Plast Malanka 2014

The PLAST Ukrainian Scouting Association of Calgary will be holding its Annual Fundraiser MALANKA on Saturday, January 18, 2014 again at the prestigious Calgary Petroleum Club.  

This sparkling evening of great ambiance, delicious food, really entertaining guest artists, and amazingly good dance band music is simply so enticing you cannot miss it! Featured performances by Vasyl Popadiuk and the Vohon' Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will bring a cultural flair to the evening!  In traditional fashion, PLAST celebrates dance diversity too by hosting two bands for the MALANKA dance floor! The musicians of ZHYTO for the unique jazzy, rock and classic Ukrainian style of Western Canadian polka favorites, and Calgary's own The Real Deal for blues, R& B, funk, soul, swing and beyond.  Really, it is time to plan for this fabulous contemporary MALANKA New Year Eve Gala!

Plast Ukrainian Scouts has an amazingly dedicated body of volunteers working to create a truly vibrant scouting experience for children in Calgary. Quality programs for encouraging Ukrainian identity on the western plains are extremely important for many families - language, culture, the scouting rule, and great community!  

Tickets are available online at  http://www.plast.ca/calgary/malanka/ but you can always contact Roman at 403-241-1781 or Paul at 403-249-3157.   

Bye-Bye Babej!

amk2012

When you meet someone with whom you are "of one mind", "on the same page",  someone who "gets you", it is often such a heart filling experience.  When this person can be in your life, the life of your family, the life of your children, your organization or community, you feel enriched.  Sometimes these people come, sometimes they go, sometimes they just switch seats with others equally dedicated.  Sometimes it is hard to replace that special someone who contributed to your positivity - and you miss them.

Calgary's Plast Ukrainian Scouts community bids farewell to their Chaplain of 5 years this weekend, with a pot luck supper and evening program, and participation in the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  I had the opportunity to visit briefly with Father Peter who will leave Calgary's St. Stephen's parish for St. Josephat's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edmonton.  Happy times in the Plast community have made Calgary a home, if for a brief time.  The cowboy hat, the campfire songs that are a standard it seems in all Plast families, the gentle, embracing humor - it is all part of life in a scouting family - protecting children from the harshness of life while providing them with the embrace of community who believes, like you, that ancestral values, language and culture matter. 

plast calgary2013

Besides his role as Chaplain, Father Peter spent time with the children, of all ages, enjoying roles in campfire games and dramatic plays, simply being a presence - a leader by example. Turns out people enjoy him - and will miss his partcipation at Plast Calgary events. 

Wishing you well Father Peter in your new assignment! 
ps my catchy title comes from specially composed farewell lyrics sung at the program

plast calgary 2013

Spring Songs and Dances Haivky Гаівки, Веснянки

 

stamfordadvocate.com

The cold, frosty breath of winter is fading. A glimmer of sunlight, a warming breeze, and soon the hand of time will rise, enticing spring over the horizon. The continuous walk of life, on the meditative prayer of song rises over sacred groves near the water, and we dance!

This is the Ukrainian sacred tradition from eons ago - the ancient tradition of Haivky, Vesnianky, the ritual group dances, songs, games, and dramatic scenes which chase the winter away!  It is the season of hope, a renewal of love, the gifts of nature return - and we are here - we are happy - we have survived to see the cycle of life return!

Вийди, вийди, сонечко,              Veydi, veydi, sonechko,        Come out Mr. Sun,
Ha дідове полечко.                       Na deedove polechko,          Shine on Grandpa's field,
На бабине зіллячко,                     Na babine, zeeliachko,          Shine on Baba's herbs,
Ha ваше подвір'ячко,                   Na vashe podveeryachko,     Shine on our farmstead,
Ha весняні квіточки,                    Na vesnianee kveetochki,     Shine on the spring flowers,
Ha вeceлi дiтoчки                         Na veselee deetochki,           Shine on the happy children,
Tам вони граються,                      Tam voni hrayout'sia,           They are playing together,
Tебе дожидаються.                       Tebe dozhidai-yout'sia.        They are waiting for you, Mr. Sun.

http://www.ukrainianpreschool.ca/

http://www.mamalisa.com/midi/showupsun.mid

Ukrainian folk songs of the spring tradition are part of the Ukrainian Scouts programs in Calgary, whether in PLAST or SUM.  Both these organizations foster a love of the Ukrainian idea, and what a great idea they have this year!

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, 2013, aftter Easter Morning Liturgy -Великдень- the PLAST Ukrainian Scouts of Calgary are celebrating Paska - a communal meal спільне свяченне of blessed foods from the Easter Basket.  Easter is a time to awaken the positive forces within us, join the ritual, the cycle of life, and connect together through the circle dance of time.  An event full of singing, dances, folk games, spring rituals and dramatic folk tales, they are Calgary's Ukrainian children, celebrating the Good News!

