The Treasure of Community - Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2015

Giving back to the community is high priority for Ukrainians in Canada. Socially, economically, spiritually, intellectually and culturally our community provides profoundly rich experiences for its many, many participants. In the century and more of Ukrainian diaspora in North America the community has overcome remarkable challenges, and flourished in ways we will only appreciate from the vantage point of future times.

A treasured legacy of profound love, dedication of resources and time - this is the Calgary Ukrainian Festival. And how can you be a part of it!!

Maybe this is your year for adopting a class? Could you provide for Ukrainian lessons for a needy child? Could you provide for someone's Ukrainian dance lessons this year? Could you contribute to a family's spiritual journey via their membership in a church? Could you touch the hearts of the needy through their sense, especially their stomachs - send a meal of pyrogies and holubtsi? Contribute to the Ukrainian Canadian Community's advocacy for the homeland? Promote the professional and intellectual resources at the Ukrainian Library at St. Vlads? Get involved in outreach and education through the Pioneer Program at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada Branch here in Calgary?

So many ways to get involved - so many wonderful sights, sounds, and smells - remember to bring the kids for a very friendly, kid centered day, and then plan for the evening zabava - korchma, and dance (of course!! bring your boots!!)

COME FOR THE FUN! STAY FOR THE TREASURE OF COMMUNITY!

Calgary's Fifth Ukrainian Festival 2014

Do you remember hope and enthusiasm of that special day back in May 2010? An amazing festival to present to Calgarians, hopeful presenters and guests.... It was supposed to be a sunny spring day, but in typical Calgary fashion, it was a snowy spring day! And an awesome First Calgary Ukrainian Festival brought light, warmth, companionship and great fun to our wonderful city!

The success of that weekend event surpassed all expectations! With line-up crowds spilling out from the foyer onto the street - enthusiastically anticipating and celebrating the day - it was clearly a sign of pent-up community spirit here in Ukrainian Calgary. The very first, of course has led to many more, in fact so many that now Calgary's festival is on the International Ukrainian Festival Map! and if you haven't marked it into your calendar yet, IT IS TIME!



Calgary's FIFTH Ukrainian Festival June 7th and 8th, 2014!

http://www.calgaryukrainianfestival.ca

Points of Light at Festival 2013

Like points of light converging at an intersection, many converging energies gathered at the Ukrainian Festival in Calgary over the June 1-2 weekend creating a a momentary radiance over the Ukrainian community.  In the afterglow, the amazing coordination of volunteer efforts just has to be recognized and acknowledged!  The Calgary Ukrainian Festival is an unusual phenomenon  - Ukrainian culture continues to flourish here in its diasporan form here in Calgary! Great performances, delicious food, quality vendors, and a community vibe - loads of connections!

How is it that we are each called to this kind of communal event?  Well, I have a theory.  We live in popular culture.  We respond rapidly to assimilation, accepting the market model for our lives, even though we really just want to be ourselves - our true selves.  Struggling with identity, we still want to belong to a group - to have some sense of our uniqueness, our individualism, to feel special.  Some people press boundaries trying to be "unique" and "noticed".  Others are willing to sacrifice their ancestral values for security and economic opportunity.  But once you have the economics taken care of, what more can a person accomplish? 

The truth is, family matters, and home matters.  We crave the sights, smells, sounds, and embrace of family.  Family matters.  We can't ignore the fact that though we may be sophisticated city folk, we yearn for the elusive, comforting fragrance of all our past comfort givers.  We are burrowing animals whether we like it or not.

Because our historic lineage is "family", it draws us to that mythical, nostalgic, sentimental homeland called Ukraine.  We thirst to know her, to feel her, to be embraced by her - to recognize ourselves in her culture and values.  A curious thing happens when it happens. It's a blast from the past jolting energy forward through the ages.

When the disparate energies of individuals line up on a meridian like this Ukrainian Festival, it is like pressing on a trigger point.  The energy leaps like a lightening bolt.  Energized!   The stories of ancient times, the dances, the songs, the smells of old sheepskin coats, and the old blanket on the bed with its faint aroma of grandparents all wrapped in Festival excitement!  Rubbing against one another, the friction of ideas, the stimulation of good company, friends of common thought - it was fun!  Hopes and dreams leap forward, what will tomorrow bring?  Looking forward to next Festival already!!

