The most significant state holidays of the Ukrainian people – the State Flag Day of Ukraine and the Independence Day of Ukraine – are being marked this year amid a brutal full-scale war that the aggressor country has unleashed against our freedom-loving people.
A special feature of these holidays is that now, as never before in modern Ukraine, the citizens of our state have a deeper awareness of the importance of a strong state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect for state symbols and, without doubt, the unity of the whole people in defending the country’s freedom and independence.
The Constitution of Ukraine established that the state symbols of Ukraine are the State Flag of Ukraine, the State Emblem of Ukraine and the State Anthem of Ukraine. In honour of the centuries-old history of Ukrainian statehood and the state symbols of independent Ukraine, every year on 23 August, on the eve of Independence Day, our country celebrates the State Flag Day of Ukraine.
Our blue-and-yellow flag is a symbol of freedom and independence, of the glory and revival of Ukraine. Under this banner the Ukrainian people affirmed their age-old dream of statehood and self-reliance. Its colours – the azure of the sky and the boundless wheat field – symbolise the aspiration to a peaceful life and the great labour of our people from east to west and from north to south of Ukraine.
The State Flag Day and the Independence Day of Ukraine embody the memory of the many generations of our ancestors who created the nation and fought for statehood.
Our country travelled a long road to its independence. And now, without doubt, the whole world knows about Ukraine, which is enduring unprovoked hostile aggression. The present generation has been faced with a hard trial – to defend the independence dreamed of for centuries. The mass national resistance to Russian aggression has united the Ukrainian people even more, bringing together broad sections of the population from all regions with a single goal – to defend peace in their Motherland. And the Ukrainian folk song “Oi, u luzi chervona kalyna” has become one of the symbols of the national resistance of Ukrainians and has swept like a mighty wave across various corners of the world.
We honour all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of Ukraine, and we remember with gratitude the present-day defenders of Ukraine who continue the struggle for a free and independent Ukrainian state.
May hearts be filled with pride for our Motherland, and may blue-and-yellow flags fly in all parts of the world, symbolising our unity in strengthening the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine! The virtual exhibition can be viewed on the College website!