FACES AND PLACES: Two cultures, two celebrations (09/03/06)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Two cultures, two celebrations

Chicago commemorated the 15th anniversary of Ukrainian independence with a weekend titled "Ukrainian Days."

Sponsored by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, the celebration took place in Smith Park with food booths, kiosks, Ukrainian entertainment and, since this is an important election year in Illinois, a number of local and state politicians.

MB Bank (formerly First Security, or Pevnist) and Selfreliance both had a booth that supplied free bottled water (a welcome gesture on a 90-degree-plus sunny day) and the usual array of souvenir key chains, pens, and bags.

Two young men from Ohio opened a booth selling Ukrainian CDs and T-shirts with a picture of a Kozak, above which was written, in Ukrainian, "Thank God I wasn't born a Muscovite."

Dr. Bohdan and Vira Bodnaruk manned a booth distributing literature related to the Ukrainian Language Society of Chicago, an organization they founded.

The St. Nicholas Church Centennial Committee had a booth with information about the gala banquet at Navy Pier on November 4, as well as commemorative T-shirts. Headed by Nestor Popowych, a successful local architect, the Centennial Committee has been in existence for almost three years, working tirelessly to pull together all the disparate elements of the community into this ambitious, once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

St. Nicholas, it should be noted, is the mother church of all of Chicago's Ukrainian churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike. It was from St. Nicholas that a disenchanted group of parishioners left to found Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the 1920s. It was also from St. Nicholas that another group of disappointed parishioners left to found Ss. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in the 1960s.

UCCA President Paul Bandriwsky presided at the speakers' platform, which included, among others, Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Richard S. Seminack; Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich; Ukraine's Consul General Vasil Korzachenko; the Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Pankratij, pastor of St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the Very Rev. Bohdan Nalysnyk, pastor of St. Nicholas; the Rev. Yaroslav Mendyuk of Ss. Volodymyr and Olha; the Rev. Pavlo Hayda of St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church; Julian Kulas of MB Financial Bank; Bohdan Watral of Selfreliance; this writer and various local politicians.

Gov. Blagojevich, the son of Serbian immigrants, struck a responsive chord among Third Wave Ukrainians when he addressed our common Slavic heritage, his father's hatred of Communist rule of Yugoslavia, and his struggle as the son of an immigrant to become the highest-ranking public official in Illinois.

Ukraine's consul general reminded those present that Ukraine is a young state, still struggling to find itself.

As I walked around Smith Park with Lesia, I felt somewhat uneasy and I didn't know why. The place was packed and yet I ran into few people I knew. There were young people everywhere (a good thing) and, judging by the dress of the girls in their skin-tight slacks and mini-skirts, most were born in Ukraine.

As I later reviewed coverage of the event in Ukrayinske Slovo, one of the many local newspapers published by the Fourth Wave, I realized that I was definitely from a different generation, perhaps even a different culture. In some respects I was celebrating a different Ukrainian Independence Day.

A multi-colored gazette, Ukrayinske Slovo dedicated four color pages to the celebration. Most of the photos were devoted to the entertainment - the spectacular Hromovytsia Dancers, the fashion show, the various duets, quartets - and youths standing together under the slogan "Let's unite, brothers."

The text mentioned some of the speakers, but the emphasis was on the celebration, the joy of the occasion. Gov. Blagojevich was mentioned in passing, as was the consul general, but there was no reference to what they said. Perhaps their remarks will appear in a future issue.

Notice the difference between my focus at the beginning of this column and the emphasis of Ukrayinske Slovo. I wrote about the speakers and the fact of their presence. I thought it significant that the governor of Illinois was at our celebration and spoke about the mutual struggle of Serbians and Ukrainians for independence. Ukrayinske Slovo never mentioned the governor's remarks but ran a picture of Mr. Blagojevich surrounded by young people. There was neither a picture of the consul general nor a summary of his remarks.

As someone who grew up in Ukrainian Chicago, I am accustomed to a different kind of Independence Day commemoration, one in which speakers traditionally condemned Soviet oppression and reminded everyone that Ukraine will rise again. I loved those commemorations. They were predictable and comforting. The more the Soviets were excoriated the better I felt. "Yeh, yeh," I kept telling myself as the speakers went on a tear.

Times have changed. Whom can we condemn today? Our own people? Yushchenko? Yanukovych? Tymoshenko? Kind of difficult given the fact that they're just like us. I spoke at the Chicago celebration reminding the audience of our American past and the need to unite here. The Third Wave occasionally interrupted my remarks with applause. Fourth Wavers had that blank look which said, "huh?"

Am I complaining? No. Fourth wavers can't relate to our past in America because they weren't here. Moreover, they don't care about our experiences. We're stale beer. Many view our struggles to maintain our identity and to keep the hope of a free Ukraine alive as little more than nostalgic tales of people who are fading fast. Some laugh at our old-fashioned - kovbasa, holubtsi and pyrohy - song-and-dance "Ukrainianism." Their goal is making money, not preserving Ukrainian tradition. Fourth Wavers believe they are the future, not us.

They may have a point. Ukrainian Independence Days of the past devoted to January 22 were commemorations of what once was, and was no longer. Ukrainian Independence Days today are celebrations of what is, and will remain forever.

And there's much to celebrate. Think. Ukraine will never again be part of Russia. Ever! Ukraine will never again experience a famine. Ever! Ukrainians will never again be second-class citizens in their own country. Ever! Slava Ukrayini!

Myron Kuropas's e-mail address is: [email protected].

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