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The history of Ukraine's national anthem

"Ukraine is not yet dead", the first line of a patriotic poem written by Pavlo Chubynsky in 1862, the prose, later to accompany a musical score written a year later by Mykhailo Verbytsky, a Ukrainian composer and Catholic priest, denotes the cultural mix of hope and desperation felt by Ukrainians through the centuries to rule their own land. Widely sung as a hymn originally, both the melody and lyrics share similarities with Polish, Serbian, and Israeli anthems. Formally adopted as the national anthem of the briefly independent Ukrainian National Republic after Russia's Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Ukraine's national anthem became a source of controversy in 1991 when the country's second, but permanent, independence declaration was secured.

Ukrainian wedding rituals bind centuries together

Once upon a time, a woman rejected a suitor's marriage proposal by returning the gift of bread he brought with him or by presenting the marriage seeker with a pumpkin. While rejections may have changed over the centuries, many Ukrainian wedding customs are still preserved today. Embroidering the rich origins of Eastern Rite Christianity with ancient pagan rites, the Ukrainian rite of marriage is steeped in mystery.

Ukraine: Fountain of Tears weeps through the ages

Grief is the price paid for love. Marking a loss can take years especially when the loss is not only the inevitability of death but an unrequited love. In the case of the Crimean Khan that ruled the region between 1758 and 1764, a Fountain of Tears marks the passage of his ancient journey through the common experience of grief in the Crimean city of Bakhchysaray.

Taras Shevchenko: Poet, painter, and Ukraine's Greatest Hero

Years after his death in 1861, Ukraine's celebrated writer, painter, and national hero, Taras Shevchenko, continues to stir the country's consciousness with his fiery passion for "this land of ours that is not ours". Born into a serf family and orphaned as a teenager, Shevchenko spent much of his early life as an indentured servant until a master discovered his artistic talent. Apprenticed to a painter in St. Petersburg, Shevchenko's paintings caught the eye of others and admirers raised 2,500 rubles to purchase the young man's freedom. As a painter, Shevchenko gained attention for his portraiture and landscape yet, it was his portrayal of historical events that spoke to Ukraine's subservience to Tsarist Russia that brought the most notoriety.

Fun Facts: History of Beekeeping - Ukraine

Wine may be the "nectar of the Gods" for some, but in Ukraine, honey is the essential ambrosia for both its sweetening taste and medicinal properties. Propolis, a sticky substance that bees collect from tree buds and barks, is commonly sold in pharmacies for the treatment of sores and stomach ulcers and many swear by the curative properties of bee venom to alleviate rheumatism. Indeed, annual exports of over 15,000 tons of honey manufactured from 3 million beehives place Ukraine behind only China, Argentina, and the United States in honey production.

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