• Source: Kherson watermelon

The watermelon is a symbol of the region of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. More than 50% of the watermelons in Ukraine are produced in Kherson Oblast and are shipped upriver to Kyiv.




History


Watermelons were thought to have been introduced by Crimean Tatars – a Turkic ethnic group and an indigenous peoples of Crimea – before the 18th century. During World War II, residents of the Kherson region would make molasses or jam from boiled-down watermelons, when there were restrictions on sugar usage. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, a yearly tradition was televised, with a barge, full of watermelons, leaving Kherson for Kyiv along the Dnieper river.




= Russian invasion

=
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Russian occupation, farmers in the region, who usually produced watermelons, were unable to do so. The watermelon became a symbol of Kherson. At the Ukrainian stand at COP27, a watermelon was displayed with a Ukrainian flag. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joked upon arriving in newly liberated Kherson in November 2022 that he travelled there because he "wanted a watermelon". Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian national postal services company, released watermelon-themed stamps commemorating the liberation of Kherson.




See also


Watermelon (Palestinian symbol)
Freedom pineapples




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Kherson watermelon
• Watermelon as a Palestinian symbol
• Watermelon stereotype
• Raccoon of Kherson
• Watermelon
• List of food and drink monuments
• Watermelon (disambiguation)
• CYGO (rapper)
• Special military operation
• Freedom pineapples