World Vyshyvanka Day celebrates their European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in Chernivtsi, Ukraine
On the afternoon of 7 October 2023, in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, a ceremony in situ took place to celebrate the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2022 awarded to World Vyshyvanka Day. Some 200 guests, including the general public, heritage professionals and local representatives, assembled in the courtyard of the City Hall of Chernivtsi to pay tribute to the award winner.
World Vyshyvanka Day is an international holiday dedicated to preserving the iconic Ukrainian embroidered shirt (known as “vyshyvanka”) as a symbol of the material and spiritual heritage of the Ukrainian people. The initiative was also chosen by voters from across the world as winner of the Public Choice Award 2022.
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, Secretary-General of Europa Nostra, connected to the ceremony remotely from The Netherlands. In her address, she stated: “World Vyshyvanka Day is a powerful example of just how effective civil society can be – from a small group of students, you have embarked on a worldwide movement to celebrate intangible heritage and to make good use of this heritage to promote togetherness”.
“Indeed, you have so fittingly invited people to take active part in this celebration of cultural heritage, and not just to be passive observers. This is an essential part of keeping this heritage alive, not just something to be preserved and admired from a distance, but to be cherished proudly as part of our daily lives”, continued the Secretary-General of Europa Nostra.
Lesia Voroniuk, Head of the NGO “World Vyshyvanka Day”, said that this is just the beginning of cooperation, ahead are large joint projects designed to widely present Ukrainian culture abroad and advocate the Ukrainian cultural environment on international platforms.
The ceremony also marked the occasion of the City of Chernivtsi joining Europa Nostra as an Associate Member of the organisation, the first city in Ukraine to do so.
Speaking at the event, Natalia Moussienko, Vice-President of Europa Nostra, stated that this cooperation will significantly expand the scope of opportunities for the implementation of projects in the field of cultural heritage.
The Mayor of Chernivtsi, Roman Klichuk, emphasised that the city is always open to new partnerships and is proud that World Vyshyvanka Day, which is celebrated in more than 100 countries, was founded in Chernivtsi.
Following the event, the bronze award plaque was unveiled at the Vyshyvanka Museum, which is currently in development.
