Ukrainian flag. Interesting facts about the flag of Ukraine - a little bit of good
On September 4, 1991, a "blue-yellow bicolor" was raised for the first time over the building of the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv. This was the unofficial premiere of the flag of Ukraine. For most Ukrainians, the appearance of the blue-and-yellow flag as a national one was as much of a surprise as if the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada raised a "Jolly Roger". There are legitimate questions...
Why is he "blakit-zhovty"?
At first, the blue-and-yellow cloth caused some discomfort among Ukrainians: this was especially true for sports fans. It so happened that the national colors of independent Ukraine began to coincide with the colors of Sweden. Therefore, watching some kind of biathlon competitions, Ukrainian fans faced difficulties in differentiating their athletes from Swedish athletes. And here, after another dose of support was accidentally given to a northern stranger, an emotional question was born: “Why do we have like the Swedes?”
Evil tongues say that the causal relationship is direct. Say, the “blue-yellow bicolor” was granted by the Swedish king Charles XII to Hetman Mazepa because he went over to the Swedish side. But we are not ready to share the version that the current Ukrainian banner is a clone of the Swedish one.
Why is he "yellow-black"? The answer was given back in 1848 by the Ukrainian poet, writer and ethnographer Yakov Golovatsky: "The blue color is like the clear sky of southern Russia ... The golden color, like those lightning bolts in the clear sky, depicted a clear star." And later Pavlo Tychyna displayed it more poetically: “Pyd prapori, pyd dormouse blues.”
True, in 1918 everything turned upside down ...
Why yellow at the bottom?
Every citizen of Ukraine at least once in his life wondered: “Why was the blue color put on top? It's just as inconvenient." The current kings of arms of Ukraine wisely explain that blue is the sky, and yellow is the wheat field. This formula was first discovered and voiced in 1918 by hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky. However, things were different in the beginning...
In January 1918, a new state formation appeared on the ruins of the Russian Empire - the Ukrainian People's Republic. A month later, the Central Rada, the parliament of the new country, approves the flag - “yellow-black”. In that order - yellow at the top, blue at the bottom. However, already in the spring, power in Ukraine is changing - a new state appears with the name Ukrainian State and the head - Hetman Skoropadsky. And the first thing the hetman does is to change the flag by simply turning it over. So "yellow-blaky" turns into "blue-yellow". Without unnecessary, so to speak, explanations and comments.
What's up with the stadium?
This question can be asked by more subtle connoisseurs of Ukrainian symbols. And we are ready to accept the challenge and respond to it.
Once Western Ukraine was part of the Austrian Empire and was called Galicia. So, the governor of this land in 1846-1848 was a certain Franz Stadium von Warthausen. The stadium did a lot of good deeds for the Ruthenians (in Austria, that was the name of all the Slavic inhabitants of Western Ukraine): for example, it abolished serfdom in Galicia. True, the count was very sad that the Rusyns think of themselves as part of the common Russian cultural tradition. The stadium decided to take on the mission of a "civilizer" and in 1848 initiated the creation of a body of national self-government of the Rusyns - the Head Russian Rada. Rada needed branding, and then it was decided to consider "the banner of the Russian land - the lion, and the colors - yellow and blue." They say that historians specially engaged by the count had a hand in this, who somewhere in the annals discovered that in the famous Battle of Grunwald in 1410, knights representing the Lviv land fought shoulder to shoulder with the Lithuanians and Poles against the Teutons. And they fought precisely with the "lion" banners of yellow and blue colors.
By the way, there is a legend that the mother of the Austrian emperor Franz Josef embroidered the first banner of the "Russian land" at the personal request of the Stadium.
What's with the silver?
In general, the roots of the combination of yellow and blue tinctures lie in knightly heraldry, where they stand for gold and silver. During the Middle Ages, combinations of these "metallic" colors were present everywhere - in particular, on knightly battle standards. There were versions where the yellow color is at the top and where it is at the bottom. According to one version, the standard with a "golden" top was worn by older brothers, the heirs of the family, and silver - respectively, by the younger ones. Admirers of Freud would probably have seen a certain sign in the leapfrog with the "top" of the banner among the Ukrainians in 1918. But sometimes "a cigar is just a cigar."
Why are the Chinese afraid of the Ukrainian flag?
It turned out quite unexpectedly. In 1992, the Chinese artist Mao Mao visited Ukraine, and when she saw the Ukrainian flag, she begged President Kravchuk to change the colors. It turned out that the combination in which blue dominates over yellow denotes the hexagram "pi" in the Chinese "I-ching" system, symbolizing progressive degradation. The dominance of blue (symbolizes will) over yellow (wisdom) expresses the "Law of Decay" among the Chinese. However, the Ukrainian president turned out to be not as superstitious as the Chinese and kept the old combination for his fellow countrymen.
