{"id":7525,"date":"2020-04-29T23:35:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T23:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mircorp.com\/?p=7525"},"modified":"2022-03-25T19:45:45","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T19:45:45","slug":"why-is-the-sunflower-the-national-flower-of-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/why-is-the-sunflower-the-national-flower-of-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the Sunflower the National Flower of Ukraine?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-xd-layout \n  container\n XD-mt--sm XD-mb--sm\n undefined\n XD-h-100--sm XD-h-100--md XD-h-100--lg XD-h-100--xl\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-color:\" uk-scrollspy=\"\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\" col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-6 col-xl-6 offset-sm-0 offset-md-2 offset-lg-3 offset-xl-3\">\n<p><em>Thanks to the director of our affiliated&nbsp;<a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a>&nbsp;office,&nbsp;Luba Rudenko, for inspiring us to share the story of&nbsp;Ukraine\u2019s sunflowers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2610-720.jpg\" alt=\"Director of MIR\u2019s affiliate office in Ukraine, Luba Rudenko, soaking up the sunflowers\" class=\"wp-image-7531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2610-720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2610-720-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2610-720-150x120.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2610-720-600x482.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption>Director of MIR\u2019s affiliate office in Ukraine, Luba Rudenko, soaking up the sunflowers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukrainians&nbsp;have always loved flowers. Flowers fill the yards of village houses, and are woven into wreaths (<em>venki<\/em>) for girls to wear at celebrations. They\u2019re embroidered on fabrics and painted on walls, wooden furniture, and household items in a folk art called&nbsp;<em>petrykivka,<\/em>&nbsp;added to&nbsp;<strong>UNESCO\u2019s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-xd-layout \n  container\n XD-mt--sm XD-mb--sm\n undefined\n XD-h-100--sm XD-h-100--md XD-h-100--lg XD-h-100--xl\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-color:\" uk-scrollspy=\"\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\" col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-6 col-xl-6 offset-sm-0 offset-md-2 offset-lg-3 offset-xl-3\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunflower Love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunflowers (<em>sunyashniki<\/em>) are especially loved in&nbsp;<a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a>, where golden fields of them face the sunrise in the east.&nbsp;<strong>They are Ukraine\u2019s national flower, and in folk imagery represent the warmth and power of the sun, which was worshipped by pre-Christian Slavs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"758\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1355-700.jpg\" alt=\"A wreath (venki) woven from sunflowers. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko\" class=\"wp-image-7530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1355-700.jpg 758w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1355-700-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1355-700-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1355-700-600x460.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><figcaption>A wreath (venki) woven from sunflowers. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a strange twist, the fact that <a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a> is one of the world\u2019s largest producers and exporters of sunflower seeds and sunflower oil is partly due not to pagan practices, but to those of the Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-xd-layout \n  container\n XD-mt--sm XD-mb--sm\n undefined\n XD-h-100--sm XD-h-100--md XD-h-100--lg XD-h-100--xl\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-color:\" uk-scrollspy=\"\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\" col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-6 col-xl-6 offset-sm-0 offset-md-2 offset-lg-3 offset-xl-3\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunflower Backstory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sunflowers made their way to Ukraine through the efforts of the early explorers of North America, where it was one of only a few native food crops (along with squash, blueberries and pecans).<\/strong>&nbsp;Seeds were brought back to the old world, and found to grow well in hot, dry places with rich soil, such as the \u201cBlack Earth\u201d regions of <a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"587\" src=\"https:\/\/mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800.jpg\" alt=\"Cheerful sunflowers dot the landscape in Ukraine. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko\" class=\"wp-image-7533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800-768x564.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800-150x110.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2632-800-600x440.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Cheerful sunflowers dot the landscape in Ukraine. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Orthodox Church comes into the story because during Lent, believers were not supposed to use butter or lard for cooking. Since sunflower oil was a fairly recent arrival, there were no specific restrictions on its use.&nbsp;Sunflower culture took off. By the 1800s, there were big fields of them all over Ukraine and western parts of&nbsp;Russia, and people were chewing the seeds and spitting out the shells.