The National Emblems of Ukraine

What is the National Flag?

What are the colours of the National Flag of Ukraine?

Who composed the National Anthem of Ukraine?

The national emblems include the coat of arms, the flag, and the seal.

The Coat of Arms. The contemporary national coat of arms of Ukraine is Azure, a trident or. It is the most ancient and dignified of all the Ukrainian insignia. The classic form of the Ukrainian trident is found on the coins of Volodymyr the Great /979-1015/. The archeological finds of trident in Ukraine go back to the first century A.D. The number of specimens of the trident stands now at 200. It was a mark of authority and a symbol of the ethnic groups, which composed the Ukrainian nation.

In the XII century, the image of Saint Michael the Archangel superseded the trident as the highest national device.

On March 22, 1918 the trident was adopted as the national device of the Ukrainian National Republic. It was adopted in the form of a Great and a Small Coat of Arms.

The National Flag. Ancient Ukrainian rulers had different banners and standards. Red was the most frequent colour. Blue and white were also used but yellow was rare. The most frequent bearings were stars, crosses and dynastic devices. In the 19^th century, the necessity arose for a visible symbol of the self-determination of the Ukrainian nation. In 1848 the Supreme Ruthenian Rada in Lviv revived the coat of arms of the former kingdom - Azure, the Lion Rampant Or. Two flags were used at that time. One represented the golden crowned lion on the light blue flag. The horizontally stripped flag, yellow above blue, became the national flag in Halytsia and all over Ukraine.

On March 22, 1918 the composition of national colours was decreed by a law of the Independent Ukrainian National Republic. On November 13, 1918, the light blue over yellow flag was established for the Western Ukrainian National Republic. On March 15, 1939, the light blue over yellow flag was established for the Carpatho-Ukrainian Republic. The flag became a symbol of the all-Ukrainian unity. Both the yellow above light blue flag and the light blue above yellow were hoisted until 1949. They were borne as military standards and colours during the War of Liberation of 1917-20. The light blue above yellow flag was provisionally confirmed by the Ukrainian National Rada in exile on June 27, 1949.

The Ukrainian Anthem. The Ukrainian Anthem, Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished, is of quite recent origin. In Western Ukraine after 1848 there were two songs which enjoyed popularity at national celebrations and patriotic demonstrations. The song Grant, O Lord, in Good Time was composed by Julian Dobrylovsky /1760-1825/. The verse We Bring You Peace, Brothers was written by Ivan Hushalevych /1825-1903/. In 1848 the verse was recognized by the Supreme Ruthenian Council in Lviv as the national anthem of the Halycian Ukrainians. The Carpatho-Ukrainians, on occasion of popular celebrations, sang the song by Oleksandr Dukhovych /1803-65/ I Was, Am and Will Be a Rusyn /Ruthenian/. In the central and eastern Ukrainian lands the Testament of Taras Shevchenko was used for many years as a national anthem at manifestations and demonstrations.

In 1863 the Lviv journal Meta /Goal/ published the poem of Pavlo Chubynskyi /1839-84, Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished. In the same year it was set to music by the Halycian composer Mykhailo Verbytskyi /1815-70/. This song with its catchy melody and patriotic text became popular among the Ukrainians. In 1917 it was officially adopted as the anthem of the Ukrainian State.

The Constitution of Ukraine adopted by the Supreme Rada on June 28, 1996 defines the State symbols of Ukraine and the State Hymn of Ukraine in Article 20.

Pavlo Platonovyeh Chubynskyi was born in Boryspil on January 27, 1839. He was the noted Ukrainian ethnographer. In 1870 he headed an ethnographic expedition in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Mykhailovych Verbytskyi was born in 1815 in the village of Uliuch near Peremyshl. He was one of the first professional composers in Halytsia. M. Verbytskyi was the author of 11 symphonies. He died on December 7, 1870 in the village Mlyny /now in Poland/.