The embroidery of the Vyshynvanka is an identifier of its user’s roots, with its basic colors – white, black, and red – supplemented by green, blue, and yellow. The costume was influenced by historical Scythian art that has existed in the country since the 5th BCE.
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The Vyshyvanka is worn by both men and women, and to the trained eye, the hand-sewn floral designs represent the locality in which the garment was made. The threads were traditionally colored using berries, leaves, tree bark, and other local environmental elements, so the source is forever part of the craft.
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Ukraine is the world’s biggest producer of sunflower seeds, which have been grown in the country since the middle of the 18th century. The Ukrainians call their favorite snack the soniashnyk, and they revere the sunflower as the symbol of peace.
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This is why sunflowers have been seen all over the place since the Russian invasion. People are placing sunflowers outside their homes as a symbol of their support for Ukrainian civilians, offering them to Ukrainian soldiers, and collectively hoping the war will soon come to an end.
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Salo is made from cuts of pork fat that are cured with brine or dry salt. On some occasions, locals use pork belly instead of cuts taken from the pig’s back and treat it with spices or various seasonings. It is similar to lard or bacon, except that it’s mainly composed of fat.
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Ukrainians consume the Salo raw or cooked. Thin slices of the salo are commonly eaten with bread and enjoyed while drinking horilka or vodka – Ukraine’s most popular alcoholic beverages.
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Ukrainian Women Wear Wedding Rings on the Right Hand
In some countries, like the United States, wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. This stems from a belief that a vein from the ring finger goes directly to the heart. The tradition in Ukraine is different. Grooms give the bride a wedding ring designed for the right ring finger.
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Throughout their married life, Ukrainian women should never shift their wedding ring to the left hand. This is only permitted when the husband has died, and it is a way to indicate that the woman has become a widow.
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Codenamed Operation Barbarossa, Germany waged total war against the Soviet Union and sent a formidable army to conquer its western region. Captives were either killed or used for forced labor, but the fighting had been tougher than they initially thought, with civilians volunteering to fight alongside the Red Army in the encirclement of Kyiv.
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More than half a million Soviet soldiers were captured during the battle, and many of them were treated inhumanely. The city was awarded the honorary status of “Hero City” for its intense resistance.
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The popularity of Big Macs, French fries, and such products took off in Ukraine in 1997. During the opening of its first branch close to the Lukyanivska metro in Kyiv, thousands of people from nearby places traveled to grab a bite of some tasty, albeit not so healthy, American fast food.
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This McDonald’s restaurant is said to be the world’s third-busiest branch. Mcdonald's now has more than 5,000 employees in Ukraine, with nearly sixty branches in different locations all over the country.
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Across the globe, millions of people claim Cossack ethnicity, associating their family histories with its various groups formed from as early as the 15th century. However, the reality is that Cossack history is rather blurry. It certainly played a vital role in the cultural and historical development of Ukraine and Russia, but we don’t have a clear understanding of its roots.
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Cossacks are believed to have inhabited steppe land areas close to the Black Sea and the Don and Dnieper rivers. They are well known for their horsemanship and skills on the battlefield.
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Russia Has a Gas Pipeline That Runs Through Ukraine
The price of natural gas has skyrocketed all over the world, especially in Europe, since the rise of tension between Russia and Ukraine and the subsequent invasion of the latter by the former. This is because at least a quarter of Europe’s gas supply comes from the aggressor nation.
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Around 80% of the natural gas that flows to the European Union goes through pipelines installed in Ukraine. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there had been continual disputes as to the pricing of natural gas and the costs associated with its transit.
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Up in the Carpathian mountain ranges of Ukraine lie thick forests that are home to wolves, brown bears, and lynxes. This is a flourishing territory, full of multifarious plant species, and it is also the stomping ground of a group of Ukrainian women who have escaped from city life to form the Asgarda tribe.
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Many of the tribe members claim to be descendants of warrior women whom they believe used to roam in Ukrainian territory. They train in martial arts in complete seclusion and hope to build a new generation of warriors.
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The Trembita – A Uniquely Ukrainian Musical Instrument
The trembita is a kind of alphorn (or alpine horn) that ranges from one to three meters in length. Made from pine wood or spruce, its tubular shape is designed to emit a sound capable of reaching the next mountain, sonorously traveling a 10km (6.2 miles) distance.
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Western Ukrainian tribes known as Hutsols used the trembita to send messages through valleys in the Carpathian mountains. They would project prearranged sounds through the horns, notifying distant tribes of deaths, funerals, weddings, and other important events. Nowadays, the trembita is sometimes used in symphony orchestras or in Boyko or Hutsol folk festivals.
