Traditionally, the third Thursday of May is celebrated as International Vyshyvanka Day. This year, it falls on today — May 15.
In Ukraine, it is customary on this day to wear traditional embroidered linen shirts and dresses, as well as modern interpretations — cotton T-shirts, polos, and other clothing with machine embroidery. Recently, symbolic versions of vyshyvanka — so-called printed designs — have gained popularity. What matters most is that the outfit clearly expresses Ukrainian identity and connection to Ukrainian culture in the broadest sense.
Vyshyvanka Day does not have any official state status. It is deliberately a civic celebration that unites people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds who wish to express their belonging to the Ukrainian political nation or solidarity with it. Experts emphasize: “Vyshyvanka Day fosters the consolidation of Ukraine’s multiethnic and multireligious population within the framework of a unified Ukrainian nation.”
Although a young holiday, Vyshyvanka Day already has its own history. The idea was first proposed in 2006 by Lesia Voroniuk, a student at the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. She was inspired by a fellow student who regularly wore a vyshyvanka to classes — as did many other students. Lesia suggested that everyone pick a day and wear vyshyvankas together. Initially, a few dozen students and professors joined. Later, other departments and library staff followed. By 2010, teachers, kindergarten workers, civil servants, the mayor of Chernivtsi, university professors, and even taxi drivers were participating. Over the following years, the celebration grew to a national scale and was embraced by the Ukrainian diaspora and supporters of Ukraine around the world.
