UKRAINE CELEBRATES NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE: Kyiv site of myriad public ceremonies (09/03/00)

UKRAINE CELEBRATES NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE

Kyiv site of myriad public ceremonies

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine celebrated the ninth anniversary of its independence on August 24 in a manner that has become a tradition during the Kuchma years: the laying of flowers at the Shevchenko and then the Hrushevsky monuments in Kyiv, a special session of the Verkhovna Rada at the Ukraina Palace National Concert Hall, a parade on the Khreschatyk followed by pop concerts on the capital's main thoroughfare, and a fireworks display that evening.

Another, newer tradition - the reopening of a rebuilt historical landmark - also continued. Unlike years past, however, this year's grand opening drew protests and demonstrators, putting an edge on an otherwise pleasant late summer day.

A decision by the Kuchma administration to turn the recently reconstructed Uspenskyi Sobor (Dormition Cathedral), part of the historic Kyivan Caves Monastery (Pecherska Lavra), over to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), drew protests and demonstrations from members of Ukraine's two other Orthodox confessions during several Independence Day events, including the ceremonial re-consecration of the rebuilt cathedral.

Nearly 2,000 gathered across the street from the main entrance to the Pecherska Lavra complex to express their dissatisfaction with the decision, but too late for President Leonid Kuchma and other high-level members of his administration to hear. Organizers secretly decided to move the consecration forward an hour to avoid a potentially embarrassing or even violent situation between supporters of the UOC-MP and the UOC - Kyiv Patriarchate. National militia monitored entry to the historic grounds of the monastery at various checkpoints on the streets and allowed only those with special invitations or accreditations to enter.

Some 1,000 UOC-KP faithful also made their displeasure known during a similar demonstration before the Ukraina Palace a day earlier, where President Kuchma, government leaders, lawmakers and several thousand VIP guests gathered to attend a special ceremonial session of the Verkhovna Rada.

The session was followed immediately by a concert of classical and traditional music performed by some of Ukraine's most prominent entertainers. For the first time a musical ensemble from the Ukrainian diaspora was invited to perform during the independence anniversary concert. The honor was bestowed upon the Burlaky men's choir of Toronto.

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ivan Pliusch gave the keynote address during the special parliamentary session, in which he underscored Ukraine's success in developing an egalitarian state that treats all minorities, ethnic and religious, equally. He expressed lawmakers' support for a single, united Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but said that it must be one recognized by the other Orthodox confessions of the world. He also threw a jab at the Russian Orthodox Church for its refusal to grant its Kyiv Metropolia either autonomy or autocephaly.

In a high-flying speech, which gave the impression that the worst has passed, the Parliament chairman proclaimed that the crisis in the economy is over, agricultural reforms are taking hold, bureaucratic organization is well under way, tax reform is on the horizon, the national currency remains stable and "the right of citizens to freedom of information is being secured."

Mr. Pliusch endorsed the amendments to the Constitution currently being prepared after their approval via national referendum in April, which he said would make Ukrainian democracy more effective.

The next morning, in a traditional tribute to the historic figures who planted the seed for a sovereign and independent democratic Ukrainian state, President Kuchma and Chairman Pliusch (Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko was in Hannover, Germany, on government business) laid flowers at memorials to two of Ukraine's best known historic figures: the country's national bard, Taras Shevchenko, and the president of the first independent Ukrainian republic, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, whose monuments are located a couple hundred yards from one another.

The Ukrainian leaders then traveled to the Khreschatyk, the capital's main boulevard, to review the annual Independence Day parade along with tens of thousands of Kyivans. This year's event did not feature the armor and artillery of last year's spectacle. Organizers explained that a decision was made to spare the costs of a full-blown extravaganza in order to make next year's 10th jubilee celebrations as lavish as possible.

The celebrations in Kyiv continued all through the day with a sailing regatta on the Dnipro River, a 10-kilometer run along the city's streets, a huge pop concert attended by at least 100,000 youths on Independence Square, and an extravagant and colorful 30-minute fireworks display that ended the day's events on a sparkling note.

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