The Meaning of the Vyshyvanka: Stories Shared by Our Parishioners and Friends

Diana Motruk, originally from the Kolomyya region in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast and now a parishioner of the Church of Holy Wisdom — Hagia Sophia at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.

For Diana, her vyshyvanka is deeply connected to family memory and love. She inherited it from her grandmother Anna.

“My grandmother is no longer with us,” Diana shared, “but her warmth and love are invisibly present in every thread whenever I wear it.”

She also reflected on the rich embroidery traditions of her native Pokuttia region, especially the well-known overnight vyshyvanka market near Kolomyya, where before dawn one can see an incredible variety of colors, embroidery techniques, and traditional Ukrainian patterns.

“Our region is famous for its night market of vyshyvankas, where at dawn your eyes can get lost among the colors, techniques, and patterns of our traditional clothing,” she wrote. “It is impossible to leave without one — I learned that four times.”

Today, Diana says she wears each of her vyshyvankas with gratitude and pride — especially during this time of war, when the sense of belonging to one’s people becomes even deeper.

“But I am convinced,” she reflected, “that first of all, we must carry the vyshyvanka in our soul. What we wear outwardly should come from an inner need — a love for what is ours, for memory, dignity, and our roots.”

Oksana Glaberman of Bridgeport also shared the story of a vyshyvanka closely tied to family love and memory.

“This was my first ‘grown up’ vyshyvanka,” Oksana shared. “It was a high school graduation gift over two decades ago.”

At the time, she says, it was one of the most precious gifts she had ever received — and it remains one of her most treasured possessions today.

The vyshyvanka was gifted to her by her aunt Gloria, who found a vendor in Ukraine to hand-stitch it especially for her.

“My teta Gloria passed several years ago,” Oksana wrote, “and I wear it proudly in her memory and honor, to share our heritage.”

Because of its deep personal meaning, Oksana describes it as her “fancy occasion” vyshyvanka — one she hopes to preserve for many years to come.

One especially meaningful memory connected to the embroidered shirt came in 2024, when she wore it to a rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Ukrainian with the Ukraine Freedom Orchestra and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. In the photo she shared, she also wears a traditional gerdan passed down from her mother.

Rev. Ihor Demydas of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish in Shamokin also reflected on the deep spiritual and cultural meaning of the vyshyvanka.

“For me, the vyshyvanka is a language, a symbol of the nation in which the ‘code’ of the people is hidden,” Father Ihor shared. “It is a reminder of who I am and where I come from.”

He also described the vyshyvanka as a form of prayer, explaining that every ornament and embroidered pattern carries the lived experience, suffering, and faith of the Ukrainian people.

“The vyshyvanka is also a prayer,” he reflected, “where every ornament may have been spoken and suffered through by the people.”

Father Ihor shared that all of his vyshyvankas are gifts from his wife and that wearing them constantly reminds him of family, home, and the traditions of his native village.

Though each story is unique, together they reveal how the vyshyvanka continues to unite generations and communities across the world. Whether inherited from grandparents, gifted by loved ones, connected to military chaplaincy, worn during family celebrations, or tied to moments of prayer and faith, these embroidered shirts remain living signs of memory, resilience, dignity, heritage, and love for one’s roots.