Vyshyvanka Day, 17 May 2012

A good Vyshyvanka Day to everyone wearing one.

Every year someone points out that a large number of the shirts on the street today were made by machine, and asks whether that undermines the thing. I do not think it does, and I think the reason is worth stating.

The purpose of the day is not to display craftsmanship. It is to make a pattern visible in public, on a large number of people at once. A machine-embroidered shirt does that job perfectly well, and it does it at a price that lets a student and a pensioner take part.

The hand-stitched shirts are still there, usually older, usually inherited, and their owners will tell you which grandmother made them if you ask. Both kinds are doing something useful on the same tram.

A good day to you.