While it is not much of a deal to wear vyshyvanka (Ukrainian traditional embroidered shirt) for the eponymous parade in Kyiv, real heroism is needed to wear national clothes in Ukraine’s peninsula Crimea occupied by Russia since March 16.
High school graduates of Ukrainian language class in Sevastopol gymnasium number five named after Lesya Ukrainka (famous Ukrainian poet) came to the last day of school celebration wearing Ukrainian traditional embroidered clothes.
The idea to wear national clothes in protest to Russian invasion of their homeland was initiated by their teacher and supported by school deputy director. Both of them also wore vyshyvanka for the celebration.
However wearing vyshyvanka for the celebration became a protest only lately. Mother of one of the students Elena Latash says they decided to wear vyshyvankas for the last bell a year ago, “After March and April events we thought we won’t be able to do that.” she said. “Children were scared and depressed. School principal was trying to convince us to change our minds almost till the last moment.”
The woman uploaded the photos of the children wearing national costumes on Facebook and wrote. “Sevastopol, Last Bell celebration in Lesya Ukrainka Gymnasium number five. Our children were the cutest!”
Her post was shared over two thousand times and attracted the attention of both Ukraine and Russia supporters.
While pro-Russian users were claiming the initiative was prepaid and “these kids have no future”, supporters of united Ukraine from all over the country have been calling young people heroes and suggesting help with relocation or passing final exams in other regions.
“Thank you guys! Many thanks to you and your teachers! Odessa is proud of you,” Facebook user Elena Diulger wrote under Latash’s post.
Latash says her daughter will try to enter Lviv, Chernivtsi or Odessa medical university and will leave Crimea soon. “She will leave but we will stay,” Latash says, assuring there are a lot of great and patriotic people in Crimea. “Whatever happens we should not leave Crimea. More than that I know there are a lot of people who love Ukraine and believe in Ukraine here and we should find each other and unite,” she said.
Ukrainian TV news service TSN reports all the young people who took part in the fleshmob are the last graduates of Sevastopol Ukrainian language class and it is already planned that next year this school will fully switch its curriculum to the Russian language.
