| English: We were born in a great hour | |
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 The original sheet music of the anthem | |
Anthem of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists | |
| Lyrics | Oles Babiy, 1929 |
| Music | Omelian Nyzhankivskyi, 1929 |
| Adopted | 1932 |
| Audio sample | |
The March of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian patriotic song that was originally the official anthem of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.[1] The song is also known by its first line "We were born in a great hour" (Ukrainian: Зродились ми з великої години). The song, written by Oles Babiy to music by Omelian Nyzhankivskyi in 1929, was officially adopted by the leadership of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1932.[2] The song is often referred to as a patriotic song from the times of the uprising,[clarification needed][3] and a Ukrainian folk song.[4] It is still commonly performed today, especially at events honoring the Ukrainian Insurgent Army[5] and by nationalist organisations and party meetings, such as those of VO Svoboda.[6]
In 1919, with the end of the Polish–Ukrainian War, which resulted in the takeover of western Ukraine by the Second Polish Republic, many former leaders of the Ukrainian republic were exiled.[7] As Polish persecution of Ukrainians during the interwar period increased, many Ukrainians (particularly the youth, many of whom felt they had no future) lost faith in traditional legal approaches, in their elders, and in the western democracies who were seen as turning their backs on Ukraine. This period of disillusionment coincided with the increase in support for the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). By the beginning of the Second World War, the OUN was estimated to have 20,000 active members and many times that number in sympathizers.[8] The song was written in 1929 during the midst of these political events and adopted by the organisation's leadership 3 years later.[2]
The March of the Ukrainian Nationalists is written and performed as a military march and a call to arms. The first verse of the song refers to "the pain of losing Ukraine",[9] referring to the short-lived independence of the Ukrainian National Republic from 1917-1921. The republic was divided up among the Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic.[10] The song also mentions a popular Ukrainian national motto, "A United Ukrainian state... from the San to the Caucasus".[11] This is in line with the Ukrainian irredentist concept of having Ukraine's western border start at the San river in modern-day in western Ukraine and southeastern Poland and its eastern border at the Caucasus Mountains in modern-day southern Russia.
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The March of the New Army (Ukrainian: Марш нової армії) is a modern adaptation of the song that is used as a Ukrainian military march as well as a patriotic song with nationalist overtones. A modern text was adopted in 2017 at the initiative of Oleh Skrypka, lead singer of the Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova. The new text honors the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who fought and died in the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone during the War in Donbass. According to Skrypka, the text was conceived while at the front in a volunteer unit.[12]
The new march was presented for the first time in early 2017 on the eve of the Ukrainian Volunteer Day, and was performed by Skrypka in cooperation with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On August 24, 2018, the modern version of the song was performed the first time at the Kyiv Independence Day Parade dedicated to the 27th anniversary of independence and the 100th anniversary of the UPR.[13] In his opening address at the parade, President Petro Poroshenko sang an excerpt of the song, describing it as one that "symbolizes the inextricable bond between different generations of fighters for freedom of the homeland."[14]
When this song was used at the 2018 Independence Day parade, an alternative final line (shown here in italics) was used.
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Ukrainian lyrics
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Ukrainian romanized lyrics
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English translation
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When this song was used at the 2018 Independence Day parade, slightly different lyrics were used.
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Ukrainian lyrics
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Ukrainian romanized lyrics
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English translation
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