| Statehood Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Ukrainian: День Української Державності |
| Date | 15 July |
| Next time | 15 July 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 2022 |
Statehood Day or the Day of Ukrainian Statehood is a national holiday in Ukraine, celebrated on 28 July in 2022 and 2023, and held annually on 15 July thereafter, in commemoration of the Christianization of Kievan Rus'.
On 16 February 2018 three former President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yushchenko in an addressed to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) pleaded for the implementation of a Day of Ukrainian Statehood. [1]
The Day of Ukrainian Statehood (Ukrainian : День Української Державності, romanized: Den Ukrainskoi Derzhavnosti) was established by decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021 during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence and was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 31 May 2022. [1] [2] It was celebrated for the first time on 28 July 2022. [3] [4] It was selected on the day commemorating the Christianization of Kievan Rus', which occurred under the rule of Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr) in 988, which is viewed in Ukraine as the continuation of the more than thousand-year history of Ukraine. [1] [5]
Ukrainian expectation of the law is that it will help assert the continuity of Ukrainian statehood, protect Ukraine's national interests, preserve historical justice and eliminate fake narratives by Russia regarding the historical aspects of the formation of the Ukrainian state. [6]
After the Bishops' Council was held on 24 May 2023, it became known that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) would ask the authorities to postpone Statehood Day, as well as Defenders Day, due to a the adoption of the Revised Julian Calendar by the church (the dates are similar to that of the more recognised Gregorian calendar), because the holiday of Vladimir the Great in the OCU and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) would be celebrated on 15 July from 2024. [7] On 28 June, President Zelenskyy submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law that moves Statehood Day from 28 to 15 July. [8] [9] The parliament approved this law on 14 July, with 241 deputies supporting the law. [4] The adoption of the law came too late to be signed into law by President Zelenskyy before 15 July, so 2023 became the last year in which the holiday was celebrated on 28 July. [1] [10] [11]
The event is symbolized by the Ukrainian trident, that is stated to represent struggle, independence, history & identity. [1]
In Ukraine, Christmas celebrations traditionally start on Christmas Eve, which is celebrated from December 24 to January 6, the date of the celebration of the baptism of Jesus, known in Ukraine as Vodokhreshche or Yordan, according to the Gregorian calendar and Revised Julian calendar by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Catholic Church in Ukraine and Ukrainian Protestants.
The following are 11 public holidays in Ukraine.
Constitution Day is a Ukrainian public holiday celebrated on 28 June since 1996. It commemorates the anniversary of the approval by the Verkhovna Rada of the Constitution of Ukraine on 28 June 1996.
Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, the elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolved parliament on 21 May 2019, during his inauguration. The elections resulted in an outright majority, a novelty in Ukraine, for Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, which won 254 seats.
Victory Day over Nazism in World War II was a national holiday and a non-working day in Ukraine from 2015 to 2023.
Defenders Day is a public holiday in Ukraine celebrated annually on 1 October. The holiday honors veterans and fallen members of the Ukrainian armed forces. Its first celebration was in 2015.
The Liberation Day of Ukraine, officially the Day of Liberation of Ukraine from Fascist Invaders, is a holiday celebrated annually on October 28 in Ukraine. It commemorates the Liberation of Ukraine from Nazi Germany on 28 October 1944.
The legal basis for the introduction of martial law in Ukraine is the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine "On the legal status of martial law" and presidential decrees about the introduction of martial law. Modern-day martial law has been introduced two times in Ukraine; in 2018 for 30 days and an ongoing period since 24 February 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022.
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who is serving as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019, most notably during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022.
Ruslan Oleksiyovych Stefanchuk is a Ukrainian politician and lawyer serving as the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada since October 2021.
Parliamentary elections are expected to take place in Ukraine to elect members of the Verkhovna Rada after the end of the Russo-Ukrainian War. According to the Ukrainian electoral code, the electoral process should start within a month from the cancellation of the state of martial law that was introduced in 2022 following the Russian invasion. The previous parliamentary election in Ukraine was held on 21 July 2019.
The Shmyhal government is the current government of Ukraine, formed on 4 March 2020 and led by Denys Shmyhal, who was previously serving as Deputy Prime Minister in the Honcharuk government, and the Governor of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
Presidential elections were scheduled to be held in Ukraine in March or April 2024. However, as martial law has been in effect since 24 February 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, no elections were held because Ukrainian law does not allow presidential elections to be held when martial law is in effect. Martial law has been extended in 90-day intervals since the full-scale invasion with parliament's approval, and has most recently been extended for the 13th time until 7 February 2025.
Derussification in Ukraine is a process of removing Russian influence from the post-Soviet country of Ukraine. This derussification started after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and intensified with the demolition of monuments to Lenin during Euromaidan in 2014 and the further systemic process of decommunization in Ukraine. The Russo-Ukrainian War gave a strong impetus to the process. Along with decommunization, derussification has been described as one of the components of a larger process of decolonization in Ukraine.
A general mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been taking place in Ukraine since 2014.
Major General Ihor Ivanovych Taburets is a Ukrainian politician, activist, and intelligence officer who is currently the Governor of Cherkasy Oblast since 1 March 2022.
The Walk of the Brave was laid in Kyiv on the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence. The place was not chosen by chance, because it was on the Constitution Square opposite the Verkhovna Rada.
Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945 is a national holiday and non-working day in Ukraine established in 2023. Its first celebration was in 2024. The holiday is celebrated on May 8 and has replaced Victory Day over Nazism in World War II that was previously celebrated on May 9, from 2015 to 2023.
Media related to Day of Ukrainian Statehood at Wikimedia Commons
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