Ukrainian communities worldwide marked Vyshyvanka Day on May 15, joining the Ukrainian World Congress’s (UWC) #VyshyvankaForever campaign.
This year’s campaign focused on publicly affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and standing in solidarity with those under occupation who cannot openly express their Ukrainian identity, including the adornment of their Ukrainian embroidered shirts and blouses.
Some who have managed to escape into Kyiv-occupied territory said they’ve hidden their vyshyvankas and Ukrainian flags in jars underground so that Russians wouldn’t find them.
A Vyshyvanka Day march was held in Toronto to commemorate the occasion.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress of British Columbia organized a special event to celebrate Vyshyvanka Day.
A march was also held in Paris, where the French capital was vibrant with Ukrainian vyshyvankas, Volodymyr Kogutyak, UWC Vice President for Western Europe and Association of Ukrainians in France Vice President, reported.
“As part of the Ukrainian World Congress campaign, this year we wear our vyshyvankas for those who can’t — for those under temporary occupation in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions. For those whose culture is under attack simply for existing,” wrote the participants of the event organized by Mahi For Ukraine for Vyshyvanka Day in Auckland.
“Today we wear vyshyvankas thinking of all those who cannot do so right now, and of every person who is defending this opportunity,” wrote Yevheniy Semenov, UWC Vice President for Middle East and Central Asia.
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Ukrainians in the United Kingdom came together to raise awareness about the occupied Ukrainian territories, their unique cultural heritage, and the Ukrainians who are currently unable to safely express their identity.
Vasyl Gedz, the head of the Aarhus branch of the Lastivka Ukrainian organization in Denmark and a member of the Association of Ukrainians in Denmark, joined the campaign.
The Ukrainian community in Budapest also marked Vyshyvanka Day.
“We came together in unity despite strong winds and cold weather,” wrote Jaroszlava Hartyányi, President of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and Second Vice President of the UWC.
Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler, UWC Vice President for Southern and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Türkiye, and Lebanon, and UWC Third Vice President Andriy Futey, took part in the campaign.
Vyshyvankas in Argentina also served as a powerful reminder to the world of Ukraine’s ongoing struggle.
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Ukrainians in Ghana also proudly wore vyshyvankas.
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The Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA) joined the campaign to raise awareness about the vyshyvanka as a powerful symbol of resistance and identity, emphasizing the importance of solidarity with Ukrainians living in temporarily occupied territories.
“I am from Nikopol in the Dnipro region, and my parents live under constant bombardment,” said Kateryna Aleshyna, President of UAZA. “I know that many people, even while in bomb shelters or in their homes in occupied areas, continue to embroider their clothes as an expression of their Ukrainian identity. On this day, we send a message of unity to those enduring attacks or living under occupation. Even if they cannot wear a vyshyvanka for fear of persecution, we celebrate our culture for them — and with them.”
The Ukrainian Youth Association in Chicago also joined the campaign.
“This international celebration was created to preserve the traditional art of embroidery and the wearing of Ukrainian national dress,” wrote the Ukrainian community in Thuringia, Germany.
“I wear my vyshyvanka for the city of Kherson,” wrote Tatiana Shishko, a representative of the Ukrainian community in Peru.
Ukrainian schools also joined in supporting the UWC campaign.
Photos: Nick Wons/Wons.CA
