Ukraine honors the memory of Holodomor victims: when a minute of silence will take place

On Saturday, November 25, Ukraine commemorates the victims of the mass famines of 1921-1923, 1946-1947, and the Holodomor-Genocide of 1932-1933. On this day, state flags will be at half-mast and a national minute of silence will be observed at 16:00.

In addition, Ukrainians will attend memorial services, as well as put symbolic pots of grain and candles at the monuments to the dead and on the windowsills in their homes. OBOZ.UA decided to recall the history and traditions of this day.

This year, the Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine started the initiative "Remember the Holodomor victims. Support those who are fighting for Ukraine", the symbol of which was a trench candle. Ukrainians were urged to light a candle at home and send warmth to those on the front line. This can be done through donations to trusted foundations and volunteers.

History

In the former Soviet Union, any mention of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 was banned, although the memory of its victims began to be honored abroad in 1933. The commemoration of the victims of that year, took place in Berlin, Germany, in particular.

The next known public mourning events organized by Ukrainians in exile took place in the United States almost 20 years later. On September 11, 1951, a rally to commemorate the victims of the Great Famine was held in New York City.

The annual commemoration of the Holodomor victims at the official level began in 1983 in the Canadian province of Alberta.

In Ukraine, mourning events and memorial services for Ukrainians killed in 1932-1933 were held in September 1990. Three years later, a memorial sign "To the Victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933" was erected on Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. That same year, President Leonid Kravchuk signed a decree "On Measures in Connection with the 60th Anniversary of the Holodomor in Ukraine."

The annual national Holodomor Remembrance Day on the fourth Saturday of November was established by President Leonid Kuchma's decree in 1998.

In 2008, the Holodomor Victims Memorial Museum was opened in Kyiv, and since then, official events have been held near it to commemorate the dead Ukrainians.

Recognition of the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people in the world

Recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide against Ukrainians is very important in international politics. According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, the Holodomor has been recognized as genocide by the parliaments of 28 countries: Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hungary, and the United States.

Estonia was the first to suffer a famine in 1997.

The exact number of victims of all the Holodomors in Ukraine has not yet been established as the totalitarian regime tried to hide its crimes. All deaths were simply not registered. Therefore, it is likely that their actual number is many times higher than the figures that are known today.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- The declaration condemning the use of civilian starvation as a method of warfare was signed by 55 member states of the United Nations. The document was initiated by the Ukrainian delegation on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933.

- In the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region, Russians are demolishing monuments to the victims of the Holodomor. The Holodomor Museum called on law enforcement agencies to investigate these crimes and identify all those involved in the destruction of the monuments.

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