Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna signed the nomination dossier titled “Vyshyvanka in Ukraine: A Socio-Cultural Tradition.” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and the country’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO then submitted the dossier for consideration by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, seeking inclusion of the element on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“The tradition of the vyshyvanka is one of the most widespread and vibrant forms of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage. It unites people regardless of age, gender or social status, preserves cultural continuity and is passed down from generation to generation — within families, educational institutions, workshops, festivals and community initiatives. Today, the vyshyvanka is an important part of our lives. That is why it is so important for the world to know that it is ours and why it matters so much to us,” Berezhna said.
The ministry thanked communities, practitioners of the tradition, civic organizations, experts and scholars, state institutions, regional folk art centers, cultural and educational institutions that promote and study Ukrainian embroidery and contributed to the preparation of the dossier. Thanks to their work, the Ukrainian vyshyvanka may become part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
Vyshyvanka Day in Ukraine and abroad
Every year, World Vyshyvanka Day is celebrated on the third Thursday of May. The first celebration took place in the city of Chernivtsi in 2006, when Lesia Voroniuk, a student at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, suggested that classmates and teachers come to classes wearing embroidered shirts. The idea was widely embraced, and the tradition later spread to other cities across Ukraine.
The third Thursday of May was deliberately chosen so people would wear vyshyvankas on an ordinary working day rather than during a state or religious holiday.
Over the years, the celebration expanded beyond Ukraine. Vyshyvanka Day is now marked in more than 100 countries worldwide, with flash mobs, fairs and various cultural events held to commemorate the occasion.