Ukrainian Independence Folk Festival at Tryzubivka

By Eugene A. Luciw
Photos Courtesy of Christine Syzonenko

Over 2,800 attended the 26th Annual Ukrainian Independence Folk Festival, on Sunday, August 27, at the Ukrainian American Sport Center - Tryzubivka. On this stellar, gorgeous summer afternoon, a cool shady festival glade, adorned with the flags of the United States and Ukraine, and with the vibrant and colorful Ukrainian embroideries, folk arts and crafts, jewelry, emblems, motifs and wares displayed by the vendors, welcomed a very diverse crowd of festival-goers.

Ukrainians, haling, directly or through ancestry, from nearly all regions of Ukraine, demonstrated solidarity with their homeland and her people through their spirited attendance, clothing and accessories: Beautiful embroidered shirts and blouses (including also those of our Crimean Tatar and Kuban Kozak Ukrainians), flags, Tryzubs, Ukrainian sports and thematic jerseys and our beautiful colors and language affirmed the presence of Ukraine’s immortal and immutable spirit, well before the concert had even started.

Many non-Ukrainians attended and came to know and to experience the brilliant nature, culture and history of a people that, with the will, self-sacrifice and moral courage of free men and women, dares to defy Putin and his formidable arsenal of soldiers, arms, tanks, artillery, naval and air forces, advanced resources for foreign intrigue, and institutionalized weapons and mechanisms of mass destruction and deception.

America’s only Ukrainian heritage institution of higher education, Manor College, provided volunteers and manned two community tents. One offered very interesting and intriguing information about the College; the other, sponsored by its Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center, offered displays and still and live master demonstrations and discourse of and about Ukrainian folk artistry, customs and traditions:  embroidery, pysanky Easter Eggs, gerdany jewelry, wood-carving, weaving, folk costumes, etc. 

A bountiful Ukrainian kitchen and BBQ grill served festival - goers tasty meals and desserts. An assortment of tap beers, wines, spirits and other refreshments added to the colors and flavors of the day. 

Also, the Kuban Kozak Society of New Jersey, as well as the Banner of Jasna Gora historical re-enactment group, accented the splendor of the grove with living, walking and talking displays of the clothing, armor, armaments and daily wares from Ukraine’s Kozak era. Their presence and presentation of arms on stage during the festival concert’s opening ceremonies was a brilliant reminder of the struggle of Ukraine’s Kozaks for the freedom, independence and dignity of our ancestral homeland and its people.

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals - Tryzub’s soccer program President, Danylo Nysch, and Anatolij Murha and Julia Stupen, representatives of chief festival sponsor, the Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union of Philadelphia, greeted the audience and introduced this writer as the concert’s master of ceremonies. The opening crematories were underway.
Ukrainian American Veterans Posts 1 (Philadelphia) and 42 (Lehigh Valley), dedicated to the memories of Anthony Bilyi, a young Ukrainian American who sacrificed his life defending Pearl Harbor, and Wolodymyr Palahniuk (“Jack Palance”), respectively, presented the colors. Included was the flag of Crimea and its indigenous Tatar heritage Ukrainian population.

Guest soloist, Philadelphia’s own Yuliya Stupen, delivered masterful renditions of the US and Ukrainian National Anthems, respectively.  The Hymn of the Crimean Tatars was played as well.

Rev. Roman Pitula, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic Church Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, Pastor Viktor Shchypailo of the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and Rev. Protopresbyter Taras Naumenko, pastor of St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Philadelphia, offered prayers and benediction. Then, the Evangelical Baptist male choir sang a wonderful prayer song for Ukraine: “I shall pray silently”. 

Young Crimean Tatars, Akhtem Esatov and Lenura Ziyadin, and representatives of the area Vietnamese American community (led by Teresa Tran, Vicky Ung and Hung Thong Phan), dressed in Tatar and Vietnamese folk garb, respectively, also participated in the opening ceremonies.

Then, a tremendous caste of performers unleashed the “fireworks” of freedom and independence, a robust, colorful, vibrant and briskly paced cascade of Ukrainian music, song and dance that roused the audience time and time again.

