EDITORIAL: Celebrating the 10th (09/02/01)

EDITORIAL

Celebrating the 10th

The gala celebrations in Kyiv of the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence assumed many forms: public and private, official and unofficial, those for the elite, those to which one had to have an official invitation...

Our focus in this piece is the truly public celebrations, the ones we witnessed on the streets of Ukraine's capital city as we opted to be "z narodom" - with the people. The centerpiece of those celebrations was independent Ukraine's largest military parade ever - with over 4,000 military personnel and cadets marching and 300 military vehicles rumbling down the Khreschatyk, as well as a flyover of fighter jets, helicopters and the two largest cargo planes in the world. Yes, it was a military display that some might find reminiscent of Soviet times, but it was also a manifestation of pride in Ukraine and its potential in terms of its people and their talent.

To Ukraine's credit, the August 24 parade also celebrated the country's myriad ethnic groups and its folk ensembles, its athletes and its youth, as well as its history and culture. Perhaps one of the most inspiring moments of the parade was Lysenko's beautiful religious hymn, "Prayer for Ukraine" ("Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi, nam Ukrainu khrany..." - lyrics by Konysky) whose strains were heard down the Khreschatyk at the start of the festivities that day.

The parade's onlookers included all segments of Ukrainian society, people of various ethnic origins and representatives from various Ukrainian groups from beyond the borders of Ukraine. Uniformed members of youth groups were present to watch the parade. Plast members from Ukraine and the United States, and other points abroad, mingled; a large contingent of SUMivtsi participating in a worldwide Zlet was in attendance. It was a day for all to celebrate.

The festivities on the Khreschatyk actually began with the official re-opening on August 23 of Independence Square and the unveiling of a new monument, a 62-meter-high column topped by a somewhat mysterious woman. Just who she was, the public did not seem to know. Officially, however, the structure is known as the monument to Ukraine's independence. So be it. The celebrations continued the next day with more concerts and other events as the city center and, indeed, all parts of the city, were buzzing with people from near and far. The Ukrainian and Russian languages, among others, could be heard throughout, and Ukrainian citizens and guests of all backgrounds were seen proudly wearing blue-and-yellow neckerchiefs and headbands, and waving Ukrainian flags.

During these festive days the Khreschatyk was bedecked with colorful billboards that greeted the public and Ukraine: "Greetings on Independence Day" "On your holiday, dear Ukraine." Others exhorted the public, in poet Volodymyr Sosiura's words, to "Love Ukraine" - a patriotic poem for which the Soviets once had branded him as a "bourgeois nationalist."

Even commercial establishments got into the act. Perhaps most notable was the Reebok shop on the city's main boulevard which offered eloquent greetings on Independence Day to: "All those who are lucky to have been born Ukrainian, who learned at least a few new Ukrainian words during the last 10 years, who root for our team at the Olympics, who vote in the elections, who love the Carpathians, who believe that their future is here, who will never leave this land for the sake of illusory promises of the good life abroad, who are Ukrainian not only because of a stamp in a passport or even despite a stamp in a passport."

It was an inclusive and inspiring message marking the first decade of Ukraine's independence. "Mnohaya Lita, Ukraino!" And "Mnohaya Lita" to all your people, whoever and wherever they may be.

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