It is curious that the hexagram "pi" very much resembles the current logo of the city of Perm, created by designer Artemy Lebedev.
What is there according to Luscher?
Followers of the famous psychologist and color theorist Max Luscher are sure that if a person chooses a combination in tests in which blue is at the top and yellow is at the bottom, he subconsciously admits that he is highly dependent on the environment and the people around him. If he chooses the opposite combination, this indicates his ambitions to become self-sufficient, independent.
What were the options?
Ukrainian politicians had many options in choosing the national flag: from the red and black banner of the OUN to a very strange combination of blue, yellow and lilac, reminiscent of a version of the current standard of gay activists. But the most curious, in our opinion, was the project of the "blue-yellow ensign" with a hammer and sickle, which was considered as a project of the state flag in 1991. It seems that the current flag of Ukraine is not the last option. At least sometime in the "blue-yellow" a "polarity reversal" can occur ...
Alexey Pleshanov
Nikolay YARYOMENKO
So where and when did the yellow-blue flag appear, which is so zealously defended by today's "Svidomo independentists"?
"A symbol is a concentrated visible expression of an idea."
A.F. Losev
The deceitfulness of Ukrainian politicians has long been the talk of the town and the subject of numerous anecdotes...
Seventeen years ago, on January 28, 1992, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, under pressure from three dozen impudent "nationally Svidomo Galicians" and a zealous champion of "national democracy" L. Kravchuk, approved the blue-yellow flag as the state flag of Ukraine. At the same time, the deputies of parliament, who basically “did not know what they were doing,” and all citizens of Ukraine were assured by Kravchuk that this measure was temporary, since a nationwide referendum was to be held, which would determine the state symbols.
Let's remember the "dummies" that were walking around at that time: the RUH leaflets, telling how rich we are and how much not only Russia's "cash cow" owes us, but also England's percent from the "Polubotka bary", Sweden from Mazepa's "gold barrels". There were assurances about "transparent borders" with Russia and about the "non-bloc" nature of Ukraine. The people were looking forward to how much lard would eat under the sovereign blanket...
However, let's return to the flag of Ukraine, having understood the concept of "symbol". A symbol, translated from Greek, is a sign, a sign, a password, a signal, an omen. The flag is one of the most important symbols of the state; it has historical continuity.
With the formation by the ninth century of Slavic principalities with centers in Pskov, Polotsk, Smolensk, Chernigov, Kyiv and other cities, the first predecessors of flags began to appear - banners, symbols of princely power. After the introduction of Christianity in Russia, banners began to depict the Cross of the Lord, and they acquired the significance of a shrine. At the end of the XIU century. the face of the Savior appears on Russian banners. The crimson banner with the image of the "Merciful Savior" was the voivodship banner of Dmitry Pozharsky, who united compatriots against foreign invaders in the "troubled" era. Along with red, blue and white colors were widespread in Russia and Russian lands. Today's politicians, reacting to the warnings of the Chinese about the ominous meaning of the combination of colors of the Ukrainian ensign, often change their places, and even advanced Galicians do not use them in party symbols. President Yushchenko also speaks under an inverted flag, showing business-minded America that astrology is not the last violin of "this country."
Analyzing publications about the flag of Ukraine, it must be admitted: starting from Kievan Rus and ending with the 90s of the XX century, that is, for a millennium, red (crimson), white, blue colors dominated the symbolism in the lands that are now part of Ukraine. This is undeniable. I will give examples. The trilogy "Bogdan Khmelnitsky" by Mikhail Staritsky was published over a hundred years ago. Here is what the author writes: “Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky himself was sitting in front of everyone on a white horse. With a white banner in his left hand and with a silver mace in his right... Crimson Cossack banners fluttered over the hetman's head...
Khmelnitsky! This is his white banner! - there was one general cry ... - Khmelnitsky was followed by two general cornets with unraveled banners - karmazin (purple, red) and white, leaning over the hetman.