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-xd-layout \n  container\n XD-mt--sm XD-mb--sm\n undefined\n XD-h-100--sm XD-h-100--md XD-h-100--lg XD-h-100--xl\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-color:\" uk-scrollspy=\"\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\" col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-6 col-xl-6 offset-sm-0 offset-md-2 offset-lg-3 offset-xl-3\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunflower Snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Later, Soviet plant breeders developed a line of sunflowers that produces much more oil, and oil of a type that doesn\u2019t go bad when it\u2019s heated to a high temperature. In the 1990s, when the world began to turn away from trans-fats,&nbsp;the new sunflower oil quickly became popular\u2013 especially for frying potato chips \u2013 and even more fields were planted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800.jpg\" alt=\"Fuzzy \u201cTeddy Bear\u201d sunflowers aren\u2019t grown for their seeds. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko\" class=\"wp-image-7532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2631-800-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Fuzzy \u201cTeddy Bear\u201d sunflowers aren\u2019t grown for their seeds. Photo credit: Luba Rudenko<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Today&nbsp;this versatile crop covers huge swathes of central <a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a>, bringing joy, beauty, symbolism, and snacks to the people of Ukraine<\/strong> \u2013 and the world \u2013 by way of the ever-powerful energy of the sun.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignwide is-light\" style=\"min-height:250px\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"has-background-dim-40 wp-block-cover__gradient-background has-background-dim\"><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"250\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-7538\" src=\"https:\/\/mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-300x39.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-1024x133.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-768x100.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-1536x200.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-150x20.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-600x78.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2635-800-Luba-Rudenko-250-1600x208.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><strong>Travel to Ukraine with MIR<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-xd-layout \n  container\n XD-mt--sm XD-mb--sm\n undefined\n XD-h-100--sm XD-h-100--md XD-h-100--lg XD-h-100--xl\" style=\"background-size:cover;background-color:\" uk-scrollspy=\"\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\" col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-6 col-xl-6 offset-sm-0 offset-md-2 offset-lg-3 offset-xl-3\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MIR has 30 years of travel experience in\u00a0<a href=\"\/country\/ukraine\/\">Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0and has an affiliate office in Kyiv.<\/strong>\u00a0We have a roster of contacts that can take you to places that you didn\u2019t even know you wanted to go. Our\u00a0full\u00a0service, dedication, commitment to quality, and destination expertise have\u00a0twice\u00a0earned us\u00a0a place on\u00a0<em>National Geographic Adventure\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>list of \u201cBest Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can experience the beauty and rich folk traditions of Ukraine on MIR\u2019s small group tour,\u00a0<a href=\"\/trip\/belarus-ukraine-moldova\/\"><strong>Belarus, Ukraine &amp; Moldova<\/strong>,<\/a> or on the private itinerary\u00a0<a href=\"\/trip\/essential-ukraine\/\"><strong>Essential Ukraine<\/strong>.<\/a> \u00a0You can also\u00a0<strong><a href=\"\/trip\/design-your-own-trip-to-ukraine\/\">create your own Ukrainian exploration<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0with the help of our custom &amp; private specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Update: Feb 2022<\/em><\/strong><em>: Trips to Russia, Belarus and to Ukraine have been canceled for 2022. We will continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/on-ukraine-and-prayers-for-peace\/\">pray for peace<\/a> and to support organizations providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including the following\u2013we hope you will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/mir-stands-with-ukraine\/\">join us<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/help.rescue.org\/donate\/ukraine-acq?ms=ws_resq_top_nav_btn_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb_n6568&amp;initialms=ws_resq_top_nav_btn_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb_n6568\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Rescue Committee<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.icrc.org\/en\/donate\/ukraine-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The International Committee of the Red Cross<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/support.savethechildren.org\/site\/Donation2?df_id=5751&amp;mfc_pref=T&amp;5751.donation=form1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Save the Children<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrefugees.org\/what-we-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The UN Refugee Agency<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/wck.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Central Kitchen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.directrelief.org\/emergency\/ukraine-crisis\/\">Direct Relief<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercycorps.org\/\">Mercy Corps<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.wfpusa.org\/donate\/ukraineconflict-web?ms=UkraineConflict_WEB_LBX\">United Nations World Food Program<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doctorswithoutborders.org\/\">Doctors without Borders<\/a> are just a few of the organizations doing essential work in this time of great need.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunflowers (sunyashniki) are especially loved in Ukraine, where golden fields of them face the sunrise in the east. They are Ukraine\u2019s national flower, and in folk imagery represent the warmth and power of the sun, which was worshipped by pre-Christian Slavs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[224,449,450,242,451,413,56],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why is the Sunflower the National Flower of Ukraine?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sunflowers (sunyashniki) are especially loved in Ukraine. 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