National Flag Day: Little-known facts and records of the blue-yellow flag

Today, August 23, Ukraine celebrates National Flag Day. “Pryamoy” has compiled a selection of little-known facts and records about the main symbol of the nation: how and when the holiday appeared, where the longest and largest flags were unfurled, and how the blue and yellow colors became a signal of support for Ukraine around the world.

As is known, National Flag Day was introduced by the decree of the President on August 23, 2004 – it was then that the celebration of the holiday was officially established annually on August 23.

The very next day after the Act of Declaration of Independence (August 24, 1991), the blue and yellow flag was solemnly brought into the hall of the Verkhovna Rada, and it became the state flag of Ukraine after the adoption of a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on January 28, 1992.

The symbolism of the colours is traditionally understood as a combination of blue sky and golden wheat fields; the official proportions of the flag are 2:3.

Ukrainian flag records

The longest flag: 2.7 kilometers along Khreshchatyk

On August 24, 2018, the longest Ukrainian flag – 2,700 meters – was unfurled in the center of Kyiv. The event was recorded as a national record.

“Flower” flag – Guinness record

For Flag Day 2016, a “carpet flag” of live flowers covering an area of 13,057 m² was laid out in the capital – a world record confirmed by Guinness World Records (the next day it was also entered into the National Register of Records).

The largest flagpole raised and the highest flagpole (2018)

On August 23, 2018, two national records were set in Dnipro: the largest piece of the national flag raised on a mast, and the tallest flagpole at that time – 72 meters.

The country’s tallest flagpole is in Kyiv (2020)

On Flag Day 2020, a 90-meter flagpole with a large national flag was opened in Kyiv on the territory of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II.

Record on water

In 2023, a national record was set in Sumy – the longest state flag on the water (156 meters), unfurled on the Psel.

Blue and yellow colors as a global symbol

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, dozens of countries have lit up iconic structures in blue and yellow, from Europe to Australia.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris glowed in the colors of the Ukrainian flag as a sign of solidarity with Ukrainians.

The Sydney Opera House lit up its “sail” in blue and yellow, a gesture of support echoed by other Australian institutions.

In Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate has been repeatedly illuminated in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.

It is worth adding that the first official ceremonies in honor of blue and yellow in the capital began long before 2004: Kyiv celebrated Flag Day at the city level in July, and the national holiday was assigned to August 23.

Also, in the Ukrainian tradition of interpreting symbols, there are alternative interpretations, but it is “sky and wheat” that has become the most widespread and has become entrenched in the public space.

Thus, the National Flag Day is not only about respect for the symbol. It is about records, community initiatives and thousands of stories – from the flower flag-carpet and the 2.7-kilometer flag on Khreshchatyk to the blue and yellow lights on the main world landmarks. All this shows: symbols are important not only as a tradition, but also the living energy of the community – in Ukraine and far beyond its borders.

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