Now let's turn to D.I. Yavornitsky, who writes in the History of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks: “In the Imperial Hermitage there are seventeen Zaporizhzhya badges and one military banner ... This banner is made of bright red silk fabric. On the front side, it has an image of a large double-headed eagle with stars. On the right side of the Savior blessing the Cossacks for battle, and on the left side of the Archangel Michael with a fiery sword in his right hand. Along the edges of the banner there is an inscription in gold letters in Church Slavonic: “This banner in the army of His Imperial Majesty Zaporizhzhya grassroots was made by infantry fighting the same army along the Dnieper or Danube rivers.” As you can see, Yavornitsky has no mention of the yellow-blue color. There is not a word about the yellow color and the trident on the ensigns of the regiments and hundreds of the Hetmanate of the Left Bank, they are not on the flags of the regiments of Slobozhanshchina either.
Let me remind you once again that in 1693 the white-blue-red flag officially became the state flag. It was under this banner that Little Russia and the lands of the Zaporozhye Army entered. In the era of Peter the Great, the tricolor flag finally acquired the status of the state flag on the field of Poltava Victoria.
So where and when did the yellow-blue flag appear, which is so zealously defended by today's "Svidomo independentists"?
Potato crop failure in 1845 became almost a European disaster. The lack of food led to a severe crisis in Europe, which gave rise to unemployment and riots. On the instructions of the government of Austria-Hungary, a regiment of 1,410 people was formed from the Catholic and Polonized Rusyns of Galicia, nicknamed Ukrainians there. They were driven there by need, hunger and sheer unemployment. In the army, after all, they were fed and clothed. In 1849, the Habsburg Monarchy suppressed a peasant uprising in Hungary with the help of this regiment. The regiment formed from the Galicians-Ukrainians, nicknamed "the first Ukrainian kuren", after punitive operations was left without work. Nevertheless, he was uniformed according to the "military standard" of the Habsburg Monarchy in Vienna. The governor of Galicia Stadion von Wartgavzen presented the formed Ukrainian regiment with a blue-and-yellow flag, explaining that this was the standard of the Ukrainian-Austrian regiment. According to Watgavzen, the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph personally embroidered the ribbon for this flag. Its colors correspond to the Austrian national flag. In 1913, the Austrian monarchy provided the blue-yellow flag not only to the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, but also to other units of the Galicians who were part of the Austrian army and fought against Russia. Captured "Sich Riflemen" (whiskers) actively participated in robberies and civil war in the lands of the Dnieper and Sloboda regions.
Write this article force the feelings of modern Ukrainians, which, to put it mildly, do not give a damn. Does this mighty nation deserve to be given handouts from time immemorial and just as beautifully taken away?
In 1848, a revolution broke out in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which, after the partition of Poland, included the lands of western Ukraine. Poles, Ukrainians and other Slavs at their congress decided to come out in solid ranks against the usurpers under the red Polish banners. This did not suit the "Austro-Hungarians" in any way and they decided to quarrel the Slavs. How?
And Galician Ukrainians were allowed to have their own national flag. They took their blue-yellow flag with a coat of arms, removed their great coat of arms and presented it to the Ukrainians. Flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the drawing. The Ukrainian flag became without a coat of arms. Moreover, they immediately presented a banner symbolizing the unity of Austria (the lower yellow color was taken from the black and yellow Austrian flag) and the Ukrainian people (the upper blue was considered the color of Kievan Rus). This flag was personally sewn (or embroidered) by the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Ukrainians shed tears from such trust and immediately quarreled with the Poles, and then, it seems, it was under this banner that they participated in the suppression of the Hungarians who rebelled against the empire. By the way, in the land of Lower Austria, the flag of the administrative unit is still ... blue and yellow.
Ukrainian Cossacks used different banners, although by the middle of the 17th century the main banner was red with the image of Archangel Michael. The large banner (gonfalon) of the Sich was described as follows: on one side, on a red background, Archangel Michael, on the other, a white cross, golden sun, crescent and stars. Among the banners there were many "complaints". For example, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf Habsburg in 1593. gave the Cossacks a golden banner with an eagle. The banner was handed over to the ataman Bogdan Mikoshinsky by Ambassador Erich Lesota. In 1646, the Polish king Vladislav IV presented the Cossacks with a blue banner with a white and red eagle. AT 1649 . from the Polish king Jan Casimir they received a red banner with a white eagle, two crosses and the inscription Ioannes Casimirus Rex Poloniae. In 1706, in Bendery, the Turkish sultan presented Ivan Mazepa with a blue-red banner: a crescent and a star are depicted on the red field, and the "golden cross of the Eastern Church" on the blue field. And Peter I gave Hetman Apostol a white banner with the state emblem. It was also used under Hetman Razumovsky.
