St. Vladimir Institute ushers in new millennium with a Ukrainian twist (02/27/00)

St. Vladimir Institute ushers in new millennium with a Ukrainian twist

by Larissa Ciupka

TORONTO - You're taking a moonlit stroll on a crisp winter evening. You pass white-washed homes with straw roofs, shops and a domed church. Stars twinkle above. The boughs of evergreen trees sparkle with freshly fallen snow.

Have you been transported back in time to a "selo" (village) in Ukraine? Or are you experiencing Malanka at St. Vladimir Institute - a cultural center and student residence in Toronto - dubbed "the best traditional Malanka in town"? For the 160 revellers who flocked to 620 Spadina Ave. on Friday, January 14, it was the perfect way to bring in the year 2000 - among friends, and with a definitely Ukrainian twist.

The evening began with a cocktail hour. It's not every day you get to hobnob with "chortyky" (little devils) - actually the angelic members of the renowned Arkan Dance Company in disguise - but become engrossed in conversation and your drink may disappear. Or you may receive a kiss from a total stranger (only to discover a sign on your back exhorting others to "Kiss me when my wife isn't looking").

When guests stepped into the dining hall, a magical scene awaited them. Twinkle-lights were strung from the ceiling. Giant canvases of a snow-covered Ukrainian village hung on the walls. Mini-forests of pine trees graced every corner. Terracotta pots sprouting evergreen boughs and red-barked branches served as table centerpieces, adding to the wintry atmosphere.

The decor provided the perfect backdrop for dinner - a veritable feast for the senses. Prepared by Chef Peter Ochitwa of Mad Apples fame, the menu was innovative and, as always, delicious. It appears that haute cuisine has taken a peek at Baba's cookbook: savory syrnyk on spinach sauce with crisp fried beets, breast of capon filled with smoked apple kasha, raspberry and red wine sorbet with poppyseed and white chocolate biscotti.

Before the meal was done, a knock on the door heralded carollers dressed as the traditional Malanka characters. There were chumaky, merchants, fortune tellers, talking animals, Hutsuls, gypsy musicians, and the stars of Ukrainian New Year's Eve: the village busy-body Malanka and the dashing Vasyl. Together, everyone carolled, and then Malanka and Vasyl helped distribute door prizes, generously donated by the St. Vlad's board of directors, with many of the gentlemen winners lining up to give Malanka a good luck smooch.

As revellers enjoyed their dessert, coffee and liqueurs, the fortune tellers and merchants made the rounds, telling fortunes and selling trinkets, thus ensuring a prosperous 2000. All present then further guaranteed the next 365 days would be successful ones by "sowing" each other with wheat, wishing their friends and family health and happiness in the New Year.

With appetites sated and the enjoyable task of sowing completed, the merrymakers adjourned to the ballroom, where the Solovey band kept the party going.

Just before midnight the Arkan dancers presented the premiere of their new dance work, Malanka, which integrated the important elements of the New Year's Eve celebrations. Malanka was removed, and Vasyl was ushered in to welcome the New Year. As the dancers extinguished candles in a dramatic finale, everyone joined hands in a circle and sang "De Zhoda v Rodyni" - a song celebrating the love and harmony of close family and friends.

And what better way to welcome in the year 2000! At St. Vladimir Institute in the heart of downtown Toronto, a village of friends gathered to carol, eat, sow, dance and laugh their way into the new millennium.

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