Chortopolokhy Plast sorority celebrates 50 years of activity at Soyuzivka gathering (05/19/02)

Chortopolokhy Plast sorority celebrates 50 years of activity at Soyuzivka gathering

by Nadia Nynka

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - Members of the Chortopolokhy Plast sorority, together with their families and guests, gathered on April 19-21 at Soyuzivka to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sorority's founding.

The sorority was formed in Philadelphia on December 7, 1951. Its first six members - Marta Tarnawska, Natalka Holowinsky, Ivanna Bilyk, Vira Pak, Anya Maksymowych and Yaroslava Onuferko - were members of Plast in Salzburg, Austria. The founders emigrated to the United States with the end of World War II - determined to continue their scouting - and formed their group. They named their sorority Edelweiss, which harkened back to their days hiking in the Austrian Alps. The group grew in numbers and within a year they officially became "Chortopolokhy" to show their ties to Ukraine.

From its very beginnings, the sorority was very active. In addition to working with the younger Plast groups (novatstvo and yunatstvo) they created a quartet that entertained at many Plast functions, held workshops to teach Ukrainian youths about embroidery, ceramics, pysanky, kylyms and other folk art.

In 1958 the Chortopolokhy established and operated a Ukrainian library in Philadelphia. After more than 30 years of running the library, they turned over its ongoing operation to the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Philadelphia. But to this day individual members of the Chortopolokhy still play an active role in its daily operations.

Today, Chortopolokhy number 77 members - 32 belong to the younger 24th "kurin," or unit, of young adults and 45 belong to the 8th unit of seniors.

To celebrate the sorority's 50th anniversary, nearly 100 people gathered at Soyuzivka. The event started on Friday evening with an informal get-together at Soyuzivka's Kyiv villa. An official opening on Saturday included the formal acceptance of several candidates as full members. In the afternoon individual members had the opportunity to participate in one of several planned trips: horseback riding, visiting several of New York state's wineries, or hiking at Lake Minnewaska. Some timid souls, afraid the weather might turn rainy, stayed close to home base, venturing out once the sun broke through the clouds to hike some of Soyuzivka's trails, or just took the time to sit back, relax and chat with members they had not seen in a while.

The main event of the weekend was the banquet held on Saturday evening in the Veselka building. Tables were set up in a circle around the dining room; they were decorated with tablecloths that featured the purple colors of the Chortopolokhy sorority, and a centerpiece arrangement that included the chortopolokh (thistle) flower on each table. A Plast bonfire was set up in the center of the room, symbolizing the unity and common purpose of all the Chortopolokhy.

Oksana Korduba and Roma Klymkovych, who welcomed the guests, and introduced the "holovnyi chortopolokh" (sorority leader), Marijka Leskiw, led the evening's events. Following the traditional opening with the singing of the Plast hymn and the hymn of the Chortopolokhy, a moment of silence was observed for all deceased Chortopolokhy - Maria Shchuka, Lesia Staruch, Lesia Slobodian, Julianna Ratycz, Halyna Filinska and Bozhenna Filinska.

During the banquet numerous greetings received from other Plast groups were read praising the hard work of the Chortopolokhy. One of the founding members and the first leader of the sorority, Marta Tarnawska, spoke to the gathering about her hopes for the future, while founding member, and the second holovnyi chortopolokh, Mrs. Maksymowych, recounted humorous anecdotes from the past.

To show the gratitude of the Chortopolokhy members to those first six who founded the sorority, a special celebration was held which culminated in presenting these founding members with several gifts that included flowers, a custom-made brooch featuring the chortopolokh flower, and a plaque expressing gratitude for their individual efforts. The gathering sang several versions of "Mnohaya Lita" for their continued good health.

The highlight of the evening was a montage of slides produced by Petro Bokalo with narration written by Sonia Bokalo. The 20-minute slide show provided a visual history of the Chortopolokhy sorority spanning the entire 50 years.

Following several skits and a group sing-along around the bonfire, the evening ended with all present forming a circle and singing the traditional "Sirily u Sumerku" and "Nich Vzhe Ide."

On Sunday, a liturgy and a panakhyda were dedicated to those members who died. Following the Sunday services, the weekend activities were officially closed. There followed many farewells and posing for yet another round of pictures. In her closing remarks, sorority leader Ms. Leskiw declared the first 50 years of the sorority's history closed, and the next 50 officially opened.

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