So when answering the question which colors should be recognized as national for Ukrainians, one must proceed not only from which of them prevailed at one time or another in a particular region, but also look for other arguments. At that time, banners existed in Ukraine, not flags. And there is a significant difference between them. The banner characterizes a concrete-individual affiliation. The flag is a mass symbol. Hence the other requirements for the flag, its colors. They should reflect the people as a whole, not being personified with individual, even very eminent, titled personalities. Incidentally, the current rulers forgot about this when, during the inauguration, the city center was decorated with symbols not of the state, but of Viktor Yushchenko's son.
The impetus for the development of Ukrainian symbols was given by the revolution of 1848. in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mother of Emperor Franz Joseph herself sewed a blue-and-yellow flag and sent it to the Galicians, who distinguished themselves in the suppression of the Hungarian revolt. There is still debate about why the Empress Mother chose such colors. According to one version, they symbolize wheat and the Danube, according to another, they are inspired by the image of a golden lion on a blue field, which adorned the coat of arms of the Galicia-Volyn principality.
In March 1917 . The Central Rada of Ukraine was created. Mikhail Grushevsky became its head. May 18 1917 . At the first All-Ukrainian Military Congress, the Petrograd delegation sent a blue-and-yellow flag with the inscription: "Long live the national-territorial autonomy." True, other colors were also popular. So, in March of the same year, a provincial cooperative congress was held in Kyiv, which advocated, in particular, for a democratic federal republic in Russia with the national-territorial autonomy of Ukraine. A large demonstration took place, at which eyewitnesses counted over 300 flags. Among them were both red and yellow-blue.
November 22 1917 . The Central Rada proclaimed the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) within the Russian Federation. During the time of the Central Republic, the approval of the main state symbols - the coat of arms and the flag - was accompanied by great difficulties.
Although Grushevsky is considered to be the author of the idea of introducing the trident of the Rurikovichs as a coat of arms, as well as the blue-and-yellow banner, this is far from being the case. autumn 1917 . he stated that this "food is not so simple, because there was no officially recognized sovereign coat of arms of Ukraine." And the trident should be perceived only as "a garno of stylizations, a heraldic sign of an unclear meaning." So obscure that "you might as well use a stylized ticket." In November, however, he agreed that the problems of symbolism belonged to those that "suggested a negativity." At the same time, he outlined his own vision: “In the simplest way, it would be possible to take gold (zhovt) stars on blue aphids as a sign of new Ukraine, according to the number of lands of the new Ukrainian republic.” Just like in the USA, only the stars are yellow, not white!
And for revolutionary times, the “counter-revolutionary” banner, presented to the Galicians for their participation in the suppression of the revolution, was not suitable as a symbol. But as time passed, they could not agree on the symbolism (only the schedule Narbut stylized the trident of the Rurikoviches and placed it on a hundred-ruble banknote, and since Ukraine, as Grushevsky wrote at that time, “now reaffirmed its sovereign bute, which Moscow’s violence and slyness helped її bulo, then the most natural for her, turn back to the quiet old sovereign signs of heraldic coats of arms, as if she got used to the old hours.
January 14 1918. The Central Rada of the UNR issued a law on the flags of the fleet. The flag of the navy was a blue-and-yellow two-color, in the canton on a blue field a golden trident with a white inner field was depicted. On March 22 of the same year, the CR in Kyiv adopted the state flag of the UNR - a yellow-blue flag. This arrangement of colors was adopted at the insistence of M. Grushevsky, an advocate of German heraldry (according to which it is “correct” to place the color of the coat of arms on the top of the flag, and the color of the field below).
May 2 1918 ., dispersing the CR, the government of Hetman P. Skoropadsky came to power. Obviously an officer, a nobleman did not know the story, or, most likely, did not want to admit it in order to please his patrons. Under him, the order of the stripes on the state flag was changed: blue was placed at the top. December 1918. The hetmanate of Skoropadsky was replaced by the Directory (1918-1920), under which the trident coat of arms and the blue-and-yellow flag were preserved.
January 22 1919 . in Kyiv, the so-called Act of unity of Ukraine was proclaimed, that is, the unification of the UNR and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. In the draft Constitution of the UNR, developed by the All-Ukrainian National Rada in Kamenetz-Podolsk in 1920 ., the flags were described as follows: “Article 10. The state colors of the Ukrainian State are blue and yellow. Article 11. The flag of the navy is blue-yellow with the state emblem of gold color in the left corner of the blue part of the cloth. The flag of the merchant marine is blue and yellow. During the Great Patriotic War, the blue-yellow flag was used by some Ukrainian units that fought as part of the Nazi-German troops. In particular, the SS division "Galicia" had a yellow-blue flag with a dark blue trident at the pole. Therefore, in Soviet Ukraine, this symbolism was associated with Ukrainian nationalism.
