It's easy to remember when Ukraine celebrates Embroidered Shirt Day: every year on the third Thursday of May. It's convenient to recall this as: after Mother's Day, in the third week of the month, the fourth day of the week, the fifth month of the year.
In 2025, this day will be celebrated on May 15.
It was first celebrated in 2006. The history of the holiday is fascinating: five students from the history department of Chernivtsi University initiated it. At that time, the embroidered shirt was not well-known and was not a common item of clothing.
Today, it's hard to believe that most of us own at least one embroidered shirt or dress, as embroidery has come back into fashion and can be seen in both mass-market stores and on global runways.
“One day, I saw my friend wearing an embroidered shirt during a university break. He would occasionally wear it, and someone suggested we choose a day for everyone to wear embroidered shirts together. Initially, only a few dozen students joined in, but that's how the holiday began,” says one of the founders, writer Lesya Voronyuk.
The holiday, which began in Chernivtsi, has spread worldwide – now it is celebrated in over 100 countries. Although it has not yet become an official holiday, more and more people join in the celebration each year. Not only diaspora members but also politicians, actors, diplomats, and activists wear embroidered outfits.
The embroidered shirt is suitable for both everyday and festive occasions, and the patterns on Ukrainian clothing are impressively diverse, ranging from ancient motifs to contemporary themes.
The celebration is held in the middle of the week to emphasize that the embroidered shirt is part of everyday life for Ukrainians, making it a great opportunity to showcase one's embroidered shirt at work or during a walk.
In 2025, Embroidered Shirt Day will be dedicated to the theme of occupied heritage. The videos filmed for the holiday will feature traditional outfits from currently occupied territories.
In Chernivtsi, where the holiday originated, newborns born on this day in maternity hospitals receive their first embroidered shirts as gifts.
Additionally, various exhibitions of embroidered clothing and presentations of thematic books are often organized. This year, such events will take place in Kyiv and Chernivtsi.
