Ukrainians mark Independence Day in St. John's amid ongoing war against their home country
The words independence and freedom have taken on new meaning since Russia's invasion, they say
For Ukrainians in St. John's, their home country's independence day is both an occasion to celebrate and reflect.
That's why a family festival in Bannerman Park on Saturday marked the day with games and live music, but also a photo exhibition on the ongoing war against the country.
"A war exhibition among the beautiful day, the beautiful place where people are hanging out. And still, we have pictures of terrible destroyed houses," said Yuliia Veretennyk, one of the Ukrainian newcomers who organized the event.
"You can show with this how Ukrainians are feeling because every morning, we're waking up reading news, trying to find out if our relatives are alive after the next bombing. And then, we're smiling. We go to work, we go to Costco, we go to stores and we smile to everyone. And we combine those two lives. And this festival is something to show how to be Ukrainian during the war."
Veretennyk was among the first Ukrainians who came to Newfoundland more than two years ago, fleeing her home town Dnipro with her parents, husband and children. She is one of millions of Ukrainians who have left since Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24, 2024.
It's a circumstance that adds meaning to an already important day, she said.
"Russia is trying to take over Ukraine and we're trying to keep our independence. So, it's very important. Now, many people are dying for our independence," said Veretennyk.
"My brother is still there. I lost my cousin, my husband lost his brother in the war. I would like to go home and at least visit my home but because of the war, I cannot do it. And I want Ukraine to be independent as fast as possible, for us to go home and to see our relatives, to visit the graves of our relatives."
Yet, Veretennyk said she also wanted to use the event in a positive way, to educate visitors about Ukrainian culture, music and food. She hopes to secure sponsors to hold similar events in other communities across the Avalon Peninsula, and eventually, across the entire island.
One of Saturday's sponsors was the Avalon Branch of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada, which held its own music and dance festival in St. John's on Saturday evening.
Michael Holden, board member for the federation, said the goal is to organize more events focused on Ukrainian culture across the province.
"That's super important for the Ukrainians that live here, and for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to help understand and welcome them," he said.
The number of Ukrainians in the province, said Holden, has increased significantly since the Russian invasion in 2022, from only about 100 to 4,000 Ukrainian newcomers, and there has been an outpouring of support and solidarity.
"To see families that have to flee certain parts of Ukraine and they have to leave their country because they're so worried about bombings and fighting, I think we can't even imagine that happening in such a peaceful place as Canada," said Holden. "So, I think that is a big reason why the Ukrainian community is getting such tremendous support."
Connecting with locals and having conversations about the ongoing war is also what Kateryna Blinda was hoping to achieve at the event.
As one of the organizers, she was in charge of displaying photos by Ukrainian photojournalist Yan Dobronosov, so local residents could get an idea of the destruction in the country.
"It's never stopped for a single day in Ukraine during the last almost more than two years. And of course, it's really important to remind everybody that we are still fighting for our independence," said Blinda.
"We especially decided to show these photos especially this year, that people can realize that it's not two years ago. Just today, it was two months ago, it was horrible attack in Kyiv when the main children hospital was attacked."
Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, is also where Blinda came from in September 2022, fleeing the war. While she said she is happy to be in Canada, Ukrainian Independence Day has been a day of mixed emotions for the past two years.
"Before that, it was really great celebration. It was a big event for us. Of course, we're very proud that we are Ukrainians. We're really proud that we're from Ukraine. But for today, after Russia invades Ukraine, we just realized what it mean for us," she said.
"It's happy day but it's really sad day for us because Independence Day, it means really a lot for us and we still fighting for our independence."
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