POLES AND UKRAINIANS CELEBRATED THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITY OF UKRAINE IN LUBLIN

In Lublin, the Poles and Ukrainians jointly celebrated the 100th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. It is reported by Upmp.news with reference to Polish Radio.

On Sunday, January 21, Ukrainian and Poles praised for the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Ukraine’s independence in front of the grave of the Army soldiers of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. Soldiers, representatives of the Ukrainian community and local authorities, attended the celebrations.

“We gather here in Lublin, Poles and Ukrainians, Orthodox and Catholics to jointly mention one of the key moments in the history of the Ukrainian people. Every nation lives when it keeps its memory. It’s great that nowadays Poles and Ukrainians can jointly celebrate this great day of one of two fraternal peoples and develop a common historical memory, an open memory of the neighbor’s sensibility,” – said the hierarch of the Polish Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Lublin and Kholmsky Abel, who sent worship at the monument to the soldiers of the Army of the UPR.

The priest stressed that 2018 is a special year, because both Ukrainians and Poles celebrate the 100th anniversary of the independence of their homelands. “This joint celebration of our two peoples can be a good start for building relationships based on Christian love, faith and hope,” said Archbishop Abel.

The Orthodox hierarch reminded that Lublin, which celebrated its 700th anniversary last year, is an important city for Ukrainians, and its history “shows that people of different cultures, traditions and religions can live in harmony in one place.”

Consul General of Ukraine in Lublin Vasyl Pavlyuk told reporters that symbolically solemn events take place at the cemetery where Ukrainian heroes reside, who, together with the Poles, fought against a common enemy.

“We have such a history and have a different, difficult history of our peoples. We have to talk about so that we no longer argue with each other, because when we fuse with each other, only the third one wins – as it was in our history. When we are together, nobody can beat us,” – Pavlyuk said.

Ukrainian servicemen from the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade (LitPolUkrbrig), as well as representatives of the Polish Army participated in the festivities.

The Military Orchestra played Ukrainian and Polish anthems. Wreaths and flowers were placed on the monument by representatives of the local city and voivodship authorities.

January 22 Ukraine celebrates the Day of Unity, concerning two events in the history of the country. On January 22, 1918 in Kyiv the Ukrainian Central Rada proclaimed IV Universal that established a full independence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. At the same time, on January 22, 1919, an Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic was proclaimed in Lviv. In the early 1920s, the struggle for Ukraine’s independence was unsuccessful. However, January 22 remains a symbol of the aspiration for a sovereign and united state of Ukraine.