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Andriy Danylko: “We are laughing and singing just as other people»

The second place of Andriy Danylko, or, more precisely, of his character Verka Serdiuchka, at the Eurovision-2007 song contest surprised both the admirers as well as the critics of the artist. In fact, «those, who are second, have an undeniable right to be the first», – Jonathan Swift once said. Meanwhile, such a was quite unexpected, because even loyal critics marked that success of Serdiuchka is a phenomenon exclusively related to the post-Soviet space. Yet, at the end of the day, the satire and humor of Danylko proved to be international.

 
Holidays as long as centuries

Ukrainians used to have quite a lot of enchanting feasts, several for each season that could be traced to nation’s earliest times. Some of them have preserved till to-date.

 
Packing a Patriotic Punch

Role Models Taking on the World Ukraine’s troubled history of foreign domination and colonization has led to the nation honoring heroic figures and role models that give it a sense of Ukrainian identity that links the past with the present. The emerging post-Independence generation gains in self-confidence and identity awareness young Ukrainians have a whole host of impressive modern-day icons to draw on. Together they are helping to foster a new, Ukrainian national identity for the 21-st century.

 
Political Parties and Movements

The system of political parties and movements in Ukraine began developing on the threshold of independence gained in 1991 to become an important component of the country’s transition to democracy.

Adopted on June 28, 1996, the Constitution of Ukraine emphasizes that social life in Ukraine rests on the principles of political, economic, and ideological diversity. No ideology can be recognized by the state as mandatory. Citizens of Ukraine enjoy freedom of association and are free to unite in political parties and non-governmental organizations to exercise and protect their rights and freedoms, and satisfy their political, economic, social, cultural, and other interests.

 
Ukrainian communication style

Ukrainian society has its specific features and standards of conduct that you may find unusual. Some of them are inspired by traditions, while others are a result of fanciful historical development. We would like to tell you about the habits and customs of Ukrainians that you may find odd.

 
Ukrainian Cultural Revolution

Ukraine is a land that has given the world many people of outstanding personality who have distinguished themselves in various fields of science and technology, culture and art. However, due to the thorny historical path of Ukraine, which for centuries was under the rule of other countries and empires, those people’s names were often kept secret or associated with other countries in which they became famous.

 
Environmental protection movement

In Ukraine, special attention has always been paid to environmental protection issues. During the times of the USSR, the most powerful organization was the Ukrainian Union for Protection of the Environment (UUPE), as well as the voluntary Brigades for Protection of the Environment. Thanks to those very organizations, the environmental protection movement of modern Ukraine received reliable human resources.

 
Ukraine is not Russia

You could say that during the Soviet period Ukraine was second only to Russia in its importance as a constituent member of the USSR. This has led to many looking at Ukraine as a 'small Russia' and expecting that post-Soviet Ukraine would follow the same path as that taken by post-Soviet Russia.

 
Feminine disposition of the Ukrainian character

 

A steel Lady standing on the green hills of the Dnipro River competes with the golden domes of the Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra (Caves Monastery). She is ready to protect her city any time, a sword in one hand, and a shield in another. Her face is resolute. A newly arrived in Kyiv will find her like this, a 60-meter of height, somewhat pompous figure of the Mother-Homeland.

 
The Lyrical Ukrainian Language

 

Language has historically been one of the key indicators of a nation’s sovereignty. For over four centuries the Ukrainian language has been subject to outright bans and propaganda campaigns designed to relegate it to the level of mere dialect. That has all changed since independence, with government policy focusing on support for Ukrainian as the sole state language.