Ukrainian Beekeeper's Day

Since 1997, by presidential decree, on August 19, Ukraine annually celebrates the national professional holiday Beekeeper Day The holiday was established in support of the Union of Beekeepers of Ukraine with the aim of promoting and encouraging beekeeping activities Despite the fact that Beekeeper's Day is a working day, the holiday is celebrated on a grand scale throughout the country And this is not surprising, because Ukraine is famous for its honey and is the largest producer and supplier of honey products around the world More than 5 million bee families work in Ukrainian apiaries, and this figure is growing every year In many areas, folk festivities last 2 days and include exhibitions and fairs of beekeeping products, master classes, competitions and quizzes, and performances by musical folk groups The holiday is not complete without a colorful parade of beekeepers, in which both farmers and ordinary amateur beekeepers can take part Fun holiday events attract not only honey connoisseurs, but also tourists who can try different types of honey and honey products, attend themed parties and exhibitions dedicated to achievements in the field of beekeeping Festive festivities traditionally end with the ceremonial presentation of prizes to producers of the most delicious honey On this day, all of Ukraine remembers two particularly outstanding beekeepers, Pyotr Prokopovich and Nikolai Vitvitsky It is to Peter Prokopovich that the world owes the invention of the hive frame and the collapsible frame hive, which for the first time made it possible to pump out honey without causing much damage to the bees And Nikolai Vitvitsky laid the foundation for the basic principles of keeping and caring for bees, and also wrote numerous works on the beekeeping industry Scientific conferences and round table meetings are also timed to coincide with the holiday, in which beekeeping issues are raised, new scientific literature in this area is presented, new business connections are established with foreign and domestic investors, and numerous contracts are concluded It is interesting that on this day Orthodox Christians celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord, popularly called Apple Savior, and all beekeepers rush to bless not only apples and honey, but their hives so that the bees can easily endure the winter cold