A lecture by Volodymyr Shchybria: ‘The Traditional Embroidered Shirt: Myths and Reality’

On 21 May 2026, to mark the 20th anniversary of World Vyshyvanka Day, we invite you to the Holodomor Museum for a lecture entitled ‘The Traditional Embroidered Shirt: Myths and Reality’.

Today, there is a growing interest in traditional clothing. The embroidered shirt is no longer merely festive attire and has emerged from the shadow of the Soviet era’s dismissive perception.

At the same time, there is a renewed focus on researching our national heritage: we are looking for the similarities and differences between the concepts of ‘vyshyvanka’ and ‘embroidered shirt’, and taking a closer look at the familiar myths surrounding traditional clothing. The ‘code of the nation’, encrypted messages in patterns, the idea that embroidery on clothing belongs uniquely to Ukrainians: what truth is there in this?

Volodymyr Shchybria, Director of the Centre for Folklore and Ethnography at the Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, PhD in Philology, and collector, will speak:

– how traditional dress has become a marker of identity;

– how to identify a particular region by its embroidery patterns;

– what myths surround embroidery?

She will also showcase various examples of authentic shirts from her personal collection.

Date and time: Thursday, 21 May 2026, at 12:00

Venue: Hall of Memory, Holodomor Museum (15-A Ivan Mazepa Street).

Fee: Admission is included in the museum ticket price (15–30 UAH).

You can register here.

During the lecture, visitors will have the opportunity to meet the folk ensemble ‘Station Syvash’. You will hear traditional songs from southern Ukraine performed in their authentic style.

The poster features Mykhailo Brianskyi’s painting ‘Portrait of Yelyzaveta Darahan’ (1860).