Ukrainian Independence Day - 22 years and counting

Children carry flags during the parade

The GTA's Ukrainian Community as well as many other people gathered at Etobicoke's Centennial Park to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Ukraine's independence. We know lots of you came hear on Friday and Saturday to look up information about the event and we hope that you found it on our handy Events and Festivals page! We try to post as many events happening across Ontario as we can on that calendar. Of course, if your organization is having an event and wants us to publicize it, please send the details to marketing@ukrainiancu.com and we will do our best to add it to the calendar.

Thousands came out to enjoy the show on the main stage

Andre Sochaniwsky announces generous funding from
Ukrainian Credit Union Limited which makes the event possible.
Other sponsors included Caravan Logistics, the Zaraska Family,
 BC Foundation and Starsky's

Anyway, on to the Independence Day celebrations. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited was proud to be the key sponsor of this event. It's a time for the Ukrainian-Canadian community and our friends and neighbours from the wider Canadian community to celebrate what is to us a very important day. Ukraine has been a country for over a millenium, with the first Ukrainian state coalescing around Slavic tribes living in the Kyiv area in the late 700s AD. However, since the 1300s AD, Ukraine has had only brief moments of existence as an independent country. Various empires and other powerful neighbours have come and gone, some, like the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire, were viciously inhuman in their treatment of the local Ukrainian population, others were somewhat more benign, but still, a people wants to have a place to call their own.

Every August 24th is a time for Ukrainians of all walks of life, all political stripes, all ethnic backgrounds to get together and celebrate as one.

You can see many more pictures of the day on our FB page in the Ukrainian Independence Day Celebrations album.

One of the many dance troops that showed off their
moves on stage during the day.