December 1917 . in Kharkov, a revolutionary government of Soviet Ukraine was formed, which did not recognize the CR. The 1st All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets met in Kyiv, but the Bolshevik faction refused to work with the supporters of the Rada, moved to Kharkov and declared itself the I Congress of Soviets of Ukraine. On it (11-12 (24-25) December 1917 .) elected the CEC of the UNR and proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets of Workers', Peasants', Soldiers' and Cossacks' Deputies. The flag of the republic was a red flag with a national yellow and blue canton. March - April 1918 . under pressure from the German occupation troops, the People's Secretariat of the UNR Soviets left Ukraine.
The 3rd Congress of Soviets of Ukraine gathered in Kharkov, proclaiming the creation of the Ukrainian SSR, which immediately entered into a military alliance with the RSFSR. January 15 1923 . A sample of the flag was published: on the red field, the letters “U. S. S. R.” (Decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on the approval of the flags, coat of arms and seal of the Republic). AT 1927 . the abbreviation changed to "URSR". It was officially enshrined in the Constitution.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR of November 21 1949 . the flag of the republic was changed. It consisted of red and blue horizontal stripes. On the red one, which was twice as wide as the blue one, there was a gold hammer and sickle, and above it, a red five-pointed star with a gold border. The ratio of the length of the cloth to the width was 2:1. With this flag, we lived to Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
At the dawn of independence, we lived with the flag according to Hrushevsky, now we live with the flag according to Skoropads
to whom. However, if only this were the main problem today. Ukraine may soon find itself in a difficult political and economic situation, when we no longer need state symbols. A few years ago, our country was called the economic tiger of Eastern Europe. And now, what happens - a stone in our garden. During the time of orange power, we found ourselves, maybe not on the edge of the abyss, but somewhere close. Thank God that at least the option that was proposed during the orange power did not become the state flag.
Our political elite must come to its senses and then Ukraine will have success - Ukraine will take place, if it doesn't come to its senses - it will cease to exist. Although, it is unlikely that something will be good until we change our Ukrainian mentality.
Write this article force the feelings of modern Ukrainians, which, to put it mildly, do not give a damn. Does this mighty nation deserve to be given handouts from time immemorial and just as beautifully taken away?
In 1848, a revolution broke out in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which, after the partition of Poland, included the lands of western Ukraine. Poles, Ukrainians and other Slavs at their congress decided to come out in solid ranks against the usurpers under the red Polish banners. This did not suit the "Austro-Hungarians" in any way and they decided to quarrel the Slavs. How?
And Galician Ukrainians were allowed to have their own national flag. They took their blue-yellow flag with a coat of arms, removed their great coat of arms and presented it to the Ukrainians. Flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the drawing. The Ukrainian flag became without a coat of arms. Moreover, they immediately presented a banner symbolizing the unity of Austria (the lower yellow color was taken from the black and yellow Austrian flag) and the Ukrainian people (the upper blue was considered the color of Kievan Rus). This flag was personally sewn (or embroidered) by the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Ukrainians shed tears from such trust and immediately quarreled with the Poles, and then, it seems, it was under this banner that they participated in the suppression of the Hungarians who rebelled against the empire. By the way, in the land of Lower Austria, the flag of the administrative unit is still ... blue and yellow.
Ukrainian Cossacks used different banners, although by the middle of the 17th century the main banner was red with the image of Archangel Michael. The large banner (gonfalon) of the Sich was described as follows: on one side, on a red background, Archangel Michael, on the other, a white cross, golden sun, crescent and stars. Among the banners there were many "complaints". For example, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf Habsburg in 1593. gave the Cossacks a golden banner with an eagle. The banner was handed over to the ataman Bogdan Mikoshinsky by Ambassador Erich Lesota. In 1646, the Polish king Vladislav IV presented the Cossacks with a blue banner with a white and red eagle. AT 1649 . from the Polish king Jan Casimir they received a red banner with a white eagle, two crosses and the inscription Ioannes Casimirus Rex Poloniae. In 1706, in Bendery, the Turkish sultan presented Ivan Mazepa with a blue-red banner: a crescent and a star are depicted on the red field, and the "golden cross of the Eastern Church" on the blue field. And Peter I gave Hetman Apostol a white banner with the state emblem. It was also used under Hetman Razumovsky.
