Today is the Day of Dignity and Freedom
21 November 2024 08:12
Today, on November 21, Ukrainians celebrate a national holiday – the Day of Dignity and Freedom. This day honors the participants of two Ukrainian democratic revolutions: The Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
How the Day of Dignity and Freedom came about
The holiday was established in honor of the two revolutions that took place in Ukraine in 2004 and 2013. On this day, Ukrainians honor the memory of people who stood up for democratic values, human rights and freedoms, national interests and the country’s European choice during the Revolution of Dignity and the Orange Revolution.
However, while the Orange Revolution was won without loss of life, Ukraine paid for the victory in the Revolution of Dignity with the lives of 106 participants, and more than 2,000 were wounded.
The history of the Day of Dignity and Freedom dates back to 2005. Then President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko established the Freedom Day on November 22 in honor of the Orange Revolution.
This holiday existed for several years and was abolished by fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych in 2011. He also abolished the decree of the second president, Leonid Kuchma, of January 21, 1999, “On the Day of Unity.” At that time, Yanukovych’s decree established the so-called Day of Unity and Freedom, which was celebrated on January 22. It arose as a result of changing the date of the Freedom Day celebration from November 22 to January 22, the date of the Unity Day celebration.
Subsequently, the holiday was restored on November 13, 2014. By his decree, the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko abolished the previous decree of Viktor Yanukovych, which combined Freedom Day and Unity Day, and restored the celebration of the Day of Unity of Ukraine separately, on January 22.
He introduced a new holiday, the Day of Dignity and Freedom, on November 21.
How the Day of Dignity and Freedom is celebrated
The Day of Dignity and Freedom has the status of a public holiday, but it is not an official day off.
On this day, flowers are brought to the monuments to the fallen participants of the Revolution of Dignity in memory of the Heavenly Hundred.
The Day of Remembrance of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes is celebrated annually on February 20, according to a decree issued by former President Petro Poroshenko. On this day, most of the Euromaidan activists were killed. In total, the revolutionary events of the winter of 2013-2014 claimed the lives of more than a hundred participants in the Revolution of Dignity.