Calgary's Ukrainian Festival - June 1-2, 2013

amk2012

June 1-2, 2013 is almost here! Calgary's Fourth Ukrainian Festival is upon us!   It's becoming a magnet event with representation from across Canada and beyond!  Performers, vendors, guests - and a terrific opportunity to bump into long lost friends!!

With so many award winning Ukrainian dance schools and other performers on stage, it is a constant riot of activity - the kids love having an audience and of course - culture and tradition get loads of applause!  Come for the culture, the traditions, the excitement of community! 

Browsing the vendors guarantees you gifts and trinkets, but even moreso, a new vocabulary of ethnic gift giving.  After all, helping your children appreciate their roots, their heritage, is such an important part of their future too!

Calgary is genuinely fascinated with its roots.  From the mythology involving cowboy hat and spurs, to the reason why grandad was a farm hand way back in the early 1900's Calgarians want to know how our wonderful city came to be.  After the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede last year, we all see the value of connecting and creating, being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves alone! Coming to the Festival is just another way of "people watching", and appreciating their values, their interests, and their dreams!  We have a lot of "cultural capital" right here among community! 

You can enjoy the shows, meet esteemed and rising artists, performers whose talents may astound you, and possibly win a prize or two from the interesting sales booths that bring Ukrainian culture and the Ukrainian idea to eager purchasers.  Campaigning for heritage languages, folk culture, and public acknowledgement of the Ukrainian idea among Calgarians is simply a rite of Canadian passage. 

Wear your Ukrainian clothing!  Get the kids involved in the events!  Come for the shows and a meal!  Bring your camera, your cash and a good pair of walking shoes!  Enjoy the booths, comment on their wares and ask them to bring the stuff you need next time through, create a vibe with your family, friends and neighbors!  The Calgary Ukrainian Festival - version 4 - is bound to be a memorable event - will we see you there?? 

Don't forget the zabava, too!  Do  Zustichi!
Fourth Annual Calgary Ukrainian Festival!
Acadia Recreation Complex, 240 90 Avenue SE
http://www.calgaryukrainianfestival.ca



 

Calgary's Ukrainian Community Volunteers are the Best!

It's great how those in our Ukrainian Community here in Calgary rally together and help each other with their various casinos.  So says the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award Recipient Halya Wilson, (she's our person at the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Calgary), and she would know!  Championing the Ukrainian idea has been her life's work it seems!  In her "spare time", she finds ways to include, embrace and welcome all sorts of admirers of the Ukrainian idea on the prairies. 

 

So if you are in Calgary on the May long weekend, your "spare time" would be greatly appreciated!  If you can help with the fundraiser efforts for Calgary's Echoes of Ukraine, Ukrainian TV on Shaw 89, on either Saturday or Sunday, please contact Christine Musienko at (403)830-1975.

 

Genuine, and heartfelt appreciation to all those who have volunteered.  And an equally heartfelt to those who wish to support in another way - you choose!  Have a great weekend, and enjoy all the amazing spin-offs that come of our Ukrainian Community! 

 

Hey, and while you are filling your "volunteer calendar", I suspect the Calgary Ukrainian Festival people would love to hear from you too!!http://www.calgaryukrainianfestival.ca/contact-us/volunteer-application-form/

Wouldn't you like a Ukrainian Festival TShirt??

 

 

 

Pysanka Specialist Daena Diduck

Calgary's Breakfast Television hosted pysanka specialist Daena Diduck on  March 26, 2013.  Her pysanky have been featured at all of Calgary's 3 Ukrainian Festivals to date, and will again be displayed and instructed in June of 2013 at Calgary's Ukrainian Festival.

On the TV interview, she displayed the various special sizes of eggs to use besides
chicken eggs, pheasant, ostrich, goose and bantum chicken. Explaining the variety of traditional symbols employed, she highlighted that the writing of a pysanka is a gift - a gift of health and good will. Enjoy the video below and see Daena soon at the Festival!

Ukrainian Easter Eggs - Mar 26th (05:17)

It's the season to be artistic! Ukrainian egg decorator, Daena Diduck gives us a few simple ideas on how to decorate eggs for the holiday.



http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2254935411001.000000/ukrainian-easter-eggs--mar-26th/

Calgary's GlobalFest -August 26-26, 2012

Calgary is the host city for so many summer festivals, with many opportunities for celebrating our lovely city.  2012 also marks the 10th Anniversary of Calgary's GlobalFest.  This multicultural festival is simply world class!  With all the pavilions set up in Elliston Park representing a huge variety of cultures cooperating to make a better Calgary, the event is topped off with a fabulous international fireworks competition. Calgary's Ukrainian Tryzub Dancers will host the Ukrainian pavilion, and provide tasty Ukrainian food for the guests while delivering their unique brand of Ukrainian dance in their performances on various stages throughout the park.
Globalfest takes place from August 16-26 at Elliston Park, 17 Av and 68 St SE. 
The Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will be featured during the Sunday August 26 finale performance. Dancing to live music performed by the Kensington Sinfonia and joined by several alumni dancers, this is guaranteed to be an exciting, explosive conclusion to GlobalFest 2012.