So when answering the question which colors should be recognized as national for Ukrainians, one must proceed not only from which of them prevailed at one time or another in a particular region, but also look for other arguments. At that time, banners existed in Ukraine, not flags. And there is a significant difference between them. The banner characterizes a concrete-individual affiliation. The flag is a mass symbol. Hence the other requirements for the flag, its colors. They should reflect the people as a whole, not being personified with individual, even very eminent, titled personalities. Incidentally, the current rulers forgot about this when, during the inauguration, the city center was decorated with symbols not of the state, but of Viktor Yushchenko's son.
The impetus for the development of Ukrainian symbols was given by the revolution of 1848. in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mother of Emperor Franz Joseph herself sewed a blue-and-yellow flag and sent it to the Galicians, who distinguished themselves in the suppression of the Hungarian revolt. There is still debate about why the Empress Mother chose such colors. According to one version, they symbolize wheat and the Danube, according to another, they are inspired by the image of a golden lion on a blue field, which adorned the coat of arms of the Galicia-Volyn principality.
In March 1917 . The Central Rada of Ukraine was created. Mikhail Grushevsky became its head. May 18 1917 . At the first All-Ukrainian Military Congress, the Petrograd delegation sent a blue-and-yellow flag with the inscription: "Long live the national-territorial autonomy." True, other colors were also popular. So, in March of the same year, a provincial cooperative congress was held in Kyiv, which advocated, in particular, for a democratic federal republic in Russia with the national-territorial autonomy of Ukraine. A large demonstration took place, at which eyewitnesses counted over 300 flags. Among them were both red and yellow-blue.
November 22 1917 . The Central Rada proclaimed the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) within the Russian Federation. During the time of the Central Republic, the approval of the main state symbols - the coat of arms and the flag - was accompanied by great difficulties.
Although Grushevsky is considered to be the author of the idea of introducing the trident of the Rurikovichs as a coat of arms, as well as the blue-and-yellow banner, this is far from being the case. autumn 1917 . he stated that this "food is not so simple, because there was no officially recognized sovereign coat of arms of Ukraine." And the trident should be perceived only as "a garno of stylizations, a heraldic sign of an unclear meaning." So obscure that "you might as well use a stylized ticket." In November, however, he agreed that the problems of symbolism belonged to those that "suggested a negativity." At the same time, he outlined his own vision: “In the simplest way, it would be possible to take gold (zhovt) stars on blue aphids as a sign of new Ukraine, according to the number of lands of the new Ukrainian republic.” Just like in the USA, only the stars are yellow, not white!
And for revolutionary times, the “counter-revolutionary” banner, presented to the Galicians for their participation in the suppression of the revolution, was not suitable as a symbol. But as time passed, they could not agree on the symbolism (only the schedule Narbut stylized the trident of the Rurikoviches and placed it on a hundred-ruble banknote, and since Ukraine, as Grushevsky wrote at that time, “now reaffirmed its sovereign bute, which Moscow’s violence and slyness helped її bulo, then the most natural for her, turn back to the quiet old sovereign signs of heraldic coats of arms, as if she got used to the old hours.
January 14 1918. The Central Rada of the UNR issued a law on the flags of the fleet. The flag of the navy was a blue-and-yellow two-color, in the canton on a blue field a golden trident with a white inner field was depicted. On March 22 of the same year, the CR in Kyiv adopted the state flag of the UNR - a yellow-blue flag. This arrangement of colors was adopted at the insistence of M. Grushevsky, an advocate of German heraldry (according to which it is “correct” to place the color of the coat of arms on the top of the flag, and the color of the field below).
May 2 1918 ., dispersing the CR, the government of Hetman P. Skoropadsky came to power. Obviously an officer, a nobleman did not know the story, or, most likely, did not want to admit it in order to please his patrons. Under him, the order of the stripes on the state flag was changed: blue was placed at the top. December 1918. The hetmanate of Skoropadsky was replaced by the Directory (1918-1920), under which the trident coat of arms and the blue-and-yellow flag were preserved.
January 22 1919 . in Kyiv, the so-called Act of unity of Ukraine was proclaimed, that is, the unification of the UNR and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. In the draft Constitution of the UNR, developed by the All-Ukrainian National Rada in Kamenetz-Podolsk in 1920 ., the flags were described as follows: “Article 10. The state colors of the Ukrainian State are blue and yellow. Article 11. The flag of the navy is blue-yellow with the state emblem of gold color in the left corner of the blue part of the cloth. The flag of the merchant marine is blue and yellow. During the Great Patriotic War, the blue-yellow flag was used by some Ukrainian units that fought as part of the Nazi-German troops. In particular, the SS division "Galicia" had a yellow-blue flag with a dark blue trident at the pole. Therefore, in Soviet Ukraine, this symbolism was associated with Ukrainian nationalism.
