Return of Ukrainian festival in Dauphin a chance to celebrate culture, be 'part of something bigger'
CBC
Canada's National Ukrainian Festival made a triumphant return to the stage this weekend in Dauphin.
Festival board member Cory Lafontaine said planning for this year's event in the western Manitoba city was unique — it marked not only the first in-person festival since 2019, due to pandemic cancellations, but also the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February.
"We really want you to appreciate Ukrainian culture and everything that it has to offer," Lafontaine said. "There's a lot of history there and with our festival, we try … to do a really good job of getting that message across."
The festival, which started in 1965, offers an immersive experience of Ukrainian culture for visitors to Dauphin — a city of around 8,400, including many people of Ukrainian descent.
Walking through the festival's gates can be a "magical" feeling, Lafontaine said, that takes visitors back to their Ukrainian roots. Food, music and dancing capture the heart of Ukrainian culture and help people feel like they are part of a big community, he said.
"The atmosphere is fantastic this year."
Lafontaine said he cannot speak personally about the war in Ukraine, but has connected with refugees who have relocated to the Parkland region of southwestern Manitoba.
"Here at our festival we've welcomed them with opened arms, and we have some that are actually volunteering with us and we have some that are planning on coming," Lafontaine said.
Organizers were thoughtful in planning festivities because they wanted to respect the ongoing war efforts in Ukraine, he said. The goal was to bring people together and help family and friends connect in person.
Ukrainian newcomers from Brandon, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan have joined that celebration, said Lafontaine.
Carol Ripplinger, president of St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Candiac, Sask., travelled four hours to attend the festival.
She made the journey with a group of more than 30 people. Their campsite has been decorated to celebrate Ukraine with flags, ribbons and a giant flower crown.
"It's a fellowship. It's … being part of something bigger than what's out there and being with 'stand with Ukraine,'" Ripplinger said. "It's important."
This year marked her second time attending the festival, and it feels different because of the war in Ukraine.
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