Daria Klemick has long been a member of the Ukrainian culture and is very familiar with the vast symbolism ingrained in the nation's history. National symbolism is something that is common amongst most nations, with the Ukraine being no different. The flag and national emblem both represent moments in time that correlate with the Ukraine's vast history and culture.
The first among the Ukrainian symbols that will be discussed here is the national emblem. In the Ukraine, the nation emblem is a trident. This golden trident displayed over a blue shield is called a "tryzub" in Ukrainian. The history behind this symbol dates back to the Rurik dynasty. This became popular during times of Kyiv Rus, a federation that lasted from roughly the 9th to the 13th century. During those times, it was common to find the trident, or tryzub, on many everyday items, including stamps, paintings, coins, and masonry. Prince Volodymyr had the currency minted with the trident displayed on one side with the ruler on the other. After the dissolution of Kyiv Rus, the use of the trident diminished greatly. For some time, the only display of the trident came in the form of family crests, old books, and signs welcoming travelers into the cities.
Ultimately, the trident regained its popularity and became the national symbol of the Ukraine as early as the turn of the twentieth century, during the times of the Ukrainian Peoples's Republic. Further symbolism developed as the trident began to be used to embody the princes' rule and succession of the Ukrainian state. This decision to include the trident in the tradition was made by the Central Council of Ukraine. Sadly, the trident was again removed from the national scene after the declaration of the Soviet Union to discredit the symbol and replace it with the hammer and sickle. In 1992, however, the Soviet era ended, and Verkhovna Rada reinstated the trident as the official Ukrainian emblem, which was viewed as a strong showing of Ukrainian independence. The meaning of the trident itself has many origin stories, ranging from the most popular being that it is symbolizing the Christian Trinity to a lesser known meaning of a secret encryption of the word "freedom" in Ukrainian; however, regardless of which meaning people believe, the history of the tryzub is one with deep roots in Ukrainian culture.
Another symbol with historic ties is the Ukrainian flag. The flag is composed of two equal-sized horizontal bars. The top is blue, and the bottom is yellow. These colors originated in the XIV century and were used on the Halych Principality's emblem. Additionally, these colors could be found in the flags and emblems of many Rus lands and cities in the Middle Ages. The Zaporozhian Cossacks used blue sheets of cloth with an embroidered golden figure of a knight on their military flags. In 1848, the people of Galicia became the first to use the colors of the Ukrainian flag as a national symbol on the Lviv City Council building. From 1917 to 1921, the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian State both flew the yellow and blue flag as their official symbol. During the Soviet era, the flag was banned as a sign of nationalism; however, the flag was reinstated as a national symbol in 1991. Today, the people of the Ukraine celebrate the Day of National Flag on August 23rd. While the colors depicted on the flag have been used by many groups over a long period of time, the colors represent simple, yet important, ideas. The sky is presented by the blue, and the yellow is symbolic of wheat to show fertile land.
When the two items, the flag and national emblem, are viewed together, it becomes clear why there is such a strong sense of pride connected to them. They represent the perseverance of a nation and have withstood many historical events and periods intended to hide their significance. It is through the flag and trident that many Ukrainians show their cultural heritage with pride.
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