The Secret History Behind Ukraine's Flag
Ukraine's blue and yellow have a history much older than the country's modern borders.
Blue and gold go back centuries, to the arms of the city of Lviv, a golden lion on a blue field. In 1848, the Supreme Ruthenian Council in Lviv declared that the colors of the Ruthenian land were yellow and blue, and on June 25, 1848 two blue-and-yellow banners were hung on the building: the first documented use of the flag as it looks today.
The colors are commonly read as a blue sky over a field of golden wheat. After independence in 1991 the flag was restored as the national flag, and it is written into the Constitution as two equal horizontal bands.
Ukraine celebrates its National Flag Day on August 23, the day before Independence Day.
The date printed on every Ukraine design in our catalog, August 24, 1991, is the day of the declaration of independence.
A lion on a blue field became a sky over a wheat field.
Looking for a gift with a story? See our heritage gift guide, or read the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Stories page.