Since ancient times, different peoples during the battles used certain symbols, which were supposed to indicate the place of assembly of soldiers and raise their morale. As a rule, it was a triangular or quadrangular piece of fabric attached to a spear. Ancient Ukrainian flags from the time of Kievan Rus originally depicted Christian saints. A little later, permanent emblems of different lands appeared, which became the basis for the formation of modern national symbols. In this article, we will consider what the colors of the Ukrainian flag mean, whether it symbolizes the unity of the earth and sky, and discuss other discussion issues.
Banners of the times of Kievan Rus
In the days of Kievan Rus, a banner was one of the symbols of princely power. This was the banner under which the squad went into battle. In addition, the banner was a symbol of the united territories. Ancient chronicles testify that during the time of Kievan Rus, the flags had a triangular wedge-like shape with the image of princely signs or saints. Basically, these banners were red and were well recognized during the battle. Other colors were also used : white, blue, yellow, green. It should be noted that red is still one of the most popular shades in the color scheme of emblems and flags, especially among the western and eastern Slavs (Poland, Belarus, Russia).
Ukrainian flags in the XIII-XVI centuries.
At the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries. quadrangular flags appear with a banner on the free end of the spear. Also at this time, banners are being actively started to manufacture using compounds of several colors.
In the XIII-XIV centuries. the history of Kievan Rus is characterized by such a concept as feudal fragmentation. At this time, each prince had his own banner, which was different from the others.
In the middle of the XIV century. a significant part of Left-Bank Ukraine became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Galician land and Volyn were under the control of Poland. In the middle of the XV century. these territories became part of the Commonwealth. This greatly influenced the heraldic traditions in Ukrainian lands. So, the symbols of the central regions, most likely under the Polish influence, most often began to meet white and red colors. And the Ukrainian flags of the western lands adopted a yellow-blue color. These colors have become fundamental in the symbolism of Transcarpathia, Lviv, Podillia.
Flags and symbols in the hetman period
The history of the Ukrainian flag dates back more than one century. The formation of modern national symbols of the country has been greatly influenced by tradition. During the time of the Ukrainian Cossacks, the main color of symbolism was crimson. It was under the red banner that Bogdan Khmelnitsky led the national liberation war. In addition, the crimson color was the main symbolism of the Nezhinsky and Chernihiv regiments. Often the flags of the Hetman period depicted the Archangel Michael, the heavenly patron of the Cossacks. In addition, yellow, blue and green colors, as well as images of the sun, stars, animals, were found on banners next to raspberries.
The history of the Ukrainian flag in the XVIII-XX centuries.
In Ukrainian symbolism, blue and yellow colors spread in the XVIII century. Their combination can be found in the banners of the Kiev and Chernihiv regiments. In 1771, a new banner was made for the Poltava regiment - blue with a yellow cross. In 1848, Golovna Ruska gladly proclaimed the Romanovitch’s ancient princely symbol - the image of a golden lion, which rests on a rock, against a blue background with its national emblem.
In the second half of the XIX century, the connection of yellow and blue stripes on a rectangular canvas of the Ukrainian flag was gradually established. Already in 1914, at the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of T. G. Shevchenko, the combination of these colors signified the national character of the demonstrations. It should be noted that at this time the upper stripe of the Ukrainian flag was yellow, and the bottom - blue. In 1917, the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed. Her government - the Central Council - proclaimed the colors of the national flag yellow and blue.
Approval of the blue and yellow flag
In 1918, after the establishment of the power of the hetman P. Skoropadsky, blue-yellow was proclaimed the state flag. The confirmation of these colors as national was attested to by the regulatory and constitutional acts of the Directory, as well as the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic.
The Ukrainian flags of the times of the Soviet Union radically differed from the previous ones. Initially, it was a red canvas with a gold inscription: "URSR". In the postwar period, socialist symbolism was changed. So, the flag of the Ukrainian SSR combined two bands: the upper one is red, the lower one is blue. In addition, a sickle and a pentagonal star were depicted at the top of the canvas.
In 1990, for the first time after a long break, the blue-yellow Ukrainian flag appeared at the town hall of Stryi. Photos and news about this event instantly spread throughout the Ukrainian SSR. In September 1991, the national symbol already towered over the Verkhovna Rada. On January 28, 1992, the blue-yellow flag received state status.
The meaning of the colors of the Ukrainian flag
There is still a discussion among scientists, politicians and ordinary citizens about what the colors of the Ukrainian flag symbolize. The official and generally accepted version is that yellow is the embodiment of a wheat field, and blue is the sky above it. However, such an interpretation cannot fully reflect the meaning of each of the colors. It is noteworthy that the yellow (gold) symbolizes the Creator, God, the highest entity. Blue is all real, earthly. In addition, this color symbolizes the freedom of choice that everyone has.
There is an interesting version that the shades of the flag of Ukraine are the two main elements. Yellow is fire and blue is water. In this sense, the combination of these colors on the modern flag in the reverse order would be correct. Some scholars argue that the rise of blue over yellow violates the divine harmony of the two elements and causes a “catastrophe” in which water extinguishes a fire.