Arts Tent at Heritage Days. Photo by Yulianna Voloshyna
Marco Levytsky, NP-UN Western Bureau Chief.
The Ukrainian Pavilion at Edmonton’s Heritage Days managed to recoup some of the losses they incurred due to the storm which closed the last day of last year’s festival, but not enough to cover all of it.
“We have not yet paid off the rental items or other miscellaneous expenses. However, based on the numbers, I believe we did recover slightly. Still, to fully make up for last year’s storm losses, we will definitely need to organize fundraisers for next year.
“Regarding the event itself: it was not easy to be fully prepared, especially given our financial challenges and the loss of (former Treasurer) Marko Kopinec, who was one of the most experienced and hardworking members of our team. Despite this, the event went well,” said Anastasiia Kim, Chair of the Organizing Committee.
She added that “we still have room for improvement, and many new ideas for making our pavilion thrive. But to achieve this, we need more people.”
The Ukrainian Pavilion was one of 66 featured at the festival, August 2-4, now in its 52nd year. This was also the third and last year it was held at Borden Park, instead of its usual location in Hawrelak Park which is undergoing renovations. It will return to Hawrelak next year.
Over the course of three days, visitors had the opportunity to sample dishes from around the world, enjoy performances, learn more about other nations and see the richness of multicultural Canada.
There were three components to the pavilion – Food Services, Arts & Culture Tent and the Stage Show.
Scene from the Ukrainian Wedding Ceremony on the stage. Left to Right: Myroslava Oksentiuk – head of the Entertainment organizing committee (blurred), Alina Ivannikova – member of the Entertainment organizing committee, Kseniia Shmundyr – member of the Arts & Culture pavilion organizing committee, Diana Kotsyuba – head of the Arts & Culture pavilion. Photo by: Anna Zelenenko
This year the food services were run in conjunction with Multicook Edmonton, which allowed the Pavilion to provide a much more varied menu.
Kitchen staff
Kim said the Pavilion served almost 3700 meals. The most popular menu item was potato and cheddar cheese varenyky (perogies) with the second most popular being the Combo (cheddar perogies with sausage).
“It’s also worth mentioning that customers showed strong interest in our crepes, especially the sweet cottage cheese ones. As for drinks, Uzvar (cherry drink) was popular too, with 225 cups sold during the festival,” she added.
“This year’s arts and culture program was widely appreciated, with many noting the significant improvements made over the past two years. We received a great deal of positive feedback from both Ukrainians and visitors from other cultures,” said Diana Kotsyuba who headed the arts committee.
“While we didn’t receive first place for our cultural pavilion, we had carefully reviewed the judging criteria during our preparation and were confident that we met most of the requirements. Many visitors even told us directly that the Ukrainian pavilion was the most interactive and engaging one,” she added.
Displays in the Arts & Culture Pavilion organized by the UNYF Edmonton team included:
• 1. Traditional photo zone – visitors could step into a cozy scene from old Ukrainian village life.
• 2. Guess the grain zone – visitors could test their knowledge at this interactive station and explore the different types of grains commonly used in Ukraine, long known as the “breadbasket of Europe”
• 3. Dowry traditions zone – visitors got to experience a touching and lively tradition through an act performed by young a Ukrainian woman preparing for marriage.
• 4. Embroidery zone – visitors got to discover the art of Ukrainian embroidery in this hands-on zone, by learning about basic stitches, exploring traditional patterns, and contributing to a collective piece – a decorative “rushnyk”.
• 5. Paganism zone – visitors got to step back in time and explore the rich pagan traditions that once shaped Ukraine’s spiritual heritage.
.• 6. Holidays and superstitions zone – visitors got to dive further into the world of Ukrainian traditions, holidays, and superstitions. This interactive zone a matching exercise) showcased the rich cultural practices tied to major celebrations like Christmas, and Easter.
• 7. Map of Ukraine zone – at this station visitors got to share their connection to Ukraine by placing a pin on the map.
• 8. Quiz & Fun Facts zone – visitors got to test their knowledge with the fun “Ukraine or Not?” quiz, where they guessed whether the presented stunning images of beautiful places are from Ukraine or somewhere else in the world.
• 9. VR & Music – at this interactive zone, visitors could immerse themselves in Ukraine’s landscapes and culture through a VR experience, and also enjoy some of the most popular contemporary Ukrainian songs – many of which had gained international recognition, though few realized they were Ukrainian!
• 10. Encoded Embroidery – at this interactive zone, visitors could create a personalized keepsake by printing a mini polaroid featuring a name or phrase of their choice, encoded into a traditional embroidery pattern using the available technology
• Modern forms of art – at this dynamic zone visitors got to experience the vibrant creativity of modern Ukraine. Many forms of contemporary Ukrainian art were featured, including beaded jewelry and wall décor, crochet toys, stunning Petrykivskyy Rozpys paintings, and more .
• Modern photo zone – here visitors got to step into a vibrant blend of tradition and modern expression. It featured a handcrafted vyshyvankas background, made by hand with thread by the organizing committee last year.
“We had a lot of great and amazing people performing this year,” said Stage Show main organizer Myroslava Oksentiuk. “There was amazing team work by the cultural and stage committee which included UNYF (Ukrainian National Youth Federation) and UPAS Ukrainian Performing Art Society) from the UNF (Ukrainian National Federation) worked united together and made the stage very vibrant and unique, to share our beautiful traditions and culture,” she added.
Ukrainian traditional wedding at Heritage Days
This year’s performers and activities included: Andrij Hornjatkevyc, (Bandura); Yatran Dance Ensemble; Tu Dance Studio; Vyshyvanka fashion show every day); Kozak games (organized by UPAS); Dance workshop organized by the Ukrainian folk dance school “Kolo”; Bandura Ensemble Feeriya with its musical director Oksana Kolomiyets; Ukrainian wedding ceremony by UPAS (Myroslava Oksentiuk Collection); Ruta Ensemble; Luis Alonso Zapata. guest; Anna Zaviyboroda, vocalist; the rituals of celebrating the Sun and Summer by UPAS; Horovody dancers; Oksana Kolomiiets and her students Daryna Krupa and Hawkins Choir; “Elegance strings” instrumental quartet; “Mriya”, vocalist children and Mriya Band.
Share on Social Media
