient times they personify the beauty of Ukraine, the spiritual fortress of the people, testify to the love for the homeland.

There are many legends about folk symbols, they are sung in songs. They are used in rituals, customs, they are embroidered on shirts, towels. National symbols are our shrines.

Since ancient times, the most respected tree in Ukraine has been the most respected tree in Ukraine. willow.

“Without willow and viburnum, Ukraine is lacking,” says a folk saying. More than 30 species of this tree are represented in Ukraine. They say: “Where there is water, there is willow.” It fastens the banks with its roots, purifies the water.

When they dug a well, they threw a ball of willow logs to purify the water. A willow plank was placed in a bucket of water, and a mug was placed on it for drinking water. It was a kind of folk hygiene.
Under the willows, young people made a date, declared their love.
A large number of songs have been composed about the quiet, modest willow. The spirit of the Lion Nymph lives in the Ukrainian willow. Bowed willow branches evoke sadness and sadness.

Poplar is also a Ukrainian folk symbol. With a slender poplar, a flexible girlish camp and an unhappy girlish fate were compared. Many songs have been written about poplar, legends have been composed.

***
In one village lived a beautiful young girl named Fields and a brave guy named Striba. They loved each other. One day, the elders asked Strib to run to a neighboring village to find out if it was calm there. Striba ran, but, before reaching the village, he saw many enemies. Faster than the wind, he ran home, told everyone about how many enemies he had seen.

People decided to hide their livestock, property and wait in the mountains until the enemies leave their land. The god of lightning and thunder Perun saw people and decided to find out what happened and why they are here. Descending to the ground, Perun heard what the people told him. And here he saw Paul. He liked her utterly, and he said: "This girl is so beautiful that I will take her as my wife."
People were delighted, because not everyone is given such a high patron. And Striba, having heard, fell into a swoon. Seeing this, Perun said: "I see that you cannot build your grace on someone else's mountain. Therefore, let it be a draw." He hit the ground with a stick and where the girl stood, a slender green tree grew. People who were closer saw what happened, and those who were farther asked: "Where is Polya?" And they heard in response: “That is the Fields.” And Perun took Strib with him and made him the God of the earthly winds ...
***

Always loved in Ukraine and healing beauty viburnum, which is a symbol of girlish beauty and tenderness. She grew up around every house.

It is beautiful both at the time of flowering, and when its leaves turn purple in autumn, and in winter, when its berries turn red against the background of white snow.

Girls embroidered viburnum on shirts, it was woven into a wreath. From a sprig of viburnum, a father made a flute to his son, and a little pigtail (crib) to baby girls.

Kalina is sung in songs, legends have been written about her. One of them tells how the beautiful young Kalina led the busurman enemies into the swamp. Many of them died, but the young beauty also died. At the place of her death, a bush grew, which, in honor of the girl, was called viburnum.

A wedding loaf was decorated with viburnum. A bouquet of oak and viburnum twigs was placed on the table in front of the young people. And on a wedding towel (towel) they embroidered viburnum with oak as symbols of girlish beauty and tenderness and masculine strength and strength.
A viburnum bush was also planted on the grave of a Cossack or Chumak who died.

The symbol of strength, power, longevity is oak.

Oak lives for a long time. A 1300-year-old Oak known in Ukraine, which grows in the city of Yuzefin, Rivne region. In with. Upper Khortytsya grows 800-year-old oak. The girth of its trunk is 8m. During a thunderstorm, electric discharges are most "attracted" by oak. Out of 100 lightning strikes on trees, 54 fall on oak.

Mothers embroidered oak leaves on their shirts for their sons so that the child would be strong and strong. They slept on oak furniture, which, according to legend, added strength during sleep. Oak, like other folk symbols, has healing properties. In the oak forest, people who suffer from heart disease feel good.

There are in Ukraine and symbolic plants. One of my favorite - periwinkle.

that plant was named so in honor of the love of the young man Bara and the girl Venka. A wedding loaf is decorated with periwinkle, it is planted around the house. Periwinkle is woven into a wreath by girls. It turns green even under the snow. Periwinkle is a symbol of love.

There are also many symbols in Ukraine animals. In princely times, the favorite animal was bull.

In Cossack times - horse.

In many thoughts, songs, the Cossack was sung, and his horse was also remembered here.

But the most beloved animal symbols of Ukraine are birds. People believed that in the spring the souls of the dead in the form of birds return to earth. And since these are the souls of the dead, where do they belong? In Paradise. And they return in the fall to paradise. Obviously, these two words formed warmer climes". And God entrusted the keys with the help of warm Edges to the cuckoo, - the legend says.

Opens cuckoo warm edges with keys, releases birds according to their turn on the ground. And in addition, God instructed the cuckoo to make people live long years. And she must fly to warmer climes earlier to meet other birds. Therefore, she does not have time to hatch the chicks and throws eggs into other people's nests. But be that as it may, no one ever spoke badly about the cuckoo in Ukraine. In folk songs, she was compared to a mother who takes care of her children;

Favorite bird is stork .

