On May 8, Ukraine honours the memory of the Second World War victims, along with nations of Europe and the United States.
Back in 2015, the Ukrainian parliament set May 8 as the official Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in the Second World War, so as to pay tribute to those who didn’t see the end of the global conflict. The respective bill was approved according to the 2004 UN recommendation, which set May 8 and May 9 as days of memory and reconciliation in the WWII.
In May 2014, Ukraine recognized the internationally approved symbol of remembrance and reconciliation in the WWII – the poppy seed flowers. Since May 2015, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in WWII is marked in Ukraine annually.
Thus, Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens joined the Western tradition; on this day, most of European countries and the USA also mark the Victory Day, otherwise referred to as Victory in Europe Day. Previously, Ukraine only marked the Victory Day on May 9 – just like most member countries of the former USSR.
