Today, one of the most important state holidays is celebrated in Ukraine, the role of which in the history of the country is difficult to overestimate – the Ukrainian Unity Day.

 

Every year on this day an important historical event is celebrated, which took place on January 22^nd, 1919 at Sofia Square in Kyiv – the proclamation of the Unification Act of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic.

 

Ukrainian lands, which were part of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires after the defeat of the Cossack state, for the first time in centuries, had a real chance to break free and build an independent Ukrainian state during the First World War in 1914-1918. With the tsarist rule overthrown in Russia, the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was established with its capital in Kiev in November 1917. And with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formation of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) was proclaimed in Lviv on November 1^st, 1918. In January 1919, the two republics united into a single independent state, the Ukrainian People’s Republic.

 

The Unity Day was first celebrated at the state level in 1999. The holiday invoked to testify to the consolidation and steadfastness of the Ukrainian people, the unity of the citizens of Ukraine living in its various regions.

 

The symbol of the holiday is the “living chain”, where people, holding hands, form a chain to unite Ukraine and prove its invincibility. The tradition originated in 1990: at that time about three million people lined up between Kyiv and Lviv. It was one of the largest such events in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

The Ukrainian Unity Day is a day that symbolizes the unity of Ukrainian lands. It is one of the most important holidays of our country, which emphasizes that we are all one people and no barriers can divide us. Every year it acquires more symbolism, as right now we need to unite more than ever for the sake of the future, and for the sake of an independent, free Ukraine.

 

Congratulations to all Ukrainians on the Unity Day!