Every year, on 24 August, Ukraine remembers the adoption of the Act of Independence of 1991, which is considered to be the date of formation of the Ukrainian state in its present form. Join in on the Independence Day celebrations by learning more about this Eastern European country!
1 – After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the newly independent country of Ukraine found itself in possession of 2000 nuclear warheads. This effectively made it the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal after Russia and the US. Under the insistence of world powers, in 1994 Ukraine voluntarily agreed to get rid of its entire stash. In exchange, Russia, the US, and the UK swore perpetual guarantees of sovereignty and territorial integrity
2 – Christmas celebrations in Ukraine are events full of unique customs. The day is marked by a 12-course meal. Each family’s youngest child watches through the window for the first evening star to appear, a signal that the feast can begin. It is also tradition to adorn the Christmas trees with spiders and spider webs. It is believed that the webs will bring good fortune and luck for the upcoming year.
3 – In April 2015, Ukraine passed decommunization laws which imposed the removal of all Communist symbols in the country. In response, one statue of Vladimir Lenin in Odessa was refashioned into a monument to Darth Vader. Lenin’s face has been covered by Darth Vader’s mask, and his coat has been turned into a cape. The helmet also reportedly serves as a Wi-Fi hot spot. This wasn’t the first time the dark lord from Star Wars was thrust into the public eye in Ukraine. A whopping 16 candidates with the name Darth Vader registered to run in Ukraine’s 2014 parliamentary elections. Chewbacca and Grand Jedi Master Yoda also ran in those elections.
4 – In March 1939, the autonomous region of Carpatho-Ukraine experienced three regimes in 36 hours: a Czechoslovak region until breakfast time, an independent republic proclaimed later that morning, and invasion and occupation by Hungary the following afternoon.
5 – Thanks to a 1990 agreement between Ukraine and Cuba, children who have been affected by the nuclear accident in Chernobyl can benefit from free comprehensive medical treatment in Cuba. Ukraine covers transportation, while room, board, schooling and medical services are covered by Cuba. Unofficial estimates put Cuba’s expenditure at more than €200m in medical costs alone. More than 24 thousand Ukrainian children to have been treated over the years at the Tarara facility near the Cuban capital, Havana.
6 – Beekeeping is a major economic activity in Ukraine. Approximately 700 thousand people – 1.5% of the Ukrainian population – are engaged in producing honey. They produce 75 thousand metric tons of honey every year, making it the number one producer in Europe. It also ranks as the first global producer of honey per capita.
7 – Starting from November 2013, Ukraine was swept by a series of demonstrations and civil unrest which are now known with the name of Euromaidan. The protests were sparked by the Ukrainian government’s decision to suspend the signing of an association agreement with the European Union, instead choosing closer ties to Russia. On the night of December 11, massive numbers of riot police started attacking the protesters’ barricades in Kyiv. In response, at 2 AM in the morning, all the bells of St. Michael’s Cathedral started to ring all at once, alarming the sleeping city and calling for help. The bells kept ringing uninterruptedly until 5 AM, inspiring the protesters not to disperse and to face the police violence. The last time St. Michael’s bells had sounded an alarm was in 1240, when Kyiv was being attacked the Mongols.
8 – Its 2003 Law on Protection of Public Morals – which was ratified by the President in 2009 – prohibits the production, distribution, broadcasting, transportation, import and advertising of any pornographic material. The Ministry of Justice has conceded that porn may be retained “for medical purposes”.
9 – Don’t call it “the Ukraine” unless you want to offend locals. Ukraine’s name is thought to come from the Slavic word for “borderland”, and technically, saying “the borderland” makes sense. In fact, before Ukraine was independent, its official name — the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic — did have an article. However, ever since it has become independent, Ukraine has reclaimed the right not to have an article in its name. To add one is considered to be an erasure of the country’s sovereignty, and is generally frowned upon. And this is not the only linguistic pet peeve Ukrainians have: spelling Ukraine’s capital as Kiev, rather than Kyiv, is also discouraged. This is because Kiev is the Russian transliteration of the word, while Kyiv is the Ukrainian one.
10 – Ukrainians wear their wedding rings on their right hand, as per Orthodox custom. Women are supposed to switch their right to the right hand only in case of the death of their husband, to demonstrate that they are widows.