He was named in honor of the deity of goodness and love - Lelya. Well, as you know, children are born with the help of love. So the stork brings them to our homes.
They once said how long Lel lives in the soul of a good person, and the stork builds a nest in the yard of good people.

The symbol of melancholy in Ukraine is crane.

The chirping of cranes evokes sadness.

The mother's symbol is martin.

If the mother was dying, then the children put a swallow in her coffin, and they put an inverted rake on the gate and attached a swallow on top. So they stood for 40 days and everyone who walked past the courtyard knew that the one who supported the whole family had died. The fortress will be associated with the swallow, believe me.

The Ukrainian people are utterly melodious. An old legend tells about a bird, whose songs have become a translation for the bird style of the songs of our Motherland. This bird is nightingale

Old people said that once upon a time this beautiful bird did not visit Ukraine. Nested in distant lands and did not know the way there. But since the nightingales were utterly melodious, they flew all over the world and collected songs of all peoples for the Indian king.
One nightingale also flew to Ukraine, but there was nothing in the villages.

Why don't people live here? thought the nightingale. - No songs, no music is heard. But the sun went down, and people began to return home together. Songs were heard here and there. But the songs were sad. Hard work took all the strength. Here the nightingale sang and cheered them up. They forgot to love fatigue and sang to their overseas guest.

From all lands, nightingales flocked to the royal garden, with the songs they brought. But all this was already familiar to the king and he was angry. And then a nightingale from Ukraine sang under the windows, and the ruler lost his peace. In addition, he did not hear such songs - and ordered that nightingale to sing songs at night ...

Surprised, the nightingales flew together to Ukraine in the spring, to listen to these songs, translate them into a bird syllable, to sing in distant India. In Ukraine, they hatch chicks to continue the family where they heard the best songs in the world.

Do not count all those legends, fairy tales, songs, poems about symbols dear and dear to the Ukrainian heart. They are reproduced in embroideries on shirts and towels.

• viburnum,
• poplar,
• cherry,
• periwinkle,
• marigold.

For a long time they personify the beauty of our Ukraine, the spiritual power of the people, testify to the love for their native land.

Animal symbols

• horse,
• birds:
  • cuckoo,
  • stork,
  • crane,
  • martin,
  • nightingale.

Wreath

Wreath- a symbol of life, fate, vitality; symbol of girlhood. The wreath is a symbol of perfection:

And in this house, as in a whisk Here the owner is the owner of wealth, Here the mistress is red viburnum, Here the girl is like flowers, Here sons are like spikelets!

viburnum

viburnum- a symbol of life, blood, fire. Some researchers associate its name with the sun, heat, bursts of lights. Kalina often plays the role of a world tree, at the top of which birds eat berries and bring people news, sometimes from the other world. And the tree itself connects the world of the dead with the world of the living.

Kalina symbolizes motherhood: the bush is the mother herself; color, berries - children. It is also the personification of the house, parents, everything dear. Kalina is a Ukrainian symbol of the timeless unity of the people: the living with those who have departed in the other world and those who are still waiting for their birth. Kalina personifies Ukraine itself. As a symbol of the Motherland, it "sprouted" into the anthem of the Sich Riflemen:

Oh, in the pocket, the red viburnum bent. Why is our glorious Ukraine depressed. And we will raise that red viburnum. And we will cheer our glorious Ukraine!

Towel

Ukrainian towel

The strip of the canvas itself has a rich symbolic meaning - roads, fate, protection. And when this strip also has woven or embroidered amulets on it, its protective power, accordingly, increases. Throughout Ukraine, bread was covered with a towel on the table. When the son went on a long journey, his mother gave him a towel. Guests are still greeted with bread and salt on a towel. In the Ukrainian hut, towels are hung over icons and over portraits of relatives. The towel is used in many rituals, especially those associated with marriage and seeing off in the other world.

Pysanka

Pysanka- the symbol of the Sun; life, his immortality; love and beauty; spring revival; goodness, happiness, joy. Each ornamental motif has a certain sacred meaning. Of these, a painted prayer for harmony and peace between people is formed on a pysanka. In the Christian culture of Ukrainian Easter egg has become a symbol of resurrection. People say: " There will be love in the world as long as people write Easter eggs ».

Vyshyvanka

Vyshyvanka

Vyshyvanka- a symbol of health, beauty, happiness, family memory, decency, honesty, love, festivity; amulet. Embroidered national women's and men's white shirt. The symbolism of embroidery depended on who the outfit was intended for: a guy - a groom, a husband, a boyfriend; girl, married woman.

They were made from linen or hemp homemade cloth. There were many types of traditional shirts in terms of shape, use of materials, as well as the semantics of color: Podolsky, Galician, Polissya, Volyn, Dnieper, Poltava, Hutsul, Bukovinian, Lemko, etc. Interestingly, the symbolism of vyshyvankas often coincides with the symbolism of the ornaments of objects of material Trypillia culture. Silver plaques with figures of men found in the Cherkasy region (dated to the 6th century) are identified with embroidery patterns of the 18th-20th centuries. True, the symbolism of embroidery often consisted of two parts: historical (generic) and predictive (guessing the future, procreation).

