Photo from Evgeny Sosnovsky
The World Vyshyvanka Day, an international holiday dedicated to preserving the iconic Ukrainian embroidered clothes as a symbol of the material and spiritual heritage of the Ukrainian people. Every year on the third Thursday in May, Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine from more than 100 countries wear vyshyvanka in celebration of this heritage. This year The World Vyshyvanka Day is celebrated on 18th May.
The idea of celebrating this day originated in 2006 at Chernivtsi National University by its student Lesia Voroniuk, and gradually became international as The World Vyshyvanka Day.
In conditions of war, the second year in a row vyshyvankas are being worn by the Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines. The World Vyshyvanka Day is symbolic and Ukrainians, wearing vyshyvankas, declare that Ukrainians – brave citizens of the independent state, fighting for their freedom.
Embroidery is not only a part of national Ukrainian clothes, it is one of the most recognizable elements of Ukrainian heritage, a symbol of freedom and love for Ukraine. Each region of Ukraine has own traditions of embroidery, symbolic ornament elements. Ukrainian traditional embroidery has more than 300 stitches and 20 techniques.
Vyshyvanka is popular not only on the territory of Ukraine. For many years, embroidered patterns have conquered even world catwalks. In 2015, vyshyvanka was recognized as the main trend of the year according to the American Vogue magazine. In 2016, The New York Times also gave this status to the Ukrainian national dress. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when the interest in Ukraine and its culture received a new impetus, Ukrainian vyshyvanka again became a trend in the world fashion industry.
Every year, politicians and stars from all over the world wear vyshyvanka. Halyna Shunevych, Ukrainian designer from Lviv region, creates exclusive embroidery clothing for world leaders. Exclusive vyshyvankas are already in the wardrobe of Boris Johnson, the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In March 2023, vyshyvanka was presented to Mr. Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia.
”Today, vyshyvanka is not only a symbol of Ukraine. This is a symbol of our freedom and identity. Wearing vyshyvanka, we show our unity, bravery and beauty of the Ukrainian soul. Next time when we have the opportunity, we will definitely present vyshyvanka to Mr. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., The President of the Republic of the Philippines, as a sign of gratitude for the support of Ukraine.”, – Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine to Malaysia.
