From misunderstanding to recognition
On May 19, Ukrainians will celebrate World Embroidery Day for the tenth time. And if in the first years of its existence, when this holiday was gaining momentum and was celebrated only in its mini-homeland (Chernivtsi), the epithet "worldwide" caused a sarcastic smile or even more - indignation from ill-wishers, now we really have to state: Vyshyvanka Day has transformed into a rather powerful event, and far beyond the borders of Ukraine.
Such a holiday in Ukraine is perceived as something proper, necessary in itself, because our ancestors have long loved to wear embroidery on their own bodies. According to the testimony of the "father" of history Herodotus, something similar to the current image of the embroidered shirt was worn by the Scythians in the 7th century BC. Modern research in the Cherkasy region has allowed us to find not only elements of clothing of Ukrainians of the 6th century AD, but also to clarify the identity of the embroidery and ornament with folk costumes of the 18th-19th centuries.
The existence of the Vyshyvanka Day, which is modestly celebrated on the third Thursday of May, is due to a student of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University - Lesya Voronyuk. It is she who has the idea that is simple in its essence and much more difficult in execution - to wear vyshyvankas together, having previously chosen a specific day of the calendar for this. Having set up as a local flash mob and initially attracting the interest of only a few dozen students, the Vyshyvanka Day could not "go" beyond the borders of the Chernivtsi region for a long time. The founder of the holiday, now a journalist for the STB channel, Lesya Voronyuk, recalls the thorny path of her own startup: "We have come a long way from misunderstanding, skeptical attitude - both to the action and to the embroidered shirt itself - to the fact that our holiday was recognized not only by the Ukrainian people at the level of consciousness of every Ukrainian: a small student action has turned into a huge world holiday in 10 years."
How Vyshyvanka Day was celebrated in 2015
And although this day does not yet have an official status, its scale and popularity are growing every year. Thus, the head of state joined the celebrations of the last Vyshyvanka Day in 2015, who, although he was in Riga at the time, nevertheless appeared before the eyes of the local diaspora in his own Vyshyvanka. The main ceremonial events took place on the central street of the capital - Independence Square. A huge photo was created here, in which 502 Ukrainians solemnly shone in national clothes. Later, the photo was transferred to the Ivan Honchar Museum, where it is stored to this day. A separate word is worth mentioning the campaign "Give a Vyshyvanka to a Defender": anyone who wanted could donate an ethnic Ukrainian shirt with an ornament to the ATO zone, because, let's not forget, Vyshyvanka is also a talisman, a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Last year's celebrations were also joined by Kyivpastrans, which on Vyshyvanka Day gave away three travel tickets for three different types of transport (tram, trolleybus, bus). The essence of this flash mob was that anyone who wanted could take a picture with a conductor dressed in a vyshyvanka, and then post this photo on the municipal enterprise's Facebook page. The best ones were chosen the next day using the random.org service. The number 38 became a vivid confirmation that Vyshyvanka Day is not standing still: this is exactly how many countries supported this holiday in 2015. Of course, we are talking about the diasporic veins of our state, and yet, the fact of the presence of such countries as Lebanon, Norway, Morocco, etc. on this list, you must agree, is impressive. This is how the genetic code of a nation is created, its portrait in the eyes of the entire world community. Lesia Voroniuk's colleague Oksana Dobrzhanska very aptly revealed the main message of the holiday introduced ten years ago: "Everyone must answer the question for themselves: who are Ukrainians and whether I am part of this nation. Of course, a Ukrainian is not someone who wears harem pants, eats lard and communicates exclusively in Ukrainian. However, if you consider yourself to be part of this nation, respect and love for your own traditions and culture are inherent in you. You strive to shout to the whole world: "I am Ukrainian and I am proud of it." Vyshyvanka Day is a day of awareness of oneself as a Ukrainian and a day of unity with one's nation."
Vyshyvanka Day 2016 promises to be interesting
This year's cultural program is not much different from those held in previous years. It has only become larger, involving more cities and people. The people will celebrate Vyshyvanka Day most fully in Kyiv, Lviv and, of course, Chernivtsi regions. Thus, in the capital, a traditional mass photo on the Maidan is planned, "dressing" the most famous monuments of the city in vyshyvanka, and creating a living chain of unity between the two bell towers of St. Michael's and St. Sophia's Cathedrals. Also noteworthy are the actions "Wave in Vyshyvanka" and "Wet Vyshyvanka", a performance by the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine, as well as many other completely new and non-trivial events and ideas. This year, the action "Born in Vyshyvanka", which for a long time did not go beyond the borders of Chernivtsi region, is gaining new momentum, and this time it is already in full swing in the three aforementioned regions. Zhytomyr and, attention, Severodonetsk also showed preliminary interest and willingness to participate! L. Voronyuk tells about the content of this flash mob: "We come to the maternity hospital and give an embroidered shirt to the babies who were born that morning. They are even baptized in these shirts later."
A special mention should be made of the film "Heritage of the Nation", which will be presented in the capital a week before the holiday, on May 12. "Heritage of the Nation" is the first full-length documentary about vyshyvanka. Next, a word from the author of the idea and one of the co-founders of the campaign, Oleksandr Tkachuk: "The film consists of two parts - an ethnographic one, where we talk about the features of the shirt and the beliefs and traditions associated with it, and also - human stories that demonstrate that vyshyvanka is not just a thing, but something much more, a symbol that was cherished and passed down from generation to generation." The film, on which activists have been working since August last year, traveling to every ethnographic corner of the state, will contain information from witnesses of events who preserved vyshyvanka even despite the oppression of those in power - from the time of Stalin's repressions to the present day. The film presents the opinions of representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora from five countries of the world. The screening is planned in the same Kyiv, Lviv, and Chernivtsi regions, as well as in foreign countries with the largest number of our diaspora.
World Embroidery Day in Lviv region promises to be no less diverse and interesting. The festive celebrations begin with Shevchenko readings on May 10, continue with a flash mob "Assembling a giant embroidery" on the 15th at Rynok Square, and end directly on Embroidery Day with the "Embroidered Ukraine" holiday by ATO fighters, embroidery of the largest map of Ukraine, performances by singing and dancing groups, a chess tournament, etc.
To ETHNOKHATU for embroidery!
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of such a holiday as Vyshyvanka Day. Ukrainian stars wear ethnic Ukrainian outfits abroad, even South Korea knows about this day (see video), and a poll conducted at the end of last year showed that two-thirds of Ukrainians either have a vyshyvanka in their wardrobe or plan to purchase one in the future. And if you happen to fall into the category of those who have not yet purchased one, hurry up: we at ETNOHATA have holiday discounts – 10% on all types of vyshyvanka!
Author: Maksym Timchenko.
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