Traditional symbolic ornaments were used on embroideries: geometric (considered the oldest), vegetable, zoomorphic (animals). Sometimes the types of ornamental forms were combined: ornamental-vegetative with a predominance of the former or the latter.

The symbolism of forms was concretized by the symbolism of colors. Let's say the Podolsk colored mesh is made with a cross and a bottom with a decorative seam-rocking chair (rocking chairs) represents a rhombus placed between two horizontal lines. The triangle between the rhombus and the lines was embroidered with oblique lines in the form of curls (“ram's horns”). The ornaments are dominated by black and red colors interspersed with blue, green, yellow (gold). This type of embroidery could symbolize not only agricultural work on the chernozem in the forest-steppe zone with the presence of rivers, lakes, or the chirpy manners, love, purposefulness of the Podyanian in achieving the goal, but also a certain harmony in the relationship of man with nature and human relationships; strength, power; growth; time - fertilization, etc. (should consider the specific design of the purpose of the embroidery). Certain ideas about the calendar, the four seasons, between birth and death (two lines) could be associated with images of a rhombus and two lines.

The people treated the embroidery as a shrine. Vyshyvankas were passed down from generation to generation, from generation to generation, kept as relics. The symbolic image of an embroidered shirt is often found in folk songs about love, family life, as well as social and everyday songs (Cossack, Chumatsky, burlatsky, laborers, etc.) .. According to tradition, a girl, preparing a dowry, had to embroider a shirt for her fiancé:

She sewed with silk, sewed with silk, chopped with gold. And for that Kozachenka who truly loved.

The shirt (especially men's) was a symbol of love and fidelity. In an ancient conspiracy it is said: “What a white shirt is on the body, so that the man is to the woman”, which shows that “white is cute”. In some folk songs, as A. Potebnya noted, the image is not explained, but it can be understood on the basis of symbolic meanings:

Oh, if only I knew that I would be yours, I would wash my vest from black dirt(Ie: I would love, be combined with you on the condition of a mandatory future marriage); The zozulenka chained on the yellow sand. And who's my pretty little shirt to wash?

In the second half of the XIX century. in European folklore, the story of the count, who was captured by the infidels, and his wife was widely discussed. The white shirt that the wife gave to her husband is a symbol of fidelity: as long as the shirt is white, the woman is faithful. Washing a shirt in chumak songs means falling in love with a chumak, even if he is married. It is typical that a chumak does not always agree to love relationships with random female persons (in songs it is mostly girls or a young shinkar-zdirnitsa), does not allow any "wash shirt ", although she is not white, for "the seventh Sunday." Thus, chumak remains faithful to his beloved girl, to whom he must return.

The embroidered shirt is sung, depicted in various genres of folk art (including humorous, parodic), by modern poets. It is a symbol of Ukrainian in general and Ukraine in particular, however, in the XX century. the prestige of vyshyvanka as clothing fell under the destructive influence of chauvinistic-cosmopolitan, communist-fascist, extremist and other tendencies. M. Dmitrenko.

Cherry

Cherry- a symbol of the world tree, life; symbol of Ukraine, native land; mothers; bride girls. In ancient times, cherry was one of the sacred trees of distant Japan and China. For Ukrainians, cherry, according to A. Shokalo, is the world tree of life (see Tree of Life). As you know, when the Slavs celebrated the New Year on March 21. It was the holiday of spring, the New Year of the native farmers. “In the old days in Ukraine,” the researcher emphasizes, “cherry was a ritual tree of the spring New Year rite. A cherry tree was planted in a barrel in autumn, kept in the house, and in spring, in March, the cherry developed and blossomed. By the way it blooms, the girls guessed the fate of the whole New Year. According to G. Lozko, the name "cherry" should be considered a feminine adjective, from the form "higher", i.e. “divine” (cf. with the word “All-Highest” Almighty). So, cherry is a “divine tree” dedicated to Svarog.

Some researchers compare this word with the spring sun at its zenith, that is, the "cherry" sun. The linguistic analysis of the etymology of the word "cherry", made by us, confirms the opinion that it is correct to compare it with the image of the world tree, the sacred tree of life. Firstly, the word "cherry" is of Slavic origin, it had such regional variants as "vishnik", "vishnika". Together, the word “up” (height) (the world tree, as you know, is very high, reaches the crown of the sky) has little similar forms - “cherry”, that is, “higher”, “senior”, “towers” ​​- top, spire.

