May 8 is the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation - on this day it is customary to honor the memory of all those who died during the Second World War. In Ukraine, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation was introduced already after the Revolution of Dignity. Ukrainians remember all those who fought against Nazism, express respect to all those who defended the sovereignty of our state. In the Second World War, it was the Ukrainians who suffered the greatest human losses — about ten million lives.
Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in Ukraine — history and symbols
For the Ukrainian people, the Second World War became a tragedy of a national scale. In Ukraine, the war that brought grief to every house began on September 1, 1939. Lviv and other western cities were bombed. The occupation regime of the Nazis, especially on Ukrainian lands, was the most brutal in the world. About one and a half million Ukrainian Jews were exterminated, as well as more than twenty thousand Roma.
Our grandfathers made a huge contribution to the victory over Nazism and Germany's allies. In many European countries, Victory Day over Nazism is celebrated on May 8. Almost all post-Soviet countries celebrated this day on the ninth of May, due to the time difference. However, in 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine established a new date to commemorate the victims of the Second World War. In Ukraine, Memorial Day is celebrated on May 8 — people should know and remember that the bloodiest war was started between two totalitarian countries (by agreement): Germany and the USSR. In the long-suffering Ukrainian lands, terror was carried out not only by Nazi troops, but also by Soviet troops.
Our present is a war with the Russian aggressor. For the second year now, Ukrainians spend May 8 in conditions of full-scale war. This is the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War. Numerous crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of genocide — everything we thought was a thing of the past, is now being repeated by the Russian army and its leadership. Everything that was called Nazism in 1939-1945 is now racism, the Russian version of imperial nationalism. The traditional slogan of the May memorial days is: "We remember - we win!". Today, this saying sounds a little differently: "We defeated the Nazis - we will defeat the Rashists too!"
Late in the evening of May 8, 1945, the German president K. Denitz, the successor of A. Hitler (he had already committed suicide at that time), signed the capitulation of Germany. Formally, the war in Europe ended on this day. In Ukraine on May 8th, a minute of silence will be observed - precisely at the time when peace finally reigned in Europe after the capitulation of Nazi Germany.
The symbol of the Day of Reconciliation is a poppy flower (red color) interpreted as a bloody trace from a bullet. Its appearance is associated with poetry written by two people: military doctor John McCray (Canada) and representative of the Christian Association of Young Women Moina Michael. The Canadian wrote under the influence of impressions from the battles in Belgium in 1915 - the work "On the Fields of Flanders" was created, which began with the words:
"Poppies bloom in the Flemish fields
Between the crosses is a mourning sign
According to us..."
(translated by Oksana Samara)
It is an international symbol of memory of the victims of all military and civil armed conflicts. In 2014, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance asked all Ukrainians to decorate their clothes with red poppies in May.
Poems for the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation for congratulations
Memory
And they live in the memory of the people
His faithful daughters and sons,
Those who did not return from the campaigns
A terrible, big war.
Their lives, their thoughts are high,
Who were not destined to bloom,
They call for clear peace and calm,
As the apple of the eye, protect.
V. Simonenko
***
Guerrillas
I am the one who broke the dams.
I didn't sit in a rock
When the oaks fell for ages
In a partisan forest settlement
On the yellowed, trampled grass
Lying, covered with purple leaves,
And blood flowed drop by drop through the bandages
And a woodman with a gray-browed face
He asked me: "Have you broken all the bridges?"
P. Voronko
***
My first poem was written in a trench,
on that wall dripping with explosions,
when it lost the stars in the horoscope
my childhood, killed in the war.
Volcanic lava poured into the fire.
The house was on fire. Night seemed like day.
And our crossing choked
through the Dnipro - by water and fire.
Empty land. The boy next door was crying.
The woman was baptized, and the bread was running out.
That narrow trench moved,
where two families huddled for several days.
Oh the first pain of those not childish impressions,
what he should leave on his heart!
As you can't say the unspeakable in poems,
won't the soul become mute?!
It was neither a bunny nor a wolf -
bloody world, charred star! –
and I wrote almost in fragments
capital letters, fresh from the primer, –
that first poem, leaning on the edge,
to light up the night of war.
I don't remember what he was like.
The shell fell - the wall collapsed.
L. Kostenko
***
Greetings on the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, which can be sent to relatives, friends and acquaintances:
Eternal and bright memory to Ukrainian soldiers who gave their lives in the Second World War. We remember their feat and all the crimes of the Hitler regime. We pray for our military who are fighting against Russian Nazism.
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Congratulations on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over German Nazism! I wish all of us to soon celebrate another great Victory Day. Glory to Ukraine!
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Happy Memorial Day and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War! History shows: our people are invincible! Glory to the defenders of Ukraine of different times! Glory to Ukraine!
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Happy Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. Peace to all of us, unity, freedom, happiness, harmony and well-being to every family! Let peace come to Ukraine sooner!
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Congratulations on Victory Day over Nazism:
Congratulations on this great and joyful day - Victory Day. I wish that there will always be peace and abundance in your life, that your loved ones smile and do not get sick, that your heart remembers that story and is proud of the feats of your grandfathers. Happiness and warm hopes for May.
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From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you on Victory Day and I want to wish you to live happily on this planet, keeping pride and gratitude for peace and tranquility in your heart. Let there be no place for war, let every dawn bring only joy and love!
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Today is a special day. Everyone knows and remembers him. We celebrate Victory Day and Memorial Day. May the sky above us be peaceful!
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Victory over Nazism Day is not only about the victory, but also about the huge number of lost and mutilated lives, and Ukrainians should remember this terrible lesson of history well and do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again.
Unfortunately, today Ukraine is fighting for its right to exist at the cost of human life. The enemy is Russia, which is once again trying to destroy the Ukrainian people. Unity and faith will help overcome the aggressor and win such a dream victory!
Pictures for Reconciliation and Remembrance Day:
