Day of the State Flag of Ukraine: the history of the blue-and-yellow banner

Every year on August 23, Ukraine celebrates State Flag Day. The blue-and-yellow flag is one of Ukraine’s three main state symbols, along with the State Coat of Arms and the State Anthem. Today, it is associated throughout the world with Ukrainian statehood, the struggle for independence, resistance to Russian aggression, and international support for Ukraine.

At the same time, the history of the blue and yellow colors in Ukrainian lands began long before the proclamation of independence in 1991. They were used in heraldry as early as the Middle Ages; in the 19th century, they became symbols of the Ukrainian national movement, and during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921, they were ultimately established as the colors of Ukrainian statehood.

How this happened, what one needs to know about the Ukrainian flag, and what may surprise people about it is explained by UNN.

History of the State Flag of Ukraine

The blue and yellow colors have deep roots in Ukrainian heraldry. The most famous example is the coat of arms of the Principality of Galicia–Volhynia and the later Ruthenian land, which depicted a golden lion on a blue background. A similar color scheme was also used in the symbolism of cities and lands that are part of modern Ukraine. In particular, the blue and gold colors can be traced in the heraldic emblems of Lviv and Galicia.

However, medieval banners cannot be directly equated with the modern Ukrainian state flag. At that time, flags were predominantly associated with specific princes, cities, lands, or military units. The blue and yellow colors became national much later—in the 19th century, when national movements were actively forming in Europe.

Origins of the Ukrainian Flag

An important stage in the history of the Ukrainian flag was the 1848 revolution in the Austrian Empire, known as the "Spring of Nations." At that time, the Main Ruthenian Council was established in Lviv—the first Ukrainian political organization in Galicia. It was this council that began using the blue and yellow colors as national symbols.

In June 1848, the blue-and-yellow flag appeared above Lviv City Hall. Historians often call this period one of the key moments in the formation of modern Ukrainian national symbols.

In the second half of the 19th century, blue-and-yellow flags were increasingly used by Ukrainian cultural, sports, educational, and civic organizations in Galicia and Bukovyna. They appeared during folk festivals, anniversaries of Ukrainian figures, student events, sporting competitions, and other mass gatherings. Gradually, blue and yellow ceased to be merely regional heraldic colors and began to be perceived as symbols of the entire Ukrainian national movement.

The Flag of Ukraine Before 1917

In the Ukrainian lands that were part of the Russian Empire, the development of national symbols was more complicated. For a long time, the Ukrainian cultural and political movement was subject to restrictions, so blue-and-yellow flags could not be used there as openly as in Galicia.

The situation began to change at the beginning of the 20th century. After the Revolution of 1905, Ukrainian organizations had more opportunities to operate. Blue-and-yellow colors were used during Shevchenko celebrations, demonstrations, student gatherings, and other public events. By the beginning of the First World War, the blue-and-yellow combination was already a well-known symbol of the Ukrainian national movement on both sides of the border between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires.

At the same time, there was no single state standard for the flag at that point. Different arrangements of the colors could be seen, as well as flags bearing coats of arms or other symbols.

The Flag of Ukraine in 1917–1918

After the February Revolution of 1917 and the fall of the Russian autocracy, the Ukrainian national movement intensified sharply. In March 1917, the Ukrainian Central Rada was established in Kyiv. Blue-and-yellow banners were increasingly used at mass Ukrainian demonstrations, military congresses, and rallies.

After the proclamation of the Ukrainian People's Republic, these colors effectively became state colors. In 1918, blue-and-yellow symbols were used by Ukrainian military units, diplomatic missions, and state institutions.

Blue and yellow remained the state colors after Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi came to power and the Ukrainian State was established. Later, the Directory of the Ukrainian People's Republic continued to use them.

A version can still be heard in society claiming that the UNR's flag was originally yellow-and-blue and that the order of the colors was later deliberately changed. However, historians point out that various versions of the flags were used during the Ukrainian Revolution, and there is no documentary evidence confirming the legend of an official "turning over" of the flag.

Over time, the version with the blue stripe on top and the yellow one below became generally accepted.

