24 August 2019
(Photo: Intent)
On Independence Day, Odesa traditionally hosts the Vyshyvanka Festival.
The VyshyvankaFestival is an ethnic festival held on Primorsky Boulevard in Odesa. The festival is dedicated to the anniversary of Ukraine's Independence. "The Vyshyvankovy Festival is a multi-structured event with about two dozen different actions, activities and events. Throughout the festival, there are photo zones on Primorsky Boulevard where everyone can take a photo in an embroidered shirt and a fair of folk artists where you can see and buy embroidered shirts and ethnic jewelry, traditional ceramics and Ukrainian books, CDs with Ukrainian music, movies, and various Ukrainian souvenirs. A concert program also takes place.
The Vyshyvanka Festival kicked off on August 23, the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine, with the raising of the blue and yellow national symbol on the Potemkin Stairs, the city's website reports. The 28-meter-long flag was carried over the steps of the legendary Potemkin Stairs by festival participants, civic activists, and students of the Odesa Naval Lyceum to the sounds of the military band of the Center for Military Music of the Ukrainian Navy.
On August 24, in honor of Ukraine's Independence Day, Odesa residents formed a human embroidered chain from the Duke monument to the Sea Port, holding hands. The action was joined by 1248 people wearing embroidered shirts.
Traditionally, Duke de Richelieu received the badge with the first number. This year, Duke wore an embroidered shirt with blue and brown ornaments, which was created in accordance with the peculiarities of Ukrainian national clothes of Odesa region.
On August 24, a convoy of rally participants decorated with national flags drove through the streets of Odesa to the sound of car horns and Ukrainian music. The rally was attended by 25 cars, 4 motorcycles and one ATV.
On August 25, an open-air dictation in Ukrainian was held near the Duke monument. This event was held for the fourth time as part of the Vyshyvanka Festival. The announcer of the mass dictation was the famous Ukrainian writer Lyubko Deresh. This year, three hundred people tested their knowledge of the Ukrainian language. The youngest participant was 9 years old and the oldest was 84 years old. For the dictation, the organizers, together with the writer, chose the text "What We Should Be", based on one of Lubko Deresh's articles. The text raises issues of human unity and civic responsibility.
Traditionally, the dictations were checked by teachers of the Ukrainian language from Odesa educational institutions. The best works written without mistakes were awarded prizes.
"The dictation is a good and positive method of supporting the Ukrainian language. In addition, a common cause always unites, brings people closer together and enriches them emotionally, helps to strengthen society, and draws attention to Ukrainian culture, in particular literature," said Lyubko Deresh.
As part of the Vyshyvanka Festival, everyone could ride the Vyshyvanka tram, which was decorated especially for the holiday and ran on route 4 from Arcadia to Tiraspol Square.
In addition, during the festival, Primorsky Boulevard hosted an exhibition and fair of products by folk artists and manufacturers from all over Ukraine, as well as photo zones. There was also a traveling exhibition of decorative and applied arts and national clothes from the Center of Ukrainian Culture, an art exhibition "Shevchenko's Quantum Leap" by Alexander Grekhov, and concerts by Ukrainian performers in the evenings.
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