January 22 marks Ukraine’s celebration of the Sobornist Day. This holiday symbolizes unity of the Ukrainian state and has great historical significance.

 

It was on this day in 1919 that the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic was proclaimed on Sophia Square in Kyiv – a historic act of unification of Ukrainian lands into a single state. And though due to the failures of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921, statehood could not be preserved, it was a fundamental event for Ukrainian statehood.

 

The main tradition of the holiday is the “living chain” of unity. The first such mass event took place on January 22, 1990, on the 71st anniversary of the Unification Act. Then over a million people joined hands and formed a continuous chain from Kyiv to Lviv. The event became a bright manifestation of unity and the desire of Ukrainians for freedom. Since then, “living chains” have been created repeatedly in different cities of the country, symbolizing the unity of the Ukrainian people. The slogans of the Sobornist Day became: “Strength in Unity!” or “Stronger together!”.

The results of work for 2021, prospects for 2022, as well as new services of «Study in Ukraine» were discussed during the seminar of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education. It was conducted online by the Director of «Study in Ukraine» Dr. Olena Shapovalova on January 20, 2022. The event gathered more than 200 participants.

 

In the first part of the seminar, Dr. Olena Shapovalova spoke about the work of «Study in Ukraine» during 2021. Among the key achievements was the involvement in the development and further implementation of the Action Plan to promote opportunities for higher education in Ukraine for foreign students, adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers on April 21, 2021 in accordance with the Order of the President of Ukraine from June 3, 2020 № 210 «On improving higher education in Ukraine».
 
“The Promotion Plan is the first strategic document developed at the state level in independent Ukraine in the field of international education. And we are glad that «Study in Ukraine» as a key structure and leading player on the market of educational services for foreign students in Ukraine over the past year has been deeply integrated both into its development and further implementation” – said Dr. Olena Shapovalova.
 
Thus, within the framework of the Plan in 2021, the delegation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine headed by Minister Serhiy Shkarlet visited the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, exhibitions on studying in Ukraine took place abroad, the “Days of Ukrainian Education in Nigeria – 2021” (Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria) event was organized.
 
Dr. Olena Shapovalova also noted the success of the Ukrainian International Education Forum in 2021.
 
“Ukrainian International Education Forum is the largest event on international education in Ukraine, it brings together key experts in order to expand Ukraine’s educational opportunities for foreign citizens. The speakers of the Forum were more than 30 leading Ukrainian and foreign educational administrators, diplomats, scientists, experts and specialists in the field of internationalization of higher education. The event’s broadcast on Facebook garnered more than 10000 views” – said Dr. Olena Shapovalova.
 
Director of «Study in Ukraine» also noted that in 2021, together with the educational community, the Strategy for marketing higher education services in the international education market for the period of up to 2025 was prepared, and a repeated online marketing survey on studying in Ukraine was conducted among foreign students.
 
The second part of the seminar was devoted to the new services that «Study in Ukraine» began providing in 2022. Dr. Olena Shapovalova commented on some items from the updated list of services, and explained the specifics of their provision in normal, accelerated and emergency modes. For emergency services, Dr. Olena Shapovalova announced the «Study in Ukraine» hotline, which will be open on weekdays from 8am to 5pm.
 
It was also announced that in the near future the entry into the “Electronic Journal” will take place exclusively with the use of a qualified electronic signature (QES).
 
In the final part of the seminar, Dr. Olena Shapovalova answered the most common questions received at different times from higher education institutions, as well as commented on and answered questions directly asked by the participants during the seminar.

Ukraine celebrates Epiphany on January 19 – the third and final great Christmas holiday. The baptism of Jesus Christ is associated with this holiday.
 
On the eve of Epiphany, Ukrainians have long celebrated the second holy evening. Believers fast throughout the 18th of January. Dinner can only begin after the first star appears in the sky. Fasting dishes are served to the table – fish, cabbage varenyky, kutia, uzvar, etc.
 
Water is an important symbol of the holiday. These days it is customary to consecrate it. Water consecrated during Epiphany is called Jordanian and is believed to have healing properties throughout the year. Many Ukrainians follow the tradition of swimming in icy water.
 
On Epiphany, children and young people sing carols for the last time – they go from house to house and sing songs with well-wishes.