Dictionary B. Grinchenko fixes the form "higher", i.e. “supreme”, which means “heavenly”, “divine”. At the same time, the dictionary contains the phrase “O Lord above, or am I superfluous to you?”, Which can be compared with the folklore expression “Nenko, my cherry, am I superfluous to you ...” So, in the minds of the fore-Ukrainians, cherry was associated with the sky, a tall tree life, God. In addition, the white color of her color was associated with holiness, for "peace" is "holidays".

According to N. Kostomarov, the Slavs deified light itself as a source of life, white color (cf. the names of the pagan gods Svetovid, Belobog). From time immemorial sacred things Ukrainian - white (hut, embroidery, scarf, towel). The sacred bird stork has a white color. Thus, undoubtedly, cherry was among our ancestors the Sacred Tree of Life, Mother Goddess, Ukraine. Echoes of these beliefs are found in the works of oral folk art, Ukrainian writers. In the minds of Ukrainians, and now cherry is a home: “A cherry garden near the hut” (Taras Shevchenko). Or: “How I loved Your little white huts in the clouds, like a scarf” (M. Staritsky).

I. Franko's poem "Ivan Vyshensky" depicts, in particular, the episode when it was the cherry blossom that reminded the hero in a foreign land of his native Ukraine and forced him to return from the Greek Athos.

Lina Kostenko used this image to symbolize spring, the love of the bride:

The snow was still swallowed by the wide flood, And Rala was waiting for another dreary lan. And under the mountain cherry - the bride Already to the rim measured the fog.

In I. Drach's poem "The Death of Shevchenko", cherry blossom is associated with the immortality of the Great Kobzar. And in conclusion - the lines written by one of the authors of the dictionary:

Oh, cherry - Mother Almighty - All white light is cherry blossom. Correct the tree in Ukraine - Her immortality for years.

A. Potapenko.

Hair

Hair- a symbol of the goddess of heaven, earth; wealth; development of spiritual forces; energy, fire, fertility, health; a symbol of grief, mourning; hair cut - a symbol of the covering (Strigi), lost virginity, chastity; "birth-death"; eternal memory; amulet.

Hair is a multi-valued symbol. Hair on the head symbolized the spiritual forces of man, and at the same time - irrational cosmic forces and biological instincts.

The author of the Dictionary of Symbols, H. E. Kerlot, notes that hair means energy, fertility. Thick hair means a vital impulse, joy of life, spiritual development. In Hinduism, hair symbolizes the "lines of force" of the Universe. Losing it means falling and poverty. Together voluntary tonsure, for example, as a monk, meant the rejection of all earthly pleasures, absolute asceticism. In Asia Minor, it was to them that the priests and priestesses sacrificed their hair. According to myths, Samson lost his strength when he was cut, i.e. lost the support of the gods.

According to A. N. Afanasiev, “grass, flowers, bushes and trees were called the hair of the earth in the ancient poetic language.” People spiritualized the earth, considering the land as a body, stones as bones, water as blood, and plants as the hair of a giant creature. Therefore, in folk tales, it is the brush (hair comb) thrown by the hero that turns into an even forest: a tree grows from each hair. So, in fairy tales, hair is a symbol of energy, fertility, lush vegetation.

In the old days in Russia-Ukraine it was strictly forbidden for a married woman to “shine her hair”. One of the most shameful deeds was ripping the headscarf off a woman's head. This is due to the belief that, having married, a girl passes under the authority of her husband, who took possession of her scythe, and therefore - honor. Therefore, to appear in front of a stranger without a scarf meant cheating on her husband.

Shameful in Ukraine for a girl was the former forcible cutting, which symbolized humiliation for the loss of a wreath, chastity. Such a girl was called “Striga” or “cover”, because the guys cut off her hair for treason, she was forbidden to walk with her head uncovered. Obviously, because the hair, the braid in particular, (see the braid) was a symbol of virginity, holiness.

One of the ancient symbolic rituals was the rite of tonsure. According to Herodotus, the Scythians and Hyperboreans cut their hair as a sign of mourning. Before marriage, girls wore braids and sacrificed them to the goddess Artemis. Many nations strictly forbade doing this, so as not to fall under the influence of demonic forces.

In Russia-Ukraine, only warriors (according to the testimony of V. Kolesov) "completely shaved off their hair, devoting their lives and vitality to Perun." The Byzantines were very struck by the hairstyle of Prince Svyatoslav. On a clean-shaven head there was only a tuft of hair on the crown (similar to the Zaporizhzhya "herring").

The tonsure was carried out when the child was 3-5 years old and symbolized her transition to “adolescence”. According to I. Snigirev, this rite was considered as something similar to baptism.

From the speech of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on August 23, 2014 in honor of the day of the national flag of Ukraine:

“A survey conducted on the eve of Independence Day showed that almost 95% of Ukrainians are proud of both the national flag and the national emblem... Our flag is a living witness to victories and failures. Failures, without which, unfortunately, there is no war ... Our national flag is a password by which we know who is ours and who is a stranger "

I, too, use this "password" to determine "who is ours and who is a stranger." And in this regard, I want to offer you a short excursion into the history of the national symbols of modern Ukraine:

Swastika and trident - a sign of the middle of the 20s for the participants of the youth Ukrainian organization "Plast". In general, nothing criminal. As you know, it was used long before the Bolsheviks, and under the Bolsheviks, during the Civil War, it was used, for example, by the Kalmyk units.

Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, one of those who supported Plast, donated funds for its development. Stepan Bandera, the future leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, was also a member of this organization.

Logo of the Union of Ukrainian Fascists, early 1920s.

"The Union of Ukrainian Fascists (SUF) is a nationalist organization created in Czechoslovakia by Ukrainian emigrants in the early 1920s. Leaders: Petr Kozhevnikov and Leonid Kostariv. On November 12, 1925, the SUF became a co-founder of the League of Ukrainian Nationalists (LUN), which served as the basis for the subsequent formation of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). In January 1929, P. Kozhevnikov participated in the Constituent Congress of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, at which the ideological, program and statutory foundations of the OUN were developed. He was elected a member of the OUN Wire, met with Mussolini. According to the OUN, P Kozhevnikov was executed by the OUN(b) during the fight against the OUN(m), as he was suspected of collaborating with German intelligence as a representative of the OUN(m) P. Kozhevnikov survived the assassination attempt, but was imprisoned in a Soviet prison after the war and then emigrated in Germany"

Medal "Union of Ukrainian Fascists"

Ring "Union of Ukrainian Fascists"

"For Ukraine". "Organ of the Ukrainian Fascist Movement (Movement)" (translation). May 1939

"Ukrainian Fascist Movement (Movement) - Ukrainian nationalist organization in Belgrade. She periodically collaborated with the OUN and stood in positions close to the nationalists. ... The organization, together with other Ukrainian organizations ("Enlightenment" and "Ukrainian Society") operated semi-legally in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the late 1930s"

Poems about love for Ukraine and " Appeal to the fascist brothers - members of the U.F.Z (Ukrainian Fascist Movement (Movement))"(translated from Ukrainian):

“My brothers, Fascists! At this moment all peoples are preparing for a fierce struggle for their existence, for their own to be or not to be.
Their struggle among themselves, we - the Nazis, must use! It will give us the opportunity to throw off the yoke of the oppressor!
The minute of this struggle is already approaching, and we all, as one, must take up a gun and with a formidable step stand up for the defense of our people, our state" (translated from Ukrainian).

The act of restoring the "Ukrainian state" signed by Yaroslav Stetsko

From the text of the document:

"3. The newly created Ukrainian State will work closely with the National Socialist Greater Germany, which, under the leadership of its Leader Adolf HITLER, creates a new order in Europe and in the world and helps the Ukrainian people to free themselves from the Moscow occupation.

The Ukrainian National Revolutionary Army, which is being created on Ukrainian soil, will continue to fight together with the ALLIED GERMAN ARMY against the Moscow occupation for a Sovereign Cathedral State and a new order throughout the world.

Long live the Sovereign Cathedral Ukrainian State! Long live the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Long live the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian People STEPAN BANDERA!

GLORY TO UKRAINE!"

"Let the Ukrainian state live" ... and German officers on the podium. It is noteworthy that on the one hand, the yellow-blue Ukrainian banner, and on the other, the Nazi

To the photo above

Where does the coat of arms of Ukraine come from. Occupational newspaper "Snezhnyansky Herald". 04/12/1942

"Ukrainian word" about the abolition of the collective farm system

Trident and swastika. "Thanks to the Fuhrer of Greater Germany." Lviv

Trident and swastika

SS, trident, Galician lion. Volunteers of the SS division "Galicia"

During one of the parades in honor of the SS division "Galicia" (,). The trident and the swastika are separated by the Galician lion

Galician lion, Nazi swastika and national colors flag

Used April 28, 1943 in Lvov at the parade

Volunteers of the SS division "Galicia". Trident and Nazi symbols

The now popular slogan "Glory to Ukraine" was also popular with future SS-mans from the "Galicia" division, and among Bandera from the UPA ...

Fighters for independence and "victors of Nazism" from the SS division "Galicia". They swore on the banner with a trident

Well ... and with a swastika too ...

National symbols. SS division "Galicia". January 1945

Courses for UVV propagandists (Ukrainian Vizvolne Viysko (Ukrainian Liberation Army - translation *)). Swastika, trident, photo of the Fuhrer

These are the "pioneers" from the UVV. Great admirers of national symbols!

Ukrainians (Ukr Luft Flak)

To the photo above

Sleeve patch for officers of the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion

Badge of Ukrainian policemen in the General Government (in August 1941, the lands of Galicia were included in the General Government (District Galicia with a center in Lviv (Lemberg))

From the "noise" battalion. In short, the police...

"Hundred UVV (Ukrainian Liberation Army - approx. *), formed under the tank group of General von Kleist. 1942."

On the sleeves they have a bandage with national colors - yellow and blue.

