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CheckoutHappy Ukrainian Flag Day: history, standard and records of the blue-and-yellow
23 August · National holiday of Ukraine
Ukrainian State Flag Day: history, standard and records of the blue-and-yellow
The blue-and-yellow banner is older than Ukrainian independence. It travelled from the Lviv town hall in 1848 to a 90-metre flagpole above Kyiv and became a colour pair the world recognises without a caption. N-SHOES has collected the verified facts about the flag and explained how to wear those two colours without turning an outfit into a costume.
2:3Width-to-length ratio of the flag cloth
1848First official raising of the blue-and-yellow flag over Lviv town hall
28.01.1992Parliament resolution No. 2067-XII on the State Flag
23.08.2004Decree No. 987/2004 turned the date into a nationwide holiday
Happy State Flag Day
August is a double date for us: N-SHOES opened its first doors on 15 August 2009, and on 23 August the country honours its defining colour. Hundreds of thousands of pairs have passed through our hands since then, and none of them would have been sold in a country without a flag of its own.
Thank you to everyone who has walked into our store, online and offline. We wish you quiet skies, work that holds you steady, and the safe return of all our people. Happy holiday.
N-SHOES greeting for Ukrainian State Flag Day, 23 August.
History of the Ukrainian flag: nine dates worth knowing
The blue-and-yellow pair settled in as national colours during the European Spring of Nations, although an azure field with a golden charge appears in Ukrainian heraldry far earlier.
1848
Lviv town hall
The Supreme Ruthenian Council raises a blue-and-yellow banner over the town hall of Lviv. Yakiv Holovatskyi reads the colours as clear sky above and the light worth striving towards below.
1917–1921
UNR and ZUNR
The Ukrainian revolution moves the flag to state level. This is when the modern order of the stripes settles: blue on top, yellow below.
1939
Carpatho-Ukraine
The short-lived state proclaimed in Khust chooses the same banner. It survived only days; the symbol outlived it by decades.
1989–1990
Back on the squares
April 1989: the flag appears at a rally in Lviv. On 23 March 1990 it flies over the Ternopil city council, on 3 April over the Lviv town hall, and on 24 July over the Kyiv city council.
4 September 1991
Above parliament
The blue-and-yellow flag is ceremonially raised over the building of the Verkhovna Rada, a week after independence was declared.
28 January 1992
Legal status
Parliament resolution No. 2067-XII approves the national flag as the State Flag of Ukraine. Article 20 of the Constitution later fixes its description.
2004
The holiday appears
Until 2004 Flag Day was a Kyiv city occasion held on 24 July. Presidential decree No. 987/2004 moved it to 23 August for the whole country.
2006
Technical standard
DSTU 4512:2006, in force since 1 September 2006, specifies the fabric, seams, marking and exact shades of the State Flag.
2009 · 2022
Ceremony and colour
Decree No. 602/2009 introduced the annual official flag-raising ceremony. In 2022 the Pantone Color Institute named the Ukrainian shades Freedom Blue and Energizing Yellow.
Exact colours: what makes this blue different from any other blue
What the standard fixes
- The cloth carries two equal horizontal stripes: blue on top, yellow below.
- The width-to-length ratio is 2:3.
- DSTU 4512:2006 covers fabric flags as well as colour reproduction in print and paint.
- The standard does not apply to flags that merely imitate the state one.
Shades under DSTU
Pantone 2935 C — sapphire, RGB 0/87/184.
Pantone 012 C — saturated yellow, RGB 255/213/0.
This page uses exactly that pair, with no «roughly blue» approximations. Footwear follows the same logic: a shade is either accurate or it reads as a knock-off.
Records of the blue-and-yellow
Some of these are logged in the Book of Records of Ukraine; others belong to the stories people retell without any paperwork.
90 mTallest flagpole in the country, in Kyiv: 32 tonnes of steel, a 16 by 24 metre flag
72 mFlagpole in Dnipro, installed in 2018, carrying a 12 by 18 metre flag
2400 m²Largest flag, 40 by 60 metres, weighing around 120 kg
110.1 mLongest unfurled cloth, 2017: over a hundred people held it up
15,000 m²Flag laid out in marigolds and petunias at Pyrohiv, 23 August 2016
1,059.95 mA banner assembled from the flags of every city and district of Ukraine
1997The flag in orbit: Leonid Kadeniuk, shuttle Columbia, a mission of more than 15 days
8,848 mEverest, 2016: unfurled by Iryna Halai. Mont Blanc followed on 23 August 2018
How to handle the flag
A few rules that need no legal training and save a good deal of reputation, for a brand and for a person.
- The cloth should never touch the ground, the floor or water.
- The flag is not used as clothing, a tablecloth, a cover or packaging.
- Only a clean, undamaged banner goes up; a faded one is replaced.
- On days of mourning the flag is lowered to half-staff or tied with a black ribbon.
- Desecration of state symbols falls under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Blue and yellow in footwear: how to wear it well
A head-to-toe blue-and-yellow outfit almost always loses. The pair works as an accent rather than a uniform, and shoes are the easiest place to start.
One accent only
Blue-and-yellow laces on white sneakers, a yellow insole, blue suede against a sand-coloured upper. One signal in a look reads as taste; three read as a costume party.
Softened shades
For everyday wear choose sapphire suede instead of pure Pantone 2935 C and shift the yellow towards mustard or ochre. The colours stay recognisable and the outfit stays wearable.
Colour care
Blue suede fades in sunlight and pale leather yellows near radiators. A UV-filter spray, dark storage and shoe trees add a season or two to the life of a pair.
Ukrainian-made footwear in the N-SHOES catalogue
Supporting local manufacturing is simpler than it sounds: Ukrainian labels sit next to Polish factories and global sports brands on our shelves.
Anna Lucci
Womenswear line: genuine suede pumps and loafers, leather ankle boots for daily wear. Classic shapes that pair easily with both office and casual wardrobes.
N-SHOES Fabio
Our own line: men's sneakers in genuine leather, black mid-season models. Made in Ukraine, priced without the import mark-up.
ALLSY
Women's winter sneakers with fur lining and a chunky sole, in black and brown. These models run small, so we recommend ordering one size up.
Questions and answers
When is Ukrainian State Flag Day celebrated?
Every year on 23 August, the day before Independence Day. The date does not shift.
Why 23 August and not 24 July?
Until 2004 Flag Day was a Kyiv city holiday marked on 24 July, the anniversary of the 1990 raising over the city council. Decree No. 987/2004 made it nationwide and set the date at 23 August.
What are the exact colours of the state flag?
Under DSTU 4512:2006 the blue matches Pantone 2935 C (RGB 0/87/184) and the yellow matches Pantone 012 C (RGB 255/213/0).
Which shoes suit a blue-and-yellow look?
Keep a single accent. White sneakers with blue-and-yellow laces, blue suede loafers or trainers with a yellow detail on the sole work well beyond the holiday too.
Does N-SHOES stock Ukrainian-made footwear?
Yes: Anna Lucci, our own N-SHOES Fabio line, and ALLSY. The country of the brand is listed in the specifications of every product card.
How do I order during the holidays?
The website takes orders around the clock and a manager confirms them during working hours. Retail store hours and phone numbers are listed on the Contact page.
Pick a pair you can stand your ground in
N-SHOES has been trading since 2009: Polish factories, Ukrainian manufacturers, honest size charts and fitting before payment. Happy holiday, and may the walking be easy.
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2026-08-21 06:00:00
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