CELEBRATING UKRAINE
Performer Mariana Mykhaylyak awaits backstage Sunday at Sviato 25. Thousands gathered in Churchill Square as part of celebrations to mark 25 years of Ukraine’s independence.
A significant milestone for Ukraine brought thousands of people to Churchill Square for a full day of celebration Sunday.
Ukrainians around the world celebrated Sviato 25 — marking a quarter-century since Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
In Edmonton, more than 5,000 people watched about 700 Ukrainian dancers, musicians, speakers and singers, including Ruslana, a bestselling Ukrainian recording artist who won the Eurovision song contest in 2004.
“This event is of extreme importance to everyone who is of Ukrainian ancestry and also to anyone who believes in freedom and independence,” said Gene Zwozdesky, volunteer executive producer of Sviato 25 and former Speaker of the Alberta legislature.
“It’s of tremendous historical significance and it is also the largest outdoor celebration of Ukrainian arts, culture and spirituality in the history of the province.”
Unity of faith was the main theme of the event, Zwozdesky said as local clergy prepared to deliver a joint prayer service. Both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and the Ukrainian Catholic Church participated.
The event also celebrated the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Canada, Zwozdesky said.
Many people came to see Ruslana, who became a key figure in the mass protests known as Euromaidan in 2013 and 2014, when many Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv for integration into the European Union.
Those protests culminated in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, which resulted in the ouster of president Viktor Yanukovych.
“Maidan” in Ukrainian means “square” and Maidan Nezalezhnosti is an important square in Kyiv, having been the site of many significant social and political protests in the country’s history.
Holding independence day celebrations in Edmonton’s most well-known square fit well with the theme, said Darka Tarnawsky, a committee member of Sviato 25.
Edmonton is known in Ukraine for having a strong Ukrainian community and Ruslana was “very excited” to perform here, said Tarnawsky.
“The whole reason for being here — this celebration of the 25th anniversary of independence — is something that’s very important to her because she has a great love for Ukraine and she fights very hard on a lot of levels for its freedom and its growth as an independent country.”
Although the event was not focused on politics, said Tarnawsky, some of the proceeds will go to funding Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea.
“It’s all about celebrating our culture and our country,” she said. “There’s so much pride for our homeland even here.”