What happened to the flag under Soviet rule

After the defeat of the Ukrainian state formations of the early 20th century, most of Ukraine's territory became part of the USSR. Blue-and-yellow symbols were  banned there. Their use  was interpreted by the Soviet authorities as a manifestation of Ukrainian nationalism and anti-Soviet activity.

The official flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was a red banner. Its design changed repeatedly. In 1949, the Ukrainian SSR flag received two horizontal stripes - red and light blue - with a sickle, hammer, and star. Meanwhile, the blue-and-yellow flag continued to be used by representatives of the Ukrainian political émigré community and participants in the liberation and dissident movements.

The Flag of Ukraine in 1991

The revival of Ukrainian national symbols began in the late 1980s, when political censorship weakened in the USSR and mass democratic and national movements emerged. Blue-and-yellow flags increasingly appeared at rallies and demonstrations.

On July 24, 1990, the blue-and-yellow flag was ceremonially raised near the building of the Kyiv City Council. For a long time afterward, this date was unofficially regarded in the capital as Ukrainian Flag Day.

On August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. That same day, the blue-and-yellow flag was brought into the parliament's session hall.

On September 4, 1991, the national flag was raised over the building of the Verkhovna Rada. Its status as a state symbol was finally закреплено  after the All-Ukrainian referendum in support of independence.

On January 28, 1992, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the resolution "On the State Flag of Ukraine." It approved a rectangular flag consisting of two equal-width horizontal stripes: the upper one blue and the lower one yellow. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 2:3.

In 1996, the flag's status was also enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. Article 20 of the Basic Law stipulates that the State Flag of Ukraine is a banner of two equal horizontal stripes of blue and yellow.

What the Flag of Ukraine symbolizes

The best-known interpretation of the Ukrainian flag's colors is blue sky over a golden wheat field. This is how it is most often interpreted today, especially in popular culture. Yellow is associated with grain fields, prosperity, and labor, while blue is associated with the sky, freedom, and peace.

However, it is worth remembering , that this is a symbolic, rather than an officially established by the state, interpretation. The Constitution and other regulatory documents define the flag's colors and proportions but do not establish their specific meaning. From a historical perspective, blue and gold primarily have heraldic origins. Therefore, the image of "the sky over a wheat field" should be viewed as a modern popular interpretation that has become firmly established in public consciousness.

After the restoration of independence, the flag became one of the main symbols of Ukrainian statehood. During the Revolution of Dignity, blue-and-yellow banners were among the main symbols of the protests.

After the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, and especially after the full-scale invasion in 2022, the Ukrainian flag acquired another powerful symbolic dimension.

The raising of the blue-and-yellow flag in cities and villages liberated from Russian occupation has become a symbol of the restoration of Ukrainian statehood. In other countries around the world, Ukrainian flags are used during solidarity rallies and displayed near government institutions and diplomatic missions.

Facts about the Ukrainian flag

Ukraine’s National Flag Day was officially established by a presidential decree in 2004. The holiday is observed on August 23, the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day.

In 2009, an annual official ceremony to raise the National Flag on August 23 was introduced throughout Ukraine.

The official proportions of the Ukrainian flag are 2:3, and the blue and yellow horizontal stripes are of equal width.

The Ukrainian flag has also been to space. In 1997, it was taken there by Leonid Kadenyuk, the first astronaut of independent Ukraine, who flew aboard the American space shuttle Columbia.

The blue-and-yellow banner holds a special place in military tradition. Ukrainian troops raise flags in liberated territories, and photographs of the flag being raised often become symbolic confirmation that a settlement has returned to Ukrainian control.

During the years of the full-scale war, the blue-and-yellow flag has become one of the world’s most recognizable Ukrainian symbols.

Over several centuries, blue and yellow evolved from the heraldic colors of individual Ukrainian lands into national symbols, a banner banned by the Soviet authorities, and the official flag of an independent state. Today, it represents not only Ukraine as a state but also the historical continuity of Ukrainians’ struggle for the right to their own independence.

What is celebrated on August 23 in Ukraine and around the world 23.08.26, 07:00 • 2568 views