Easter marks a bittersweet holiday for Ukrainians in the Maritimes
Moncton's Ukrainian community held an Easter bazaar Sunday with traditional painted eggs, Easter bread, sweets, and savoury treats like pierogies and cabbage rolls
The bazaar was held at a community centre on Church Street in downtown Moncton.
Members of the Ukrainian Club of Moncton say it's more important to preserve traditions now than when they were actually living in Ukraine.
“If we don't do that, we may start forgetting who we are,” said Nataliia Haidash, club president. “We also have kids who haven't had this experience of seeing how this is done in Ukraine. For example, my child was born in Canada, so if we don't keep with the traditions, they will grow up without knowing.”
Olesia Bulenok agrees.
“It's us, our traditions, our language, it's who we are. For me as a parent, it's really important as well that my daughters will know all of our traditions and they can speak my language,” said Bulenok.
While the event is festive, it's hard for the Ukrainian community to celebrate when their homeland is at war.
“It's hard to celebrate any kind of family holiday with part of our family and friends in Ukraine, knowing that they won't be able to do normal celebrations,” said Haidash. “It's the same as it is with Christmas or any other holiday.”
Bulenok said it’s very hard for her to feel festive.
“My heart is broken because not everybody is safe there. Not everybody can have Easter bread. Not everybody can have an appropriate celebration,” said Bulenok.
Ivanova said she’s happy her family and friends can gather together in New Brunswick.
“But in Ukraine, it's quite a difficult time and some families can't be together because fathers and sons are in the war right now,” said Ivanova.
There was also an Easter egg workshop held by Julia Khalack for anyone who wanted to learn the intricate details of painting Ukrainian Easter eggs, or Pysanka, by using wax and dyes.
“The egg is a symbol of a new life,” said Khalack.
Khalack said she didn’t know how to make Pysanka until she came to Canada. She was taught by two Ukrainians when she arrived in Moncton.
“Now I’m trying to pass on the tradition and teach it to whoever wants to learn this,” said Khalack.
Proceeds from Sunday’s bazaar will go toward purchasing medical supplies for Ukrainian soldiers back home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.