Come with your friends and family for a fun experience - get to know the culture side of Calgary!!

Support Tryzub by purchasing your Globalfest tickets through the web link provided below. Ticket prices are $10 per night, or five nights (not including the finale) for $40 (regular price $15/ticket). August 26 Finale tickets are $15 each. Please contact Tryzub at info@tryzub.ca to purchase your tickets now!

You can also see the Globalfest website for more details: www.globalfest.ca

 

Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 Photo Tour

Art by Larisa

Congratulations to Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 on a lovely celebration!  I arrived early Saturday to see a flurry of busyness - upwards of 200 volunteers showed up to make this great event happen - and wow did it happen!  The venue was set up theatre style, with vendors and exhibits lining three sides of the hall.  Artfully displayed, entertaining exhibits, and stores to shop in made for a great walk-about.  I really appreciated the way the organizing committee accomodated a variety of interests, price points, age groups, and entertainment styles. 

Calgary's Europa Express

Local Ukrainian vendors, some from across the prairies, and as far away as Quebec brought excellent Ukrainian themed items for purchase. 

Dolls by Sandra

Berehynya Art and Adornment by Luba Bilash

Edmonton's Ukrainian Book Store

Items from Yevshan.com

Baba's Records

The performers included everyone from Euphoria Band from Edmonton, to little 4 year old dancers who held the stage quite admirably.  Dancing groups included Tryzub, Barvinok, Suzirya and perhaps a few I didn't catch. 

Ukrainian Voice - Holos Newspaper

A singing duo from Winnipeg, a display from the Ukrainian Voice Paper - Ukrainskiy Holos (100 years of service in Canada) and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (Calgary Collection) brought up the historical connection,

Ukrainian Museum of Canada - Calgary Collection

while the newer arrivals from Ukraine including singer Andrij Yevtushenko and many others came dressed in contemporary adaptations with Ukrainian traditional designs. 

Beautiful contemporary adaptations of Ukrainian traditional clothing

ACUA - Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts displayed a wide variety of art works, watercolors, mixed media, oils, and acrylic paintings, textile art by Elizabeth Holinaty, as well as jewellery items, and interesting hand woven samplers as gift cards.  Impressive art works by Ukrainian Albertan's certainly caught many by surprise - many paintings went home in the hands of happy purchasers!!

St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Sadochok (Preschool) in Calgary

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation

A variety of important Ukrainian Canadian services took part in the Festival - and promoted programs as widely different as Calgary's only Ukrainian Bilingual Preschool, Canada's Shevchenko Foundation, Medical Mercy Canada which annually helps small towns and villages in Ukraine with medical care, the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation helping the Ukrainian Catholic University. 

A flower hair clip made with the help of one of the Festival volunteers. 

                
                 There was a volunteer run kids center, for crafts and coloring, and a breather.  Little children had the opportunity to make crafts to wear, and if you were hungry there were a variety of traditional foods available for a meal. 

Ollie's Homestyle Catering

On top of the non stop action on stage, I was told that a very special guest arrived at the Festival late Sunday afternoon.  After the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchal visit with Calgary's Ukrainian Catholic community, Patriarch Sviatoslav came to see the Festival - sat in the front row and enjoyed the entertainment. 

An impressive, successful 3rd Festival for Calgarians to enjoy - Perhaps next year you should join in?

Ukrainian Dancing in Calgary

Ukrainian Dancing is alive and well in Calgary!  There seem to be so many dance schools!  Well, at the Calgary Ukrainian Festival this June 2012, audiences were entertained by many, diverse, and talented groups of Ukrainian dancers.  I saw little children - seemed like maybe 4 or 5 years old - take the stage for solo dancing!  Imagine having the stage presence, the personal discipline, the ability to handle a crowd, to stay focused!  Wow, these little ones learn a lot about life through Ukrainian dancing.   

