Ukrainian Folk Festival returns to Horsham amid war in Ukraine
As the war continues in Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian Americans will gather in Horsham this month to celebrate their heritage and mourn lives lost.
The festivities are part of the 31st Ukrainian Folk Festival being held Aug. 28 at the Ukrainian American Sport Center on the corner of County Line and Lower State roads.
The festival has great significance in the Ukrainian American community as it represents the anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. While this year’s festival still will be filled with music, dancing and food, it will be a more somber celebration due to the current Russian invasion.
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“Ukrainians are used to these moments and we call it celebrating our culture through a veil of tears. We don't forget what's going on, we don't forget the difficult times. But sometimes, when a nation goes through these difficulties its culture is the one thing that people can hold on to,” said festival organizer Eugene Luciw, who is expecting nearly 3,000 people to attend the event.
To show respect for the people of Ukraine the festival will open with a moment of silence to honor “the sacrifices that have been made,” said Luciw. Additionally, admission to the festival costs $15, with $5 of each ticket donated to humanitarian relief for war victims in Ukraine.
The rest of the day's events, taking place from noon to 8 p.m., include performances by Ukrainian dance ensembles and live music with Ukrainian pop star Iryna Lonchyna taking the stage. Authentic food will also be served throughout the day such as vareniki, or Ukrainian pierogi, and kowbasa, a Ukrainian sausage.
Luciw said the festival is an opportunity to teach Americans about Ukrainian culture and history.
“This is our way of adding to the cultural mosaic that is America,” he said.
Luciw added that the festival is a way to bring awareness to the subjugation Ukrainians have faced from Russia and other empires for centuries.
He spoke about the man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians, which many historians conclude was planned and exacerbated by Russian leader Joseph Stalin to eliminate the country’s independence movement, as one historical event Americans may be unaware of.
“We've been subjected to this kind of attack over and over again. This culture is something that people hold on to as a sign that we will be reborn and that's the essence of why we were going to celebrate under these circumstances,” said Luciw, a first-generation Ukrainian American.
In addition to the dance ensembles and singers, the festival will have a live orchestra from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and a “vendors’ grove” where Ukrainian arts and crafts will be available for purchase.
For Luciw, his favorite part of the festival is the sense of community felt when the Ukrainian community comes together.
“All of the Ukrainian population comes together to celebrate, or even cry on one another's shoulders, sharing emotions and sharing experiences. But then to watch the non-Ukrainian community enter, and become part of us and share all of this with us and in essence become one community experiencing and celebrating our culture. To me is something that's a fantastic thing and is decidedly American,” said Luciw.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ukrainian festival in Horsham to honor lives lost in Russian invasion
