On April 1, 1917, a Festival of Freedom was held in Kyiv in support of the Ukrainian Revolution; until the Orange Revolution of 2004, it was considered the largest demonstration in Ukrainian history.
At the initiative of the Central Rada, a rally of 100,000 patriotic forces gathered on St. Sophia Square, demonstrating Ukrainians’ aspiration for national self-determination and supporting Ukraine’s territorial autonomy.
Reporters at the time wrote: “At the front are representatives of the Central Ukrainian Council, the Ukrainian Military Committee, and Mr. Obruchiv, a commissioner with the Kyiv Executive Committee. Behind them are soldiers, followed by civilians, then soldiers again, then civilians again—soldiers, civilians, countless, endless…”
Fourteen military bands and seven choirs alternately play and sing “Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished,” “The Testament,” and even “La Marseillaise.” They marched along Bibikovsky Boulevard to Khreshchatyk, greeted the City Council, and then proceeded along Trikhsvyatytelska Street to the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, to the square in front of St. Sophia Cathedral. The bells rang out.
The Ukrainian demonstration became the culminating moment of the revival of the national liberation movement. It achieved its goal by demonstrating the mass character of the movement.
“The people—numbering about 100,000 at the celebration (for there were 30,000 soldiers)—dispersed joyfully, saying that soon millions of supporters would take up arms for a Free Ukraine.”
Mykhailo Hrushevsky called the day of the demonstration the brightest, happiest day of his own life and of Ukrainian life. In his memoirs, he wrote: “The goal of the demonstration was achieved: it demonstrated clearly and impressively that Ukrainian identity is not a fiction in the minds of a circle of romantics or intellectual fanatics, but a living force that has power over the masses, moves them, and lifts them up.”
The demonstration was a resounding success, revealing the high potential of the Ukrainian national liberation movement, which even drew the attention of the Russian revolutionary democrats. Two days later, the City Council admitted Mykhailo Hrushevsky and Ivan Steshenko as deputies.
The Festival of Freedom became a major event in Ukrainian life at the time and demonstrated society’s concern for the political processes unfolding in Ukraine; it played a colossal role in Ukrainians’ realization of their own strength.