The blue and yellow combination was established as the Ukrainian national colors during the European “Spring of Nations” in the 19th century. But in general, this symbolism has been with us since much earlier times.
The combination of a blue background and yellow pattern can be found in the symbolism of Ukrainian settlements since the times of Rus. The Cossacks used a blue background and painted yellow crosses, celestial bodies, and weapons on regimental and hundred banners.
Since 1992, pursuant to a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the National Flag of Ukraine has been a rectangular cloth containing two equal horizontal parts – the upper blue and the lower yellow. Although the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine has been celebrated only since 2004, the history of the origin, evolution, and approval of this symbol of the Ukrainian state goes back several centuries.
The colors of the modern Ukrainian flag are derived from the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, which existed in the second half of the 13th century. Blue and yellow (gold) colors were also used in the XIV century on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Rus, as well as on individual coats of arms of princes, nobility, and cities. In the eighteenth century, the Cossack flags of the Zaporizhia Army often depicted a knight in golden robes on a blue cloth.
The yellow and blue flag with two horizontal stripes, reminiscent of the modern one, was first chosen as its symbol by the Supreme Ruthenian Council, a body representing the national movement of Galicia for the revival of the Ukrainian nation, on June 25, 1848, when it was hoisted above the Lviv City Hall.
The first precedent for the public display of the yellow and blue flag in the Ukrainian SSR took place on 26.04.1989, when Y. Voloshchak raised it at a rally in honor of the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster on Rynok Square in Lviv. Rynok Square in Lviv, and the Stryi City Council were the first public institutions to raise it on March 14, 1990.
The combination of blue and yellow colors of the flag reflects the peaceful, cloudless sky and golden bread fields of Ukraine, symbolizing independence, dignity and national unity. This is how the history, values and spirituality of the people are embodied in national identity and patriotism.
