ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The children of Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., administered by the Rev. Roman Badiak, performed Easter hahilky on the church property after the Resurrection matins and liturgy. These hahilky were performed to bring attention to Nadia Savchenko’s unjust imprisonment in Russia.
The ritual folk songs and dances, along with an original spring dance, were choreographed by Nadia Sawa, with the participation of Lena and Natalya Slywka, Alexandra and Alyssa Offerman, Valya Tomashoski, and Adriana and Natalka Boszko from the Kalyna dancers in St. Petersburg.
The revival of this traditional event instilled in the young children a part of the Ukrainian culture that has been handed down from generation to generation and shall continue as long as they are performed for all to enjoy.