April - 2015

Ukrainian Dance Festivals and Competitions

Ukrainian Dance Festivals and Competitions

There are plenty of them around and they’re all a little different but they each have one thing in common which is they bring Ukrainian dancers together for an amazing exhibition of dance. Some dancers are getting on stage for the very first time while others are already seasoned stage veterans. In this issue we’d like to talk about the festivals in Western Canada, which seems to have more than anywhere else in the world. Ardrossan, Grande Prairie, St. Paul, Veete

Dances from the Saloon

Dances from the Saloon

Every Ukrainian folk dance has its provenance, its history of appearance. Some dances originated from ancient rites, such as roundelays, wedding festivities, physical endurance exercises and even martial arts. But there is also a major stratum of dances borrowed from other peoples or even from posh European saloons. To name a few these are the Belorussian Lavonikha and Kryzhachok, Polish Krakowiak and Mazurka, Czech Polka, Hungarian Czardas, Moldavian Joc, Romanian Invertito

Traditional Ukrainian Jewelry

Traditional Ukrainian Jewelry

Korali are the most traditional Ukrainian necklace. Korali consist of imported coral beads, strung on a thread. The number of strands varies from 1 to 25, each named "razka" (roughly translated as ‘just one’). You could tell the more well-off girls, as they had the thickest coral strands, treated in the shape of ovals and ‘barrels’. Those less wealthy mostly had necklaces with fewer strands and the beads were shaped as small cylinders. Korali were often combined with other el

The Pearl by the Sea

The Pearl by the Sea

Oh, Odessa ... Odessa cannot be just seen – you have to feel it with all your heart, you have to hear, breathe, taste it! This city is a large pot where different cultures and folklore, traditions and customs, languages and cuisines have been mixed together. And trust us, once you’ve had a taste of this place – you’ll keep coming back for more. Odessa’s population is made up of Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Greeks, Moldovans, Gypsies, Romanians... and God knows who else! And th

Types and symbols of Ukrainian embroidery ornaments

Types and symbols of Ukrainian embroidery ornaments

In the ancient times the main ornamental motifs reflected elements of various ancient cults' symbolism. During the long history of embroidery the direct, immediate meaning of symbolic images was gradually lost. However, while ornamental forms have reached our times somewhat transformed, perhaps more abstract, their symbolism was still preserved through traditions. Ancient ornaments can reveal many secrets. Deciphering these, we begin understanding that the language of symbols

Wet Monday

Wet Monday

The second favorite holiday after Easter celebrated and loved in Ukraine, especially by the young, is the so-called ‘Wet Monday’. On this day boys roam the streets with bottles or even buckets of water in search of a "victim". Nearby fountains, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water you can observe real water ‘battles’! But even now, most of these ‘fighters’ as well as the general public have no idea of the origin of the tradition to douse one another with water. For centuri

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