As is the tradition at Tryzub, the artists themselves, spearheaded by Voloshky and Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensembles’ artistic directors, Taras Lewyckyj and Andrij Cybyk, and by Efsane Crimean Tatar Ensemble’s artistic director, National Artist of Crimea, Dinara Faisova, designed, created and executed an integrated collaborative concert program.  The artistic unity underscored the theme: “United Ukraine; United with Us”. 

Repeatedly, the Volsohky and Iskra dancers, at times accompanied by Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo’s vibrant violin, having learned each other’s choreographies, took the stage and danced together, as one ensemble. Each number was a dynamic masterpiece that filled the stage with the majesty of Ukrainian dance artistry and generated a seemingly endless stream of encores and audience accolades.

The featured performer, Honored Artist of Ukraine Singer-Songwriter, Iryna Loncyna of Ivano Frankivsk, gave an awesome performance, a carefully crafted and vibrant mix of her own works as well as well-known Ukrainian folk tunes.

Amazing and inspiring performances by violinist Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo, by Vox Ethnika, by the Ariana Lem Joy Trio, by Crimean Tatar singer Uriye Kemenchikli, an Honored Artist of Uzbekistan (to where Stalin had forcibly exiled and cleansed the Crimean Tatar peoples of Ukraine) and, of course, by the Crimean Tatar music, song and dance ensemble “Efsane” (Tatar Legend) completed the mosaic of Ukrainian artistic and national unity.

Throughout the concert Tryzub and the festival-goers received greetings from any number of additional interesting guests: Vladyslava Bondarenko, Ukraine’s Embassy’s to the US Counsellor for Ukrainian Community Outreach who read a letter of greeting from Ambassador Valeriy Chaly; Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA 8th); Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Nichols; Lara Kitain Flynn, Regional Representative for Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), who read a letter of greeting from the Senator; and Aron Momand, President of the Afghani-American community in the US. The MC also extended greetings from Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA 13th) who was kept from attending by a pressing personal matter.

Another stirring moment occurred when Ukraine’s Army Colonel Vitaliy Halitsyn took the stage and addressed the festival-goers. This fine officer is here for special surgical and restorative treatment for injuries to his eyes that occurred on the “Russian front” when a mine exploded in his face. An organization by the name of Revived Soldiers Ukraine, a welcome addition to Tryzub’s community service area had arranged for the Colonel to be treated at Will’s Eye Hospital, under the care of Ukrainian American physician, Jurij Bilyk, MD. Both the hospital and this fine physician are providing this care and treatment pro bono.   

Colonel Halitsyn drew the audience’s attention to Ukraine’s current struggles for freedom and self-determination. He emphasized that the Ukrainian people can, must and will fully attain and celebrate not only their independence, but also the freedom and dignity that promise to be the progeny of the Maidan revolution and movement. He encouraged everyone to take action to assist Ukraine and its people. He expressed heartfelt thanks to the kindness of the Revived Soldiers organization, to its volunteers, to Iryna Lonchyna who had earlier arranged a fundraising concert for the organization,  and, of course, to Wills Eye and the good doctor.

Basil Tarasko (Mr. Baseball, as he is known to his fellow Tryzub Club members), “commissioner” of Ukraine Baseball, presented a special award to Tryzub for its work in helping to develop baseball programs in many orphanages in Ukraine.

Towards the end of the program, The Voloshky and Iskra dancers broke out into a Hopak that was among the most vibrant and majestic that this writer has ever experienced. It was a salute and tribute to the selfless cooperation of the performing artists. One of the highlights was the integration of two Crimean Tatar dancers, Dinara Faisova Arslanova and Yunus Faisov, mother and son, into the show-off portion of the dance.

As the encore music of Hopak continued to play, the MC called all of the performers to the stage for a final good-bye. Jurij Matolak of Vox Ethnika led all in a rousing Mnohaya Lita. Shouts of “Glory to Ukraine” – Glory to its Heroes” closed the concert.

A vibrant Zabava-Dance at the outdoor dance pavilion followed to the tunes of Vox Ethnika. Throughout the day, festival-goers were able to visit vendor’s grove which was chock full of Ukrainian arts and crafts and, in many cases, the artists that created them. Face painting, caricature drawings and a myriad of amusements were available for “kids of all ages”.

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Photo Gallery - Festival 2017
Courtesy of Christine Syzonenko