Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
In celebration of Ukrainian New Year, UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival is hosting Mountain Malanka in town during the second weekend of Jasper in January.
On Jan. 21, in what is the organizer鈥檚 inaugural Mountain Malanka event, the Jasper Activity Centre will be abuzz with food, dancing, music and rich, cultural festivities for residents and visitors lucky enough to have tickets.
While the Gregorian calendar widely-used today marks the turning of a new year on Jan. 1, 鈥淢alanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated (on Jan. 13