For more than a thousand years of history, Ukrainian Orthodoxy has become an integral part of the cultural code of Ukrainians. But the vivid pagan traditions that have survived to this day tell us that not so long ago Ukraine was ruled by the gods of wind, fire, water and earth. Everything changed in 988, when Volodymyr the Great christened Kievan Rus’.
According to the chronicle, in the summer of 988, Prince Volodymyr the Great of Kyiv was baptized in the church of St. Jacob in Chersonesos, and on his return to Kyiv he turned the whole Kievan Rus’ to a new faith. July 28 was chosen as the date of the holiday not just like that: on this day all Orthodox Christians honor the co-apostolic prince of Kyiv Volodymyr Sviatoslavovych, who brought the faith of Christ to the capital city of Kyiv.
Today, the faith of Christ remains a reliable bastion of Ukrainian national tradition, family values and cultural heritage.