What kind of holiday is this?

Every year on February 19, Ukrainians celebrate Day of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine. Our state has 3 official symbols – the State Coat of Arms, the State Flag and the State Anthem. They are the personification of the Ukrainian people, their culture and customs. The coat of arms of any state is its most distinctive emblem. His image has an official status and is used in seals, banknotes and official documents of the country. According to the Constitution, the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine is represented by a small and a large coat of arms. The Small Coat of Arms of Ukraine is depicted in the form of a golden trident placed on a blue background. Such symbols were officially approved at the meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on February 19, 1992. That’s why it was this February day On the Day of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine. In turn, the image of the large State Coat of Arms has not yet been approved and is at the stage of development.

How did the idea to celebrate the Day of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine come about?

The competition for the project of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine began in the summer of 1991, even before the “collapse” of the Soviet Union. The jury, which had to evaluate the works and evaluate the results of the competition, included well-known deputies, Ukrainian scholars, historians, and representatives of various fields of art.

About 200 projects took part in the competition, which were later sent to the Central State Archives. The trident was depicted on most of them. The winner was the version by the famous Ukrainian artist Ivan Turetskyi and the outstanding cultural expert and historian Andrii Grechyl. However, before becoming The State Coat of Arms of Ukrainethe trident symbol had a long history of formation, which you can learn about in this publication.

Times of Trypil culture

Archaeologists claim that the image of a trident first appeared on the territory of our country in the 4th century BC. In those days, this very sign symbolized belonging to an outstanding tribal family.

Ancient copies of symbolic images in the form of a trident were found during excavations in the territory of Southern Ukraine, where the Bosporus kingdom once existed. Later, tridents were used by the Scythians.

And the first written mention of the image of the trident was recorded in 360 BC. In his manuscript “Timen” Plato described the royal clothing of the Scythians – a blue kaftan with an embroidered golden trident.

Symbolism of Kyivan Rus

The image of the trident reached the times of Kievan Rus. And in the times of its greatest prosperity, this symbolism could be found on all official documents, monetary units, as well as on the bricks from which churches were built. Yes, it is known that the bricks from which the Kyiv Tithe Church was built also have a carved trident sign. The Rurik princes of Kyiv used the trident sign as a symbol of their kind.

The period of the Ukrainian People’s Republic

In 1918, after the creation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, there was talk of approving the official state symbols. It is not surprising that it was chosen for this trident. Mykhailo Hrushevsky proposed this idea. Thus, on February 25, 1918, in Korsun, a decision was made to approve the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in the form of a trident wrapped in branches of an olive tree. This sign symbolized the desire to establish peaceful relations with neighboring peoples.

The author of the then trident was the outstanding philosopher and artist Vasyl Hryhorovych Krychevskyi. Why was the trident chosen? It was believed that the trident personifies the traditions of Ukrainian statehood. After the merger of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian lands, the trident became the official coat of arms of the ZUNR.

Coat of arms of Ukraine as part of the USSR

During the times of the Soviet Union, the image of the trident was prohibited, it was considered a manifestation of nationalism. The KGB severely repressed and punished the use of so-called nationalist symbols.

However, Ukrainian patriots honored this sign as a symbol of the struggle against Bolshevism. So, in 1967, a yellow-blue flag with the image of a trident could be seen on the building of one of the district executive committees of Dnipropetrovsk, it could often be seen in Lviv region, Ternopil region, Ivano-Frankivsk region, etc.

Interesting facts about the Coat of Arms of Ukraine

• Emblem of Ukraine approved by the Constitution and protected at the legislative level. Mocking, mocking and insulting him is punishable.
• There are many versions of the origin of the trident, but none of them is universally accepted. According to the most well-founded theories, the trident is a stylized image of a falcon or an anchor.
• I wonder what trident as a symbol of the Ukrainian State, depicted on the coats of arms of some units of the Italian army. There, the tradition of adding the symbols of those territories where this unit won a victory is maintained. Thus, during the Second World War, Italian military formations fought on the territory of Ukraine. And although they were defeated, after the return of the living soldiers, a separate unit was formed, the emblem of which flaunted the symbol of Ukraine.
• The largest trident is located on the territory of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. It was laid out by one of the UPA soldiers at the site of battles between the rebel army and NKVD units. The coat of arms, which is made of white mountain stone, is more than 70 years old.

How to celebrate the National Emblem of Ukraine Day?

Day of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine is a national Ukrainian holiday associated with the struggle for independence. On this day, Ukrainians go out into the streets in embroidered shirts, flags with state symbols are hung on the windows of houses.

Why is this event important?

The trident is an echo of the history of our nation and a symbol of the struggle for the sovereignty of our State. Every patriot and conscientious Ukrainian bows his head before the coat of arms of his country. In this way, he bows his head to his ancestors who participated in the development of our country and defended its identity and independence

When will we celebrate Day of the national coat of arms of Ukraine?