UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (04/10/05)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Syracuse Plast youths revive tradition of "hahilky"

by Borys Buniak

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Under the direction of Ithaca College student Oksana Buniak, an active Plast counselor, an old Ukrainian tradition was revived in Syracuse, N.Y., on Easter Sunday. For the first time in 15 years, "hahilky" (spring ritual dances) were performed outdoors at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church after the Easter divine liturgy.

The hahilky brought back fond memories for the parishioners and the community while they watched the children dance with enthusiasm despite the cold, damp and windy weather. As the crowd swelled, the children expressed more joyfulness in their performance of the hahilky, including "Zhuchok," "Podolianochka" and "Planting of the Pear." Laughter was brought on with their rendition of "Viyu Vinets," in which Wasyl Buniak led the children into a weaving and unweaving of a human chain.

Those who had gathered to watch remained after the performance to congratulate the children and thank them for bringing back this beautiful Ukrainian tradition, which symbolically welcomes spring and chases away winter. Several grandparents commented on how such a simple dance performed by children could provide a community with welcome feelings of enchantment and warmth after a long, cold winter.

Children prepared for their performance by practicing on Saturdays after Ukrainian studies classes at Lesia Ukrainka School of Ukrainian Studies. Pastor Ivan Kaszczak and Father Vasyl Kadylo were instrumental in announcing this delightful event and expressed their sincere gratitude for the revival of this long-standing Ukrainian tradition.

Ukrainian boys can jump!

by Christine Pavlovsky

NEW YORK - During the National Scholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships (NSIC) held on March 11-13 at the Armory on 168th Street in New York City, the top two places in the high jump were won by Ukrainian boys.

The winning height of 6 feet, 10 inches was cleared by Nick Ponomarenko, 19, of Concord, Mass., while Nick Syzonenko, 17, of Randolph N.J., cleared 6 feet, 8 inches. Four other jumpers from across the United States tied in clearing 6 feet, 6 inches for third through sixth places.

The NSIC is a USA Track and Field sanctioned event. To qualify for this national meet the athletes in various events had to meet a certain criterion during the course of their indoor season.

Mr. Ponomarenko hails from Dnipropetrovsk and has been in the United States for under a year, while Mr. Syzonenko, a second-generation Ukrainian American, is a senior at Randolph High School. Mr. Syzonenko graduated last year from St. Andrew's Ukrainian School in Bound Brook, N.J.

Both young men are looking to continue their athletic careers in college, although neither has yet decided where.

SUM group enjoys field trip to Ashokan Preserve

WHIPPANY, N.J. - We are the Puhachi. We belong to SUM (the Ukrainian American Youth Association) in Whippany, N.J. Our friends from the Goshen, N.Y., SUM branch invited us to go to Ashokan Preserve. So on Sunday, March 6, we got up early in the morning and drove to the Ashokan Preserve near Kingston, N.Y.

When we got to the preserve, Jonathan met us and our friends from Goshen and took us down a trail to a wooden house. They make maple syrup there. He let us taste two different maple syrups. One was fake and one was real. The real one tasted yucky!

Then we went to some trees. They were maple trees. We each got a turn to turn the big drill that makes the hole in the tree to get the sap out for the syrup. We even got a turn to tap the tree with a hammer. When you tap the tree with a hammer, syrup comes out of the tree. The syrup runs into a bucket that hangs on the tree.

After we tapped the tree, Jonathan poured some syrup in the snow and it turned into candy! We all got two pieces. After the syrup comes out of the tree they have to cook it and then they sell it.

When we were done with the maple trees, we ate lunch and got to go blacksmithing and tinsmithing. We each made something and took it home.

We had a lot of fun, even though Oles lost his shoe down a cliff. But, thankfully, Bohdan Woch saved his shoe. This is where we met Magister Mykhailo. He is a SUM teddy bear who has been travelling around the world visiting different SUM oseredky (branches). He is visiting our friends in Goshen right now.

We invited him to come visit with us and he will be coming to Whippany real soon. We are very excited and look forward to seeing him.

- submitted by Tania Bilanych, 7; Oles Gbur, 7; Christia Halibej, 6; and Nicholas Mosuriak, 7.

"Bring-a-Friend-to Church" Sunday in Parma

PARMA - Members of the Junior Ukrainian Orthodox League Chapter of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on Sunday, February 27, held their second annual "Bring-a-Friend-to-Church" Sunday.

Instituted by the parish youth, the purpose is to invite a friend of a different faith to attend the divine liturgy and learn about the Orthodox faith and traditions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. All visiting teenagers were given special name tags and the clergy of the parish addressed the visitors. Each guest also received a gift as a memento of the visit to St. Vladimir's.

Following the liturgy, everyone was invited to the parish center for a breakfast prepared by the Senior UOL Chapter.

Mishanyna

PETRO KONASHEVYCH Sahaidachnyi was a noted HETMAN, or leader of the ZAPOROZHIAN Kozaks, as many of you have probably learned at your local School of Ukrainian Studies.

He was known also as an organizer of the armies of the KOZAKS, Ukraine's famed independent-minded warriors of the 16th and 17th centuries. In addition, he was a notable political and civic leader.

Born around the year 1570 as Petro Konashevych, he received the name SAHAIDACHNYI at the Zaporozhian Sich. He was a member of the ORTHODOX nobility in Halychyna and studied at the OSTROH Academy. For a while he worked for a Kyivan judge.

In 1601 he journeyed to the SICH, the stronghold of the Kozaks, and participated in campaigns against the TURKS and the TATARS. Under his leadership, the Kozaks captured Ochakiv and Perekop in 1607 and towns along the coast in Turkey in 1608, including Sinop and Trabzon, where they destroyed a force of 10,000 Turks and freed many slaves. Sahaidachnyi also led the Kozaks in a campaign against Muscovy (the forerunner of present-day Russia) undertaken with the Polish king in 1618.

Sahaidachnyi's VICTORIES attracted the attention of European RULERS of the time. He succeeded in transforming the Kozaks into a regular military formation and gave their movement the character of a government.

Sahaidachnyi also defended the cultural and religious RIGHTS of the Ukrainian people. He contributed to the establishment of a cultural center in Kyiv and tried to unite the Kozaks' military POWER with that of the clergy and nobility.

One of his most notable battles was at KHOTYN in 1621, where he led an ARMY of 40,000 Kozaks alongside the Polish army and defeated the Turks. Sahaidachnyi died on April 20, 1622, in Kyiv of wounds suffered at Khotyn. He was buried in the monastery of the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood and bequeathed his assets to schools in KYIV and LVIV and for CHURCH causes.

OUR NEXT ISSUE: UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated May 8, please send in your materials by April 29. We especially encourage kids and teens to submit articles and see their names in print. Please include a daytime phone number with your submission. And don't forget to send a photo!

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