Vyshyvanka

0.00 - Mila The story of the Ukrainian vyshyvanka goes back years…it’s an ancient tradition. Vyshyvanka has lots of different patterns and we believe that they’re like a talisman that protect us and bring us luck. I’ve got several vyshyvankas in different colours, but this one, this vyshyvanka is my favourite. Viburnum is shown here. The Viburnum plant is one of Ukraine’s national symbols. The black colour symbolises suffering and pain, and red is happiness, love and joy. 0.37 - Valerii Embroidered into the Vyshyvanka are symbols of Ukrainian culture… secret symbols that can be hard to spot. I’ll give you an example, children are given an embroidered shirt at birth to protect them from evil spirits. Even the child’s name is stitched in code in the vyshyvanka. The vyshyvanka, especially a man’s one, carries a symbol of love because this vyshyvanka is made for him by his bride-to-be. They have beautiful, intricate patterns and they can take anything from 2-3 months to a whole year to make. 1.23 - Mila Yes, yes… When i was a child, we all did needlework and the vyshyvanka was embroidered as a gift to the groom. It was a strong tradition. 1.39 - Valerii That was the case with Mila. She embroidered my vyshyvanka at home in secret in the evenings. When I came to call, she’d hide the work and didn’t let me see it until the night before our wedding. When she gave it to me, It was a wonderful surprise. 2.05 - Mila Surprise! 2.09 - Valerii Of course, now it is much too small for me because my stomach is too fat! I can't fit in it! But, as a symbol of our love, I’ve kept it. It’s still in our home. 2.21 - Valerii You see, Mila and I, we’re wearing our vyshyvankas today. Mila gave me this vyshyvanka and she chose it because of the symbols on it. Mila sees in me the power of the sun and love, which give life to everything. 2.43 - Mila Our family has 4 grandsons, 2 granddaughters, and 2 great great sons...one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight … this is the symbol of embroidery. 3.04 - Mila I was born and raised in the city of Donetsk, where they did not wear vyshyvankas much during that time. But over time, as we got older, we felt that these were symbols of Ukraine. When we got married, for us vyshyvanka was really a huge symbol of pride in the country where we were born. 3.37 - Valerii One of the earliest memories from my childhood was my father singing his favourite song. It is called “Ridna maty moya” (or “Dearest mother of mine”). Dearest Mother of Mine, you had many sleepless nights You led me to the fields next to the village And on my long journey, you saw me off at dawn And gave me an embroidered cloth for luck. 4.08 - Mila I think it is an honour. When you put it on, and you pull your shoulders back and you feel proud. You feel that you are Ukrainian, and you feel very happy. 4.22 - Valerii In this way the vyshyvanka is like a missionary - flying the flag for Ukraine. 4.28 - Mila I don’t think it matters whether it is hand-stitched or machine-stitched, it’s still a symbol for us. 4.37 - Valerii Especially now, during the war. Because Ukrainian culture and identity have experienced so many ups and downs. Our ancestors believed that every stitch and pattern embroidered on our clothes would protect the wearer, and we believe it! The vyshyvanka protects. The pattern and the stitches protect us. And it’s also fashionable. It's stylish and not just for Ukrainians, but also of the whole world. Vyshyvanka is now trendy.