For more information about Ukrainian Scouts in Calgary and their programs, or more information about the event,  please contact these great organizations at http://www.plast.ca/calgary/  and http://cym.org/ca/calgary.

Ukrainian Christmas on World FM

Remember listening to the Ukrainian programs in the evening as a child?  Radio shows from Camrose, Edmonton, and a variety of locales took advantage of the crisp clear winter weather for great long distance radio reception - it was great to listen, to sing along, to hear that everyone was enjoying the season.  It was a way of connecting to the entire Ukrainian diaspora it seemed to me.  Everybody was listening from the farms, from the town, cities, in the vehicles - wonderful!

Thanks to www.worldfm.ca you can listen where ever you may be!  Ukrainian Christmas on World FM has great holiday programming this year.  Make sure to send this contact information to all your family and friends! And PRINT A COPY FOR THE GRANDPARENTS! You can also hear in the Edmonton area on 101.7 FM!

UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS RADIO SPECIALS (all times MT)

101.7 World FM

Monday, January 7, 2013

· 4:00-4:30 pm Christmas music & greetings

· 4:30-5:00 pm Father Kenneth Kearns Bilingual School

· 5:00-5:30 pm Dnipro Choir

· 5:30-6:00 pm Ukrainian Youth Unity (CYM, Liga ukraintsiv, Liga ukrainok, etc.)

· 6:00-6:30 pm St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish

· 6:30-7:00 pm St. John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral

· 7:00-8:00 pm Xmas Liturgical Highlights, St. John’s Cathedral

Friday, January 18, 2013

· 6:00-6:30 pm Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization

· 6:30-7:00 pm Dnipro Choir

NEW FEATURE, JUST IN TIME FOR DRIVING HOME FROM MIDNIGHT MASS OR CELEBRATING WITH FRIENDS

Their overnight, commercial-free World Music montage will feature songs for Julian Christmas:

· 12 Midnight Jan. 6 to 5:00 am Jan. 7, and

· 12 Midnight Jan. 7 to 5:00 am Jan. 8

Ukrainian carols, holiday songs, etc. interspersed with a few Greek and Serbian festive favourites.

Thanks to Roman Brytan  - Program Director - 101.7 World FM

www.worldfm.ca   10212 Jasper Avenue Edmonton Alberta Canada T2J 5A3

780-863-2040 cell; 780-401-1601 office direct

PLAST 100th Anniversary

Kat Owad's photo of Daria Storoschuk and Michael Kyzmyn September 22,2012
 

After the lovely evening of celebrating PLAST's 100th anniversary, Stanichna Marusia Ilnysky and a pantheon of able leaders in the PLAST Calgary group must be feeling remarkably satisfied. What a great time!

The Saturday celebration began with a Divine Liturgy at St. Stephens's Ukrainian Church, followed by a PLAST gathering that honored the littlest scouts, down to the Founder of the International Scouts Movement Lord Baden-Powell, Ukrainian leaders Tysowsky, and honored the recently reposed Oleh Kandyba of Toronto too. It was a very moving event, that all the participants are sure to remember for a while. PLAST leaders from Toronto, and Edmonton's groups were able to participate, as were guests from Kyiv, and across Canada. Grandparents, aunties and uncles all enjoyed the event!

Picture perfect moments included the 100 hands who helped to light the ceremonial vatra in the hall, tableau vignettes of PLAST's history, and an operatic version of Cinderella in Ukrainian acted by PLAST Calgary's parents and instructors. Just so generous and fun!

The banguet meal was delicious, and the generous support from clergy at St. Stephen's made for a perfectly rounded out evening. Proud parents walked the tired little ones out of the facility in a haze of Ukrainian folk songs, folk tales, Ukrainian humor, and community unity. Diakuyou and congratulations to PLAST on their first 100 years of cultural/educational work with Ukrainian youth, here in the diaspora and in Ukraine.

 



Celebrating our Volunteers- Hetman Awards 2012

Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council

Hosting 2012's ANNUAL HETMAN AWARDS

 

Honouring our Ukrainian Community Volunteers !

Acknowledging our amazing Ukrainian Calgary volunteers, this year's Ukrainian Canadian Congress is celebrating some special people from Calgary! 

Volunteers are the heart of our Ukrainian Calgary community, giving of their time, treasure and talent to create a climate in which the Ukrainian idea can thrive here on the Western Canadian prairies.  They honor us, they treasure their heritage, and give selflessly in service to something greater than one individual.  Often their whole families are dedicated to this idea of "paying it forward" in the hopes that future generations may enjoy the services and community life we cherish so. 

