10 березня – День Державного гімну України: 10 цікавих фактів
In the autumn of 1862, Ukrainian poet Pavlo Chubynsky wrote the lyrics to the song "Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished." According to one popular version, he was inspired to write the poem after hearing a Serbian patriotic song.
The official text of the Ukrainian national anthem is one of the shortest in the world. The approved version consists of only six lines. By comparison, the Greek anthem consists of 158 verses.
The musical version of the song was first performed in 1865 in Przemyśl during the celebrations of the anniversary of Taras Shevchenko's death. The music for the text was written by composer and Greek Catholic priest Mykhailo Verbytsky.
The first recording of the song "Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished" was made in October 1910 in Cologne at the Gramophon studio. It was performed by Ukrainian opera singer Modest Mentsinsky.
During the existence of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic, this song served as a national symbol of independence.
During the Soviet era, the song was banned because it was considered nationalistic. A notable moment was the public performance of the anthem in 1989 at the Chervona Ruta festival in Chernivtsi. It was performed by Vasyl Zhdanin, Viktor Morozov and Eduard Drach.
The beginning of the Ukrainian anthem is similar to the Polish one. The Ukrainian text begins with the words "Ukraine has not yet died, nor has its glory and freedom," and the Polish anthem begins with "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" (Poland has not yet perished). The similarity is attributed to the historical circumstances of the peoples' struggle for independence.
The Ukrainian national anthem is often played at international sporting events. During the Euro 2020 European Football Championship, Ukrainian footballers' performance of the anthem became popular online. At the 2016 Olympic Games, gymnast Hanna Rizatdinova performed the anthem on the podium, which also attracted considerable attention.
During the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014, the Ukrainian anthem was regularly performed by protesters on Independence Square. It became a symbol of unity and civil resistance.
Ukrainian musicians also created various modern interpretations of the anthem. It was performed by the bands Kozak System, O.Torvald, TNMK and other groups. During Euro 2012, the Ukrainian anthem was also performed by the British rock band Queen and guitarist Brian May.
In 2003, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially approved the text of the first verse and chorus of the anthem. At that time, the first line was changed: instead of "Ukraine has not yet died, neither glory nor freedom," the version "Ukraine has not yet died, neither glory nor freedom" was approved.
