Text 4. The national symbols of Ukraine

The National Flag

The Ukrainian Constitution states that the National symbols of the country are the National Flag, the National Emblem and the National Anthem. They were adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in 1992. The Ukrainian flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width. The top is blue and the bottom is yellow. These are the colours of the sky, the mountains, the rivers and the golden fields of our beautiful country. Blue and yellow (or gold) were symbols of Kyivan Rus long before the introduction of Christianity. These colours can be found on the ancient emblems of the cities of Myrhorod, Lubny, Pryluky and some others. In the seventeenth century the banners of the Cossacks were blue with gold stars or with pictures of saints embroidered in gold.

The National Emblem (coat of arms)

Similar to other European nations, the National Emblems of Ukraine have changed during the millennium of Ukrainian history owing to various political, social, cultural and other factors. The contemporary national coat of arms of Ukraine is a trident. The first image of a trident appeared in the ninth century A.D. when Ihor, Prince of Kyivan Rus sent ambassadors to sign a treaty with the Byzantine Emperor and they sealed the document with a trident. As the official emblem of Kyivan princes the trident was stamped on the gold and silver coins and seals of Volodymir the Great (979 - 1015), the Grand Prince of Kyiv; you can also see it on frescoes and porcelain dishes of that time. The trident left to Volodymir the Great by his ancestors became a hereditary preheraldic badge of all his descendants and rulers of the Kyivan Rus. Tridents continued to be used as additional dynastic badges until the 15th century, though the image of Saint Michael the Archangel was the highest national symbol in the 12th century.

The secrets of the origin and meaning of the Ukrainian trident have still not been completely solved by scholars. The archaeological finds of tridents in Ukraine go back to the first century A.D. Undoubtedly this emblem was a mark of authority and a mystic symbol of one or several of the ethnic groups which inhabited ancient Ukrainian territory and which came to compose the Ukrainian nation. It is thought that the trident represented the division of the world into three spheres: the earthly, the celestial and the spiri­tual - as well as the union of the three natural elements: air, water and earth.

In 1918 the trident was adopted as the national symbol of independent Ukraine. The Soviet Ukraine replaced it with its own coat of arms - a crossed hammer and sickle on a red shield with a red star above it and the rising sun in the base. Sovereign Ukraine adopted the trident as its emblem again in 1992.

The National Anthem of Ukraine

The Anthem of Ukraine «Shche ne vmerla Ukraina» («Ukraine Has Not Perished Yet») is of quite recent origin. In 1863 the Lviv journal «Meta» («The Goal») published the poem of the scientist and poet Pavlo Chubynsky which was later mistakenly ascribed to Taras Shevchenko. In the same year it was set to music by the Galician composer Mykhaylo Verbytsky, first for solo and later for choral performance. As a result of its catchy melody and patriotic lyrics, the song quickly acquired popularity. In 1865 it was sung at the conclusion of the program at the great Shevchenko celebration in Peremyshl. In 1917 the song was officially adopted as the anthem of the Ukrainian state.

The Soviet Ukraine had no anthem of its own until 1949. Instead “The Internationale” and later «The Hymn of the USSR» were used. In November 1949 an Anthem of the Ukrainian Republic «Zhyvy, Ukraino» («Live, O Ukraine») was adopted. When Ukraine gained its sovereignty, «Ukraine has not yet perished» became the state anthem again.

you have probably been to some of the big cities of Ukraine or heard and read about them. Test your knowledge about some facts from the history and everyday life of these cities. Choose the right completion for the following statements.

1. In 2004 Kharkiv is going to celebrate ______________ anniversary of its foundation.

a) 450 th; c) 345 th;

b) 350 th; d) 445 th.

2. Kharkiv was the first capital of Ukraine from________ to_________.

a) 1918-1934; c) 1917-1934;

b) 1917-1935; d) 1918-1935.

3. Kharkiv Collegium which was opened in 1726 could be attended

a) only by noble girls; c) both by noble girls and boys;

b) only by noble boys; d) both by noble and poor boys.

4. Poltava is

a) older than Kharkiv. c) as old as Kharkiv.

b) younger than Kharkiv. d) older than Kyiv.

5. The Poltava Battle of 1709 was won

a) by the Swedish army. c) by the Ukrainian army.

b) by the Russian army. d) by the Ukrainian and Swedish armies.

6. Odesa was founded as

a) a water spa. c) a fishermen village

b) a holiday centre. d) a port.

7. The first university in Ukraine was opened in

a) Kyiv. c) Odesa.

b) Kharkiv. d) Lviv.

8. Lviv was named after

a) the river it stands on. c) the patron saint of the city.

b) its founder. d) the founder's relative.

9. Lviv is situated

a) in the Carpathian Mountains. c) to the north of the Carpathian Mountains.

b) to the south of the Carpathian Mountains. d) to the west of the Carpathian Mountains.

10. The growth of the provincial town of Katerynoslav (the old name of Dnipropetrovsk) was speeded up by the building of

a) the Greek monastery. c) the railway line.

b) Potyomkin Palace. d) the Petrovska Rospis Factory

11. The reason for the founding of Donetsk was that it happened to be situated

a) at a favourable geographic location. c) at the confluence of several rivers.

b) at the intersection of trade routes. d) close to coal deposits.

12. Sumy was founded as a

a) trade settlement. c) military fortification.

b) market centre. d) mining village.

Match the following English words and expressions with their Russian/Ukrainian equivalents.

Part I
1) trenches 2) siege 3) suburban areas 4) distinctions 5) landmarks 6) swamps 7) industrial enterprises 8) consumer goods 9) military fortifications 10) harbour 11) food supply 12) slavery 13) landowners 14) taxation 15) tributary	a) пам'ятки b) болота c) рабство d) запас продуктів e) оподаткування f) військові укріплення g) притока h) облога i) приміські райони, передмістя j) відмінності к) поміщики 1)споживчі товари m) промислові підприємства n) гавань о) окопи
Part II
16) to commute 17) to make a living 18) to witness 19) to produce 20) to trade 21) to pull down 22) to date back 23) to destroy 24) to blow up 25) to erect 26) to invade	р) споруджувати q) руйнувати г) відноситися до якогось часу в минулому s) вторгаться, захоплювати t) виробляти, створювати u) підривати, висаджувати в повітря v) бути свідком w) заробляти на життя х) їздити з передмістя на роботу до міста у) торгувати z) зносити

Try to guess the meaning of the following English words by their definitions.

1) a moat 2) cornerstone 3) a brewery 4) pottery 5) urban dwellers 6) a boundary 7) ammunition 8) printing house 9) voivode 10) underground passage 11) confluence 12) consumer goods 13) custodians 14) blacksmith

a) a shop where clay pots and dishes are made b) a shop where books are published c) a border of a town or a country d) a deep ditch full of water used for protecting a fortress e) everything that can be used to shoot from guns f) things that people need very day g) long corridors under the ground leading from and to a fortress h) a place where beer is made i) guards who are in charge of a building, e.g. a castle j) the first foundation stone of a building k) a persons who makes things from iron 1) an old name for an army commander m) people who live in the cities n) a place where several rivers come close together