Commemoration
The final week of commemorating the 75th Anniversay of the Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine was filled with
various activities for the Ukrainian community of Calgary, and especially for our sumivtsi.
On Thursday, Father Edward Danylo Evanko, who was invited by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, performed
a one-person act "Be well and prosper, my beloved Ukraine". He created and performed this tribute based
on the eyewitness accounts of three Holodomor survivors. Everyone in attendance travelled back in time
and to the conditions of 1933 Kharkiv. We stood alongside the starving looking into storefronts full of
desirable food, with nothing of value to trade. We travelled through train stations full of starving
peasants with swollen bellies and witnessed the destructive results of collectivization on Ukrainian
villages. These historical accounts were interwoven with the beautiful tenor voice of Fr. Evanko singing
Ukrainian songs.
On Friday evening, our sumivtsi gathered at the Monument in honor of the victims of the Holodomor 1932-1933
in Calgary to light candles in a symbolic cross of remembrance.We prayed for the souls of the millions of
Ukrainians who were starved to death by the communist regime in 1932-1933, in what had always been known
as the Breadbasket of Europe.
The fourth Saturday of November, the official day of mourning the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine, was
also passed by the Provincial Government of Alberta on October 30 of this year. On the initiative of the
Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Calgary Branch, this year's commemoration took place at St. Vladimir's
Cultural Centre with an impressive attendance. Guests were greeted by our CYM girls' ensemble singing
"Land of Plenty", written by Stefan Pasicznyk and directed by podruha Beata Pasieka. A large three-panel
display of collected materials about the Holodomor, was prepared by our sumivtsi, also attracted a lot of
interest. Among the invited guests in attendance, were representatives from the municipal, provincial
and federal levels of government, as well as many school board trustees.
A large three-panel
display of collected materials about the Holodomor, was prepared by our sumivtsi, also attracted a lot of
interest. Among the invited guests in attendance, were representatives from the municipal, provincial
and federal levels of government, as well as many school board trustees.
Following a joint remembrance service by clergy of the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox
Churches was a commemorative program. In the program took part the choirs "Slava" and
"Korinnya" as well as the dance troupe "Suzirya". Holodomor survivor in Calgary, Olya Zozula,
addressed the audience and spoke of her experiences in 1932-1933 as a young girl. She read a moving
poem "Twisted Fate", that she wrote. Representatives from many Ukrainian organizations, schools, youth
and dance groups as well as all levels of government, placed wreaths at the marker for the victims of the Holodomor.
At the conclusion of the program, our sumivky served the traditional "Hungry Lunch" of broth and bread, prepared by
the League of Ukrainian Women in Canada, Calgary Branch
In support of the call for all Ukrainians to light a candle in memory of the innocent victims of the
Holodomor, we too lit candles in the windows of our domivka, the Ukrainian Youth
Centre. In addition, our
sumivtsi have each donateda booklet
or two about the Holodomor, to their teachers at English school, which
was prepared by the Holodomor Commemorative Committee. To complete our contribution in keeping the memory
of the victims of the Holodomor alive, sumivtsi will also be serving dinner to the homeless of Calgary, at
the Calgary Drop-In Centre on November 28.
The fourth Saturday of November is officially designated for the remembrance of the victims of the Holodomor,
but we should continuously remember this tragic chapter of our history, so that this never occurs again,
anywhere.
Ukraine remembers - the Worlds acknowledges!
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