Our Annual Yalynka - January 20, 2002

This year, our oseredok held our annual Christmas Yalynka, in which all the cymivtsi participated. We held a program which consisted of many acts put together by our Holovna Vychovnitsya. The program opened with a kolyada entitled "Temnenkaya Nichka" (The Dark Evening), accompanied by the clarinet, while the cymenyata acted out the night Jesus was born. Next, everyone rose to pray and began to say Otshe Nash following the lead by the priest. Now the performance could finally begin.

After the prayer, two of our youngest members recited "The Prayer of the Ukrainian Children", followed by a skit put on by our oldest group, entitled "Recipe for a Wonderful Christmas," which featured several laughs.

All the members of our Oseredok, among them Stepovi Koni, took part in the main production called "What The Snowflake Told" which was written by Lesia Chrapliva. In this play, a small group of boys are decorating a Christmas tree in the CYM building when suddenly it begins to snow. Two snowflakes cling to the window and explain to the boys the wonder of Christmas Eve on Heaven and Earth. The play continues to show three hutsul boys journeying through the snow and hiding from the bolsheviks in order to bring food for Christmas Eve to the povstantsi that are hiding in the Carpathian mountains.

Next was a song sung by all of the cymivtsi, entitled "The Enchanted Christmas Tree", accompanied by the piano, concluding with the poem "With the New Year" written by Ivan Franko.

In addition, a band made up of our oldest group and one member of Stepovi Koni, performed a medley of Christmas carols, including "Boh Predvichnyj" and "Nebo I Zemla."

While the performance was going on, our Batkivshkyj Komitet was busy cooking a dinner for the audience made up of our parents, grandparents, friends, and other family members. They made wonderful tasting borsch as well as holybtsi, pyrohy, and kutya. A special thanks to our head of the Batkivskyj Komitet and the parents for a wonderful meal!!

Everyone who attended this dinner had a wonderful time. Thanks to all who contributed!

Click here to see pictures of our Yalynka.