Happy Vyshyvanka Day to everyone!

There are things that cannot be explained in words alone. They can only be felt with the heart. For Ukrainians, the vyshyvanka is exactly that.

It is not just a beautiful shirt. Not just traditional clothing. Not just an ornament or an embroidered pattern. The vyshyvanka is our memory. Our history. Our connection with our ancestors. Our home that we carry with us wherever we are.

In every stitch there are someone’s hands. In every ornament – someone’s life. In every colour – symbols of love, strength, faith and resilience.

Mothers once embroidered shirts for their children as a protective charm. They put into them prayers. Hope. Warmth. Love. Faith in a happy fate.

Vyshyvankas were passed down from generation to generation and kept as the greatest family treasure. Because it was never just about clothing. It was about family. About roots. About who we are.

The Ukrainian vyshyvanka is rightly called “the code of the nation”. In different regions of Ukraine it has its own colours, symbols and features. Somewhere it is restrained and gentle. Somewhere bright and multicoloured. Somewhere it is the deep black Borshchiv embroidery that has become a symbol of memory and strength. And somewhere it is the almost weightless “white on white” embroidery in which light intertwines with silence.

But they all speak of one thing:

we are Ukrainians. Today, in a time of great war, the vyshyvanka has gained an even deeper meaning. It has become a symbol of indomitability. A symbol of struggle. A symbol that we cannot be erased, broken or forced to forget who we are.

Today our soldiers wear vyshyvankas. Ukrainians all over the world wear them. Children are born in vyshyvankas. People come out in support of Ukraine wearing vyshyvankas.

That is why today is not just a holiday. It is a day of our unity. Our memory. Our strength.

And as long as we remember our culture, our language and our traditions, we cannot be defeated.

Let us wear vyshyvankas with pride. Let us speak Ukrainian. Let us pass our culture on to our children. Let us cherish what is ours. Because the vyshyvanka is not the past. It is a living Ukraine. That was. Is. And will be.

Our festival “Vyshyvanka unites — Rahvustikand ühendab” smART fest 2026 is dedicated to Vyshyvanka Day, and we warmly invite each of you!

Put on your vyshyvanka – and hurry to the festival!

And if you don’t have your own vyshyvanka yet, don’t worry!

Our fair will have several stalls with vyshyvankas for every taste and budget.

24.05.2026
Kultuurikatel, Tallinn
Tickets are already on sale: https://fienta.com/.../vyshyvanka-unites-rahvustikand..

Happy Vyshyvanka Day, Ukrainians!

The project is implemented by drUzi.ee Ukraina meedia Druzi and the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia with the support of the City of Tallinn, the Integration Foundation and the Ministry of Culture.