Since 1998, UCC Alberta has celebrated these outstanding Albertans of Ukrainian heritage.  Over the years many Albertans, and many Calgarians have been on the honoree list.  In the 2012 year, there are at least three (I know of personally) who are to be honored at the Hetman Awards Gala in Edmonton this fall.  Julianna Michayluk nominated for (among her other talents) her service to CYMK in the youth category, Lessia Savedchuk who has been nominated for her endless enthusiastic contributions and leadership (among other talents) by PLAST Ukrainian Scouts Calgary, and Shirley Din, in the posthumous category, for her many years of dedication and Presidency of the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada- Calgary Branch at St. Vladimir's Congregation, will each be publicly honored. 

Let's publicly recognize those whose long time service has built our community.  If you know the names of other honorees, past or present, you are welcome to comment on this blog, and share the congratulations with all the UkrainianCalgary blog readers.  Congratulations and sincere gratitude to all Hetman Award recipients!!

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Calgary Celebrates 100 years of PLAST

PLAST is Ukrainian Scouts - and this year (2012), is the hundredth anniversary of its beginnings.  Calgary PLAST is participating in the world celebrations with a full evening of activities on September 22nd, 2012.  The evening will begin with a Divine Liturgy celebrated at 4PM at St. Stephen the Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church at 4503-45 Str. SW, followed by a blessing of the centennial tree, supper and zabava.   For more information or tickets, the contact numbers are below. 

 

Шановні пані та панове Просимо переглянути приєднану афішу з приводу святкування 100-річчя Пласту 22 вересня 2012 року. Просимо, також, не забувати зголошувати свою присутність за цією ж електронною адресою. До зустрічі!

By the Campfire

Help us raise funds for "При Ватрі," a commemorative CD for Plast's 100th anniversary, with the objective of giving each UMPZ participant a CD.

In August 2012, over 2,500  Plastuny will meet from around the world in Ukraine to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary. Over the years, life in Plast has been marked by songs that describe the life and activities of Plastuny.

The Lviv stanytsia of Plast, founded in 1995 and boasting some 2,000 members, has produced a commemorative recording in honor of the 100 Anniversary of Plast, called "При Ватрі," with the objective of giving each UMPZ participant a free copy of a CD that they may bring home and listen to with friends and family in all corners of the world. For many, this will be the first recording of Plast songs that they will own. The proceeds from this project will benefit the Lviv stanytsia.

*** Donate Today! ***

The organizers of this recording need your financial support in making this project a reality. Since Plast kurini from around the world have already spent considerable sums for the logistics of UMPZ, the Lviv stanytsia needs to raise an additional $6,000 in the next two weeks (before mid August) in order to pay for the manufacturing of 2,500 Plast 100th anniversary commemorative CDs.

This last minute appeal is a result of insufficient funding from donors in Ukraine, and the organizers are turning to Plastuny around the world to step in and help out, to make the CD a reality. Donations are also accepted on the Yevshan site.

As a thank-you gift for your donation, The Lviv Stanytsia (via Yevshan) will send you:

1 Commemorative “Pry Vatri” CD for a $25 donation - http://www.yevshan.com/main.asp?cid=450&pid=27724
5 Commemorative “Pry Vatri” CDs for a $100 donation $100 - http://www.yevshan.com/main.asp?pid=27725
20 Commemorative “Pry Vatri” CDs for a $250 donation $250 - http://www.yevshan.com/main.asp?pid=27726

The Lviv stanytsia has given Yevshan Communications Inc. from Canada the responsibility of distributing the recordings to donors from around the world.
Please take a moment to "like" this project on Facebook, and Tweet this information to your Plast friends and family. Information on how to donate funds will be up shortly.

*** To contact the organizers in Ukraine regarding this project, please email Oksana Mukha at zhabenia@gmail.com

The Lviv stanytsia's contact info:
address: м. Львів, вул. Шептицьких 16, 79016
telephone/fax: (032) 23-888-26    
Email: lviv@plast.org.ua
www.plast.org.ua

More info about Plast
UMPZ: http://www.plast.org.ua/100/umpz/inforegistration
Canada: http://www.plast.ca/
USA: http://www.plastusa.org/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plast

Please LIKE us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/umpz2012cd

Listen to a montage from the CD here:
http://www.yevshan.com/musicmp3/plastcdmontage.mp3

"При Ватрі"