"Motorized column of the Ukrainian Vizvolny Viysk, Skhidna Prussia"
Motorized column of the Ukrainian Liberation Army, East Prussia (translation)

Yellow and blue banner with painted Nazi swastika

Flak helper armband UKRAINE (volunteer helpers of the Luftwaffe)

Oath of the Luftwaffe Volunteers. 1944

UNAC SS. This is what they dream about now!

"Ukrainian police". Lviv

"Ukrainian police". Lvov pogrom of 1941

To the photo above

Another Lviv "policeman" and participant in the Lviv pogrom of 1941.

To the photo above. The arrow marks the "policeman" from the certificate

Another Lviv "policeman"

Taras Shevchenko between a swastika and a trident

Beside

Members of the editorial board of the occupation Kharkov newspaper "Novaya Ukraina". "Patriots" against the background of the national coat of arms

And this is the New Ukraine newspaper itself, which was made by the "patriots" I am the photo above

When the Third Reich lived out its last days, the organ of the "Ukrainian Armed Forces" continued to broadcast about its close victory:

The newspaper "Trident" dated April 26, 1945. Headline: "In this hour of decisions, the genius of A. Hitler will win"

The newspaper "Trident" dated April 26, 1945. The title of one of the headlines: "Victory will be won. Dr. Goebbels about the current situation"

Photos of the newspaper "Trident" provided poltora_bobra

Something interesting from the history of the trident:

Tryzub used the NTS - the People's Labor Union of Russian Solidarists. A bunch of various emigrant rabble, whose goal was to fight for the overthrow of the communist system in the USSR. Members of the organization collaborated with Vlasov

NTS press organ (post-war)

Khazar tamga. Addressing those who like to call Russia the Horde: "Well, what do you say, Horde?"

Here is the national flag and the national emblem of Ukraine! Here are those who, under this flag and coat of arms, "fought for independence"! Do you consider yourself worthy successors of their "struggle", their "ideals"? But not me! I am the grandson of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and my grandfather fought under a different flag and emblem for the independence of my great Motherland. But this did not prevent him from being Ukrainian and from loving Ukraine. I am also Ukrainian and love Ukraine, but not the Ukraine of Bandera and Hauptmann Shukhevych, not the Ukraine of the SS Galicia division, the Roland and Nachtigal battalions, not the Ukraine of the Schutzmanns from the 118th and other Schutzmannschaftbattalions. Not Ukraine, with "heroes" with a Nazi flavor, both past and present. This is not my Ukraine!

And yet, Polish blood flows in my veins. Ancestors, on the mother's side, were from Poland. My grandfather, a front-line soldier, prayed in Polish all his life. So he was taught in childhood, so he died. An Orthodox Ukrainian reading prayers in Polish. ... I will never forgive the Volyn massacre to the Bandera creatures! And, as a Pole, and as an Orthodox Ukrainian!

Is there anything to be proud of?

... I will never celebrate under the symbols of ss-mans and policemen ...

Today we will try to tell you about the state symbols of Ukraine. This is a country with an interesting and original history, and Ukrainian symbols have their roots in ancient times. As you will learn later, some signs have been known since 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 legally defines the following State symbols of Ukraine: the state flag, the state anthem and the state emblem.

All these attributes were adopted, in accordance with the resolution 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 relevant sections.

The history of the origin of the coat of arms

The oldest symbol was first mentioned on the seals of the princes of the Rurik family. But there were different versions of bidents and tridents. Each new prince tried to make his own changes to this symbol. The most similar version of the badge is the seal of Volodymyr the Great.

Where did this image come from anyway? Researchers offer us two versions. According to the first, this is a slightly modified two-pronged sign of the Khazar Khaganate, which is found in large numbers on coins and vessels.

The second option is more plausible. Based on the fact that Rurik came to Russia from Scandinavia, many in his squad wore the protective sign "Thor's hammer". It later evolved into a stylized falcon that swoops down to attack its prey.

It is this version that is today the most historical. There is, however, another option. Some researchers see a combination of pitchfork, anchor and scepter in the trident. 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 belongs to the eighth to tenth century.

After the collapse of Kievan Rus, this symbol also disappears for several centuries. The seal depicts a crowned lion, and in the Zaporizhzhya army, a Cossack with a musket was a distinctive sign.

In the process of joining some lands to Muscovy, all symbols were replaced by a double-headed eagle.

The return to the trident occurs only during the Ukrainian People's Republic. Further, it is 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 took place only in 1992. But this will be discussed further.

Modern coat of arms

The first national symbol of Ukraine, which we started talking about, we have previously reviewed a brief history of its formation. In the modern state, theoretically, this symbol consists of the Great and Small coats of arms. But in fact only the latter exists. The Greater Coat of Arms is still at the stage of the bill.

Judging by its text, it should have a trident, as a symbol of Volodymyr the Great, a Cossack with a musket (Zaporozhian 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 a decree of the Verkhovna Rada. It depicts the sign of the Kyiv 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 have changed in different periods of history. The flag was no exception. The colors that adorn the cloth today were only re-adopted after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1992. What happened before this?