December 1917 . in Kharkov, a revolutionary government of Soviet Ukraine was formed, which did not recognize the CR. The 1st All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets met in Kyiv, but the Bolshevik faction refused to work with the supporters of the Rada, moved to Kharkov and declared itself the I Congress of Soviets of Ukraine. On it (11-12 (24-25) December 1917 .) elected the CEC of the UNR and proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets of Workers', Peasants', Soldiers' and Cossacks' Deputies. The flag of the republic was a red flag with a national yellow and blue canton. March - April 1918 . under pressure from the German occupation troops, the People's Secretariat of the UNR Soviets left Ukraine.
The 3rd Congress of Soviets of Ukraine gathered in Kharkov, proclaiming the creation of the Ukrainian SSR, which immediately entered into a military alliance with the RSFSR. January 15 1923 . A sample of the flag was published: on the red field, the letters “U. S. S. R.” (Decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on the approval of the flags, coat of arms and seal of the Republic). AT 1927 . the abbreviation changed to "URSR". It was officially enshrined in the Constitution.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR of November 21 1949 . the flag of the republic was changed. It consisted of red and blue horizontal stripes. On the red one, which was twice as wide as the blue one, there was a gold hammer and sickle, and above it, a red five-pointed star with a gold border. The ratio of the length of the cloth to the width was 2:1. With this flag, we lived to Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
At the dawn of independence, we lived with the flag according to Hrushevsky, now we live with the flag according to Skoropadsto whom. However, if only this were the main problem today. Ukraine may soon find itself in a difficult political and economic situation, when we no longer need state symbols. A few years ago, our country was called the economic tiger of Eastern Europe. And now, what happens - a stone in our garden. During the time of orange power, we found ourselves, maybe not on the edge of the abyss, but somewhere close. Thank God that at least the option that was proposed during the orange power did not become the state flag.
Our political elite must come to its senses and then Ukraine will have success - Ukraine will take place, if it doesn't come to its senses - it will cease to exist. Although, it is unlikely that something will be good until we change our Ukrainian mentality.
Back in 1918, two different flags emerged in the young Ukrainian state. The first was yellow-blue, and the second inverted blue-yellow. After the overthrow of the Central Rada by the Russian monarchist Skoropadsky, the inverted flag was legitimized as a symbol of his own struggle.
This was the state flag of Ukraine - two stripes of blue and yellow.
State flag of Ukraine: mystical symbolism
In general, everything that has a golden, yellow color can symbolize the Creator, God the Father, or something higher, spiritual. The blue color speaks of everything earthly, as well as the freedom of choice that the Creator endowed his Children with the hope that there will be no abuse on their part.
The interpretation of the blue of the sky and the golden ears, which has been accepted today, is not simple primitivism, it is another attempt to triumph of global evil.
What does the flag of Ukraine mean
Some experts believe that in reality the color of the Ukrainian flag from time immemorial symbolized the two most important natural elements and human existence - fire (yellow) and water (blue). Thus, a quite logical picture emerges. Only the combination of "yellow - from above, blue - from below" can reflect eternal symmetries, namely the influence of the divine harmonies of these elements in their places of residence. However, if they are placed from head to foot, then this will symbolize the trampling of the world order, a cataclysm in which fire is extinguished with water.
Golden-blue coming of Trypillians
For a long time, different peoples during the battles used a certain symbolism, which was supposed to mark the places of stay of the warriors, as well as raise their morale. Mostly, these were triangular pieces of cloth attached to spears. On the ancient Ukrainian flags in the times of Kievan Rus, Christian saints were originally depicted. Later, unchanging emblems of various territories began to appear, which became the basis for the formed modern national symbols.
Actually, such a golden-blue symbolism was once brought by the people of Trypillia in the era of great migrations of peoples. One part of the settlers left the Northern Black Sea region five thousand years ago and settled in ancient India, where the symbolism has been preserved to this day in its original form. This state is literally all decorated with such combinations of colors. However, there is nowhere to be seen blue dominating yellow.
Banners of the times of Kievan Rus
In the hours of ancient Russia, one of the main attributes in the symbolism, indicating princely power, were banners. Then these were the banners under which the combatants participated in the battles. At the same time, the banners were the symbols of territorial associations. In ancient chronicles, there is evidence that in the days of Vladimir Russia, flags had triangular wedge-like shapes with images of saints or princely symbols.
