'We're not being silenced': Ukrainian Day celebrations hold new meaning

An iconic Ukrainian festival northeast of Edmonton wrapped up Sunday with a renewed sense of community, despite the conflict in the European country now spanning half a year.

To help mark the 130th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in Alberta, organizers decided to merge Ukrainian Day celebrations and the Babas and Borsch Festival into one celebration in Lamont County.

"This is the birthplace of where Ukrainians settled," said Hazel Anaka, festival spokesperson.

The weekend festival featured several cultural performances, museum displays, Ukrainian dancing lessons, a borsch cook-off, and a handcrafted market.

Six months ago, when Russia invaded Ukraine, local community leaders debated about hosting the event.

"When the world changed in late February, we did some soul searching to decide if we should even have a live festival or would that appear as insensitive," Anaka said.

Lydia Migus, Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council vice president, told CTV News Edmonton that this year's event ended up holding more meaning than ever.

"This is exactly what the Russian propaganda wants," Migus said. "To separate us and silence us."

"This is our way of saying, 'Hey, we're not being silenced, we're here to stay, and we're going to celebrate our culture, our heritage and our ancestors."

Natalii Tsepukh fled Ukraine with her family three months ago and was surprised to see how many Ukrainians there are in Alberta.

"Many people speak in my language (and) I can speak with them," Tsepukh told CTV News Edmonton as she sold 50/50 tickets at the event.

"This is very important, to celebrate (being) Ukrainian," she added. "We need to help the Ukrainian army with this festival, some money."