CD track listing:
1          Табір  (відкриття табору)
2          Цвіт України і краса
3          Гей пластуни, гей юнаки
4          Горить Ватра
5          Гей там у горах високих
6          Марш 23 куреня, загону Червоної калини
7          Вставай Сонце
8          Лицарський Хрест
9          Гей Скобе!
10        Гей - гу , гей – га, таке то в нас життя
11        Найкращі дівчата
12        Казав мені в лісі
13        Чи знаєш ти, найкращу в світі пісню
14        Гав – гу , вовки!
15        Гей мандрують пластуни
16        Зірки мигтять
17        При ватрі
18        Ніч вже йде, за верхи
Total run time: 50 minutes

Виконавці : 2 , 3 – Солісти академічної чоловічої хорової капели «Дударик» та Оксана Муха,  5 – “Samplе Rate” & ”RIZUPS”,  6  -“Screamers”,  7 - «Нічлава», 8 – «Тартак»- Олександр Положинський, 9 – «От Вінта», 10 - Тарас Чубай, 11, 12 -  Назар Омельчук,  13, 14, 15, 16 – Оксана Муха, 17 – Квітка Цісик,18 – Андрій Наконечний

Summer Camp for Calgary's Ukrainian Scouts - PLAST

Such a refreshing summer for a Scouts Camp - Ukrainian Alberta style.  Whether it is the youthful program, the enthusiastic leadership, or the almost "extreme" scouting they have been able to coax out of the teens, for a lot of good reasons, the Ukrainian Scouting movement has captured my admiration. 

Storoschuk

The Ukrainian Scouts - Plast, is the same organization as SCOUTS CANADA, with Baden Powell as the founder.  The Ukrainian Scouting program begin a hundred years ago, then travelled with the post WWII immigrants to all corners of her diaspora community.  Plast Ukrainian Scouts has been in Calgary since the 1980's, and it is indeed a wonderful program for personal development and community involvement. Though a small center, Calgary PLAST has grown, in part because of the influx of new people, but also because it has embraced children of old immigrant families such as mine. 
Weekly activities are like scouts everywhere, with lessons about the world, crafts, sports, charitable works, and cultural activities.  The summer camps are flat out amazing.  The director of the summer camp for the younger children, (held this year at Camp Bar-vi-nok at Pigeon Lake, Alberta) Roman Storoschuk of Calgary, told me they had a fantastic leader to camper ratio this year, the children had lots of care and attention at the water, and during the sometimes tricky crafts activities.  They were pirates this year!



And the program is delivered in a refreshingly sweet and nurturing kind of Ukrainian language that makes every family happy.  Kids songs, child friendly skits, silly camp routines, campfire activities, all in Ukrainian. 

When the little ones advance to the teen groups, they take an oath to the Ukrainian "idea", not a political nor ideological oath. It is such a sweet and romantic "love for my ancestral home" promise that I believe every politician in Ukraine should take this oath.  It could even change the politics a bit!

In any case, if you are interested in a fabulous Scouting program, delivered in Calgary in Ukrainian, consider the contacts below.

http://plast.ca/about/about-en/index.shtml

When is MALANKA 2013? Not too early to book the date!!

The Calgary Plast Ukrainian Scouting Association (PLAST) is again planning for their annual MALANKA!  A really special event, the PLAST MALANKA brings a Calgary Western Flare to the Ukrainian New Year celebration called Malanka.  Plast has a lot of experience with this event, it has been on the calendar each year for.....well at least over 10 years - and each year we dance til the band begs to go home!!



uocvancouver.com

A Ukrainian Malanka is a formerly rural celebration of the New Year. In the deep winter in Ukraine, people would perform traditional plays and skits marking the mystical turn of time.  Calgary PLAST Ukrainan Scouts is also a mix of old and new traditions - each year their program of activities seems to broaden its vision of what is means to be Ukrainian and Canadian.  Calgary PLAST's MALANKA is really a very impressive black tie event in modern downtown Calgary!  It's a special, dress up affair!

Calgary PLAST is again hosting two bands for their 2013 Ukrainian New Years Malanka. Performing that evening will be the two Dance Bands from Calgary, "Zhyto" and "The Real Deal". Also performing will be Stephania Romaniuk, Tanya Chumak, and TRYZUB Dance Ensemble.  Non stop dancing is guaranteed - with a mix of blues, R&B, funk, soul, swing and beyond, and then enthusiatic toetapping traditional Ukrainian dance band sounds, how can you beat it?

I always have such a fun time at Malanka - it's a good party, good company and such a lot of fun seeing friends after the family clutch of the Christmas holidays.  Time to kick up a kolomeyka or something. 

PLAST’s Malanka 2013 will be held on Saturday, January 19, at The Calgary Petroleum Club.

Here's a sample of Zhyto playing - Komaryk - The Mosquito!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v2LKVCbTvM