 The costumes were widely disparate.Everything from costumes that looked like little wind up dollies, to traditional Hutsul, Transcarpathian, Bukovinian - the clothing was colorful, practical and comfortable.  One girl told me she prefers to wear her Ukrainian clothing at these festivals, especially when it is hot - she can't stand sweating in a t-shirt and jeans.  Plus, she enjoys being recognized, and showing off her ancestral heritage.

 I particularly enjoyed the large montage performance of upwards of 30 children on stage - they had to have some real idea of space, time, and coordination!  How does a little person remember when to go on, when to take their turn, how to respond to an audience - in this case an adoring audience?  Clearly these little dancers, and their dance school teachers are onto something!  I'll bet a lot of learning goes on on all sides!

Perhaps the best performances were the adult groups though.  The fact that so many "grown ups" are still enjoying their traditional Ukrainian dance forms just makes me happy.  Whether it is for fitness, for companionship, for fun, or maybe even because it is an expression of some sense of identity with the whole Ukrainian thing, it is just great!

Congratulations to all the dancers - you had audiences cheering, little people enthralled, and parents and guests amazed by your talent!

Pysanky - The Ukrainian Easter Egg

The Ukrainian Easter Egg, the Pysanka, is recognized world over, as a miniature masterpiece, a perfect little "symbol of the universe", and it all fits into your hand.  The evolution of this little work of genius traces the traditions, beliefs, thoughts and feelings of the common person, representing life itself, through aesthetically pleasing symbols and ornaments. 

Deana Diduch at the Calgary Ukrainian Festival

Pysanky can be found in museums everywhere in the world, and in cultural heritage collections far and wide.  They appear in collections everywhere the Ukrainian diaspora has set roots, and then some.  Hugely disparate aesthetic tastes everywhere appreciate the Ukrainian pysanky as some of the finest examples of Ukrainian traditional art.

The pysanka represents life itself.  A tiny symbol of life - the egg, onto which symbols of joy, travails, faith, beauty and pain are written, over the course of time dries up and becomes a beautiful little tomb.  It's the story of life itself, a universal expression, a symbol of birth, life, death, with the hope of resurrection. 

Deana Diduch was demonstrating this beautiful art at the Calgary Ukrainian  Festival in June 2012.  Formerly from Saskatchewan, this Calgarian cherishes her ancestral heritage, and sees the future in every pysanka she writes.  Breathing life into the designs, she knows that besides appreciating their aesthetic value, they are a little talisman of good fortune.  If you have ever received a gift of a pysanka, you have to recognize the deeply personal sentiment it carries.  The pysanky in her collection are truly masterworks, intricate and layered with symbolism, which make them both deeply traditional and fetchingly contemporary. 

                                                                  Imagine one, or perhaps a handful of these beautiful pysanky displayed in your home.  You could select designs for their symbols, or perhaps select them for the stories they tell.  It would be amazing to have a collection such as Deana's in a color coordinated to your home decor!

You write a pysanka.  Using a traditional writing tool called a kistka, you deposit melted bee's wax through a little funnel, onto a raw egg.  The wax becomes embedded in the egg shell, afterwhich you dip the egg in colored dye.  This "batik" process is repeated over a sequence of lighter to darker color dyes.  With the design perfectly encased in beeswax, one gently melts the wax both to reveal the design and give the egg shell a polished luster.  Over the course of time, the porous eggshell allows the egg contents to dry to dust, leaving a perfectly firm eggshell which can be preserved for tens of years, or more. 

                                                                             If you are in Calgary, you may want to purchase supplies to make Pysanky yourself.  Remember to consult with a truly qualified instructor - there are many who "have done Ukrainian eggs" but have very little deep understanding of the symbols and traditions.  I have seen "experts" allow children to scribble designs on the egg, which misses the perfect opportunity to help little ones recognize symbols in their daily lives.  We are, afterall, the symbolic species. 

I know the women at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Calgary Collection at 404 Meredith Road NE, 403-264-3437, have a gift shop where they sell the pysanka supplies.  Recently I purchased a beginners kit for $12! You can get to Europa Express on Edmonton Trail NE, but then again you can go online to http://www.yevshan.com/ for more.

Learning to do pysanky is a very beautiful thing.  If you are ambitious you can take a class through ACUA,  The Alberta Council for Ukrainian Arts, but lately I have heard there are many arts schools that have embedded Pysanka art in their curricula.  Amazingly, someone recently told me that there is an art college in Nova Scotia where hundreds of neophites are learning how to make this "masterpiece in your hand".  Perhaps you might join the trend?