The Lviv banner (a yellow lion on an azure background) was the first documented evidence of such a coloration. This event refers to the distant year 1410, when the Battle of Grunwald took place.

The Hetmanate of 1755-64 had standards with the same colors. The first actual use of two horizontal stripes was the flag of the Black Sea Cossack army, which Alexander I awarded him.

In 1848, these colors are used by the Lviv Main Russian Rada, during the revolution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

During the Soviet Union, the main color was red, but until 1941, Subcarpathian Rus had a blue and yellow flag.

Modern national flag

So, the national symbol of Ukraine, which we are talking about now, is the flag. Earlier, we considered the various stages of its development.

Now it is important to make a remark regarding its exact coloring. It is only defined in the Pantone Matching System. There, the yellow corresponds to the shade with the code "Pantone Coated Yellow 012 C", ​​and the blue corresponds to "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 are such cities as Bieberbach an der Risse, Chemnitz, Gryfow Slensky, the Herrera region, Lower Austria and others. Also, a similar flag was until 1918 in the Duchy of Brunswick.

The official version of the decoding of flowers is a blue sky over a yellow field of wheat.

History of the anthem

The state symbols of Ukraine also include the anthem. The history of its writing goes back to 1862. Then the Ukrainian poet and folklorist Chubinsky wrote the famous poem "Ukraine has not died 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 “Dombrovsky March”.

Chubinsky's poem was first published in 1863 in a Lvov magazine. Over time, it becomes quite popular in Western Ukraine. It was at this time that Verbitsky became interested in him, who performed this composition for the first time in Przemysl.

From 1917 until 1939 this song was used as the national anthem. In Soviet times, when national Ukrainian symbols were not much welcomed, there was a different composition, to the words of Tychyna, and in 1992 the old anthem was restored.

As you have seen, the symbols of Ukraine are often similar to the attributes of other peoples. Let's take a few examples.

The Ukrainian anthem is reminiscent of the Polish anthem "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła", based on the "Dąbrowski March". The Illyrian Croatian movement had a similar song - "Još Hrvatska ni propala".

All these compositions are united by one idea - the people's movement in the struggle for independence.

State symbols of the President of Ukraine

The state symbols of Ukraine also include the symbols of the head of state. These include the standard, badge and mace. Let's talk more about each of them.

The presidential standard is a blue canvas, in the center of which is the symbol of Ukraine - a trident. The cloth is made in the form of a square with a gold trim and fringe. Its handle is wooden, and the pommel is in the form of an onyx ball.

Until 1999, it was the only one. But then the shaft was made very richly and skillfully, and the canvas was simple. Today, the fabric is embroidered on special equipment. On one side, over a million stitches were made with a thread of pure and yellow gold. The trident, in view of the used lining, received volume.

A similar technique has been used to create flags in the UK, France and the US.

What is the Ukrainian symbolism of the head of state without the traditional hetman's mace? This insignia is made of and decorated with a special ornament and precious stones.

The handle of the seal is decorated with lapis lazuli and resembles a picture of our planet from space. The seal depicts a small coat of arms and the inscription "President of Ukraine".

The badge of the president is made in the form of an order chain with 6 medallions.

Thus, in this article, we got acquainted with the Ukrainian state symbols.

In 1944 Volodymyr Sosiura wrote his famous poem "Love Ukraine". Schoolchildren and schoolgirls of independent Ukraine know this work well, but not everyone understands it. Maybe because they are not familiar enough with our rich history and culture?
Better to know the annals of Ukraine will help the national symbols of the state. You just need to carefully consider the flag, coat of arms, embroidered shirts, towels ... Each of us will have such an occasion - during the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine, which we will celebrate on August 24th.

State symbols of Ukraine

Flag: what do the colors mean
It is traditionally believed that the blue and yellow stripes on the national flag mean a cloudless sky and yellow wheat in the field. But not all historians agree with this. After all, blue means "the power of God", and yellow - "faith in God." By the way, although our flag has a blue stripe on top, it is customary to say that the flag is “yellow-blue”. This is no coincidence. Since 1917, the colors of the unofficial flag of Autonomous Ukraine (as part of the Russian state) have been reverse to the modern flag. They changed the arrangement of colors on the flag of the created Ukrainian People's Republic (1918-1920).

Coat of Arms: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
It is known that the coat of arms figuratively depicts the trident of Prince Vladimir, who, as you know, baptized Russia. But researchers of heraldry interpret one of the most famous symbols of Ukraine in a slightly different way. They say it means three elements - sky, earth, water ... Among other things, the trident is considered a sign of the trinity of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thus, our emblem is a universal amulet. He is the key to happiness, well-being and prosperity of the nation.

Anthem made politically correct
The basis of the national anthem to the music of Mikhail Verbitsky is taken from the text of Pavel Chubinsky's poem "Ukraine Has Not Yet Died", written back in 1862. In the new version of the work, only the words of the first verse and the chorus of the song remained. The fact is that in the original there were not quite politically correct words. In particular, "Let's become brothers in a bloody battle from Xiang to Don." Here vigilant diplomats saw an encroachment on the lands of Russia and Poland. After all, the Don is a river in the European part of Russia, and the Xiang is a river in the East of Poland.

Insignia of the President of Ukraine

The Standard of the President is a cloth depicting the Coat of Arms of Ukraine, framed by a floral motif. The coat of arms and ornament are embroidered on the standard with a million stitches of pure and yellow gold thread. The image seems voluminous (due to a special lining). A similar technology in the creation of the standard was used in the USA, France, Great Britain.

Badge (kolar) of the President- a necklace, like a woman's. Such an insignia is a symbol of power among the rulers of Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Russia, and Moldova. It is believed that the openwork chain of the kolar with the amulet of our President belonged to Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Seven handmade medallions are also attached to this chain. Two tridents are depicted on the medallions: the golden princely one and the trident of Vladimir the Baptist. And also - the coats of arms of the Galicia-Volyn principality (it included Ukrainian lands), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (at one time the principality belonged to part of the territory of modern Ukraine), the Ukrainian People's Republic (a symbol of the first attempt to form an independent Ukraine in the 20th century) and the family coat of arms of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. The symbol of the Ukrainian Cossack state (“Cossack with a musket”) deserves special attention.

Official seal— it is curious that this insignia was made in just a week. The seal is made of silver, and the tube of the handle is covered with gilding. On top of the latter there is an lapis lazuli ball, which outwardly is very similar to the view of the Earth from Space. By the way, the golden color of the handle and the decoration ball together correspond to the colors of the national flag (blue and yellow). The print weighs almost half a kilogram.

- made of silver, decorated with 64 precious stones (emeralds and garnets). The mace weighs 750 grams. It is engraved with the motto "OMNI REVERTUTUR", which means "everything returns" in Latin.

National features
"Language" of clothes
The national clothes of Ukrainians are a whole art in which each
the detail is symbolic. We are talking about embroidered shirts, wreaths, plakhts (skirts), trousers.

Vyshyvanka. Ukrainian shirts have become popular far beyond the borders of Ukraine. But it is unlikely that abroad they know what the symbols embroidered on shirts mean. So geometric patterns most often “work” as amulets (for example, a circle is a symbol of life, the sun, it protects from evil spirits). All sorts of flowers adorn the shirt, also with meaning. So, a rose on an embroidered shirt is a symbol of beauty (a drawing for women, girls), oak leaves are strength (a male sign).

This headdress was considered the personal sun of every girl,
wishing her happiness, prudence. The ribbons in the wreath were designed to protect the girl's luxurious hair from the evil eye. Therefore, the braid was closed along its entire length. At the same time, the colors of the ribbons and the flowers of the wreath also mattered (for example, a raspberry ribbon is the color of prosperity; a cornflower is a symbol of fidelity).

Plakhta. A traditional wrap skirt worn over a long chemise. By the way, this is the name of the skirt and the fabric from which it is made. The fabric was usually plaid or horizontally striped. Most likely, all kinds of plant motifs, embroideries, stripes, patterns appeared on national clothes much later.

Sha rovars. It is no coincidence that they appeared in the men's wardrobe. They say that under these spacious trousers, at the ankles, the Cossacks attached a load. In battle, with the help of such a trick, one could easily lay down the enemy with one kick of the leg.

Towel-wish

Sometimes they say that on the embroidered towel one can read the real message. It is addressed to young people at a wedding, to children at baptism, who died at a funeral. So, the image of hops means a wish for love, grapes - good, rhombus - fertility. But whatever the pattern and edging, two colors were often used in the towel: red and black. This has a certain philosophical meaning. After all, red is the color of love, black is sadness. How else? In life, they are always intertwined.

Taras Shevchenko is even in Buenos Aires
The Russian writer Nikolai Leskov spoke well about the contribution of Shevchenko-Kobzar to the literature and culture of Ukraine: “... Taras Grigoryevich Shevchenko, rightly called in one of the speeches said over his coffin “the father of a good word.”

There are more than a thousand monuments to the Kobzar in the world. There is a monument to the writer in Buenos Aires, Budapest, Paraguay, Tbilisi, Canada, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belarus, Alma-Ata. It is interesting that you can most often see the image of the young Taras Grigorievich precisely abroad. In Ukraine, Shevchenko, as a rule, is portrayed already at an advanced age.

Not only fat...
After the European Football Championship, the Ukrainian national cuisine became famous all over the world. The fans discovered a new product for themselves - bacon, and borscht, dumplings, vodka won the hearts of Europeans forever. Especially foreigners praised borscht. True, not everyone would be able to try the variants of this dish (in different regions, borscht is cooked in its own way). Only officially known more than a hundred recipes for borscht. And how many more dishes that can surprise you - potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, donuts ...

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