Mostly the banners were painted red so that they could be well recognized during periods of battle. Sometimes white, blue, yellow, green colors could also be used. It is advisable to remember that red is still considered a fairly popular shade in the heraldic color palette to this day. And this was especially true of the Western and Eastern Slavs living in the territories of Poland, Belarus and Russia.
The national flag of Ukraine in the XIII-XVI centuries
At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, quadrangular banners appeared at the free ends of spears. In addition, during this period, banners began to be actively made, in which several colors were combined at the same time. In the XIII-XIV centuries, the history of Kievan Rus was characterized by feudal fragmentation. In those days, the princes had their own banners, which were always different from the rest.
Already by the 14th century, the Left-bank Ukraine was largely annexed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At that time, the Galician lands, together with Volhynia, found themselves under the Polish protectorate, which significantly influenced the heraldry in these primordially Ukrainian territories. Thus, in the symbolism of Central Ukraine, it is possible that it was under the influence of the Poles that white and red colors began to appear. Whereas in the Ukrainian flags of the western regions, yellow-blue colors began to prevail. Lviv, Transcarpathian and Podolsk heraldic symbols began to be painted with these primary colors.
Banners and symbolism of the hetman period
Historically, the Ukrainian flag can span more than one century, if not millennia. Thus, the formation of the modern national symbolism of the state was influenced by traditions. In the Ukrainian Cossacks, the main color was raspberry. Actually, under him, Bogdan Khmelnitsky headed the national liberation movement. In addition, crimson was the main one in the Nezhinsky and Chernihiv regiments. Often on the banners of the Hetmanate, the Archangel Michael was depicted - the heavenly patron of the Zaporizhzhya Army. In addition, blotches of yellow, blue and green colors, as well as depictions of the sun, stars, and animals, could be found on crimson banners.
The history of the Ukrainian flag in the XVIII-XX centuries.
Ukrainian heraldic symbolism began to fill with blue and yellow colors in the 18th century. Their combinations are found in the banners of the Kyiv and Chernigov regiments. In 1771, the Poltava regiment acquired for itself a new banner with a yellow cross on a blue cloth, and in 1848, the Head Rus Rada proclaimed the national emblem of the ancient princely symbol of the Romanoviches. It depicted a golden lion leaning against a rock, surrounded by turquoise.
The second half of the 19th century was marked by the gradual establishment of a combination of yellow and blue stripes on the rectangular panels of Ukrainian flags. After that, in 1914, during the celebration of the next anniversary of the Kobzar, the combination of these colors could mean only one thing - national character traits in demonstrations. It is worth knowing that during these times the upper stripe in the Ukrainian flag was exactly yellow, and the lower one was blue. And in fact, since that time, the new flag of Ukraine has been universally referred to as “yellow-black”. In the troubled times of 1917, the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed. Its government, the Central Rada, proclaimed the colors inherent in the national flag, all the same yellow and blue.
Ratification of the blue and yellow flag
In 1918, following the establishment of power by Hetman P. Skoropadsky, the state flag was changed. Actually, it was then that the yellow-blue flag was replaced with a blue-yellow one. The ratification of this color scheme, as a national one, was attested with the help of normative and constitutional acts of the then Directory. The West Ukrainian People's Republic did the same.
The flags of Ukrainian origin of the Soviet era radically differed from the previous, national ones. Initially, it was a red cloth with an inscription in gold: "URSR". In the post-war years, socialist symbols were slightly changed. Thus, the flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic combined two colors with two stripes: the top one was red, the bottom one was blue. And in the upper part of the cloth was depicted a sickle with a five-pointed star.
In 1990, for the first time after a long interval, the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag appeared again at the town hall in Stryi. Photos and the latest news about this incredible event of that time spread throughout the Ukrainian territory in the blink of an eye. On a warm September day in 1991, the national symbol proudly towered over the premises of the Verkhovna Rada. The following year, on January 28, 1992, the blue and yellow flag was destined to receive state status. Thus, every year, on August 23, before the very celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine, the country celebrates the Day of the Flag of Ukraine.
State flag of Ukraine: the true meaning of colors
In heraldic laws, yellow symbolizes gold, fire, the Sun and cannot be below, so the current combination of colors on the Ukrainian flag seems unnatural and dangerous. For example, the ancient emblem of the creation of the world from chaos conveys these colors. When the earthly and passive principles dominate over the heavenly and active ones, then any state will be pre-programmed for failure.
Even according to Feng Shui, to place blue (will) over yellow (wisdom) means to activate decline or progressive degradation, misfortune and disorder. If everything is done correctly, then the harmony of heaven and earth, yin and yang, strength and flexibility, will become the forerunner of development, prosperity and happiness.
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