The sunflower was named the national flower of Ukraine due to the love that the Ukrainian people have for it. You will often see yards filled with these flowers or see them woven into wreaths that are worn during celebrations. Sunflowers can also be seen on embroidered fabrics, walls, furniture and much more.
The national flower of Ukraine represents warmth and power, and traditionally it was worshipped by pre-Christian Slavs. You may also not be aware of the fact that Ukraine is among the world’s largest producers of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil. But the sunflower is not native to the country as it was brought over by explorers of Native America.
When you consider the fact that Russian is split between Europe and Asia, you can’t really call it the largest European country. With that said, the largest country in Europe that is solely European is Ukraine. It is the largest in terms of area, measuring a total of 603.55 square kilometers.
However, this does not mean that Ukraine has the largest population in Europe. The country’s population is around 43 million, and less now of course due to people leaving the country. Its population is smaller than both France and Germany. In terms of population, it is only the eighth-most populated country.
Ukraine is home to numerous ghost towns and much of this has to do with the fact that it is the site of the Chernobyl Disaster. The disaster claimed the lives of around 100 people that could be directly attributed to the incident but involved 500,000 personnel and cost the USSR 18 billion Soviet rubles.
Within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are numerous abandoned towns including Pripyat which has been a place of interest for many all over the world. You can even tour the area, as well as the power plant. You can tour these things of course at your own risk. Additionally, you can check out the Ivankivs'kyi district in Ukraine.
The “Tunnel of Love” is one of the most breathtaking sights in Ukraine. It’s a semi-abandoned railway in Klaven, North-Western Ukraine. And rather than being the manmade construction you typically think of as a tunnel, this “Tunnel of Love” is a naturally formed tunnel made up of green arches of trees and other foliage.
The area serves as a romantic destination for many couples. It is about three to four kilometers in length, making for a great romantic walk for locals and travelers. And legend says that couples who visit the area will be granted wishes. Its certainly something worth seeing in the future – once things are back to normal that is.
As of 2017, the Ukrainians have been celebrating two Christmases. Ukrainian members of parliament voted to make Catholic Christmas a national holiday. Already Orthodox Christmas was a national holiday that occurs on January 7th. The Catholic Christmas occurs, of course, on December 25th.
One unique Christmas tradition for Ukrainians involves adding a spider and web ornament to their Christmas tree. The tradition is based on a folktale in which an old woman, who could not afford to decorate her tree, woke up to find that spiders had decorated the tree with webbing. The tradition of the spider ornament is said to bring good luck.
