On October 27, we celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language, an important holiday that reminds us of the richness of our language and its role in shaping our national identity. The Ukrainian language is the basis of our culture and spirituality, it unites us, gives us the opportunity to understand each other and is the key to the future of our country.
Ukrainian is one of the Slavic languages. It is important to remember that it is derived from a single Proto-Slavic root, not from the mythical Old Russian language, which allegedly split into three languages - Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian. The process of forming the Ukrainian language began in the sixth century and lasted until the sixteenth century.
After the decline of the Kyivan state and the Kingdom of Rus, the Ukrainian language faced difficult times. But it suffered the greatest oppression during the time of the Moscow state and the Russian Empire.
Back in 1627, by order of the Moscow tsar, books printed in Ukraine were burned for the first time. In 1720, Peter the Great banned book printing in the Ukrainian language altogether. In addition, teaching in educational institutions was prohibited, and sermons in Ukrainian were not allowed in churches.
The current Russian aggression, whose active phase began in 2014, is no exception. Thus, the occupation authorities are taking measures to eradicate the Ukrainian language in the occupied territories: they are implementing the Russification of educational institutions with the elimination of the teaching of the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian literature and the history of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature and textbooks on the history of Ukraine are being confiscated and destroyed. Pressure is being exerted on educators to force the educational process in schools to be conducted in Russian.
The Ukrainian language is alive, it continues to change and enrich. Dialects are a kind of "diamonds", jewelry of our language - a kind of language that people use to communicate in a certain territory. Each dialect has its own unique features in phonetics, vocabulary and grammar, and the language itself is the result of the interaction of these dialects throughout history. Donetsk region has always been a place of multicultural coexistence, and the dialect inherent in our region bears the imprint of various language groups.
The relevance of the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language is extremely high today, as language is a key element of national identity, a symbol of freedom and a means of uniting society. This holiday motivates Ukrainians to nurture, improve and spread their native language, which is especially important in the context of countering Russian aggression. It stimulates discussions on language education, raises awareness of language rights, and inspires the study, development, and preservation of the language for future generations.
This year, a number of projects aimed at supporting and popularizing the Ukrainian language and culture continue to be implemented in Donetsk Oblast. These include the regional competition for young authors of poetry and prose works "I am the Future of Donetsk Region", the initiative "Language Race", which encourages Donetsk residents to study examples of Ukrainian literature and folklore to improve their speech, the campaign "The Greatness of the Mother Tongue", as well as the regional flash mob "Dictionary of Donetsk Region", which emphasizes the uniqueness of the local language environment as an integral part of the Ukrainian language, formed under the influence of the multinational composition of our region, and many other events. These projects are important steps in the development of language awareness among Donetsk residents, contributing to the popularization of the Ukrainian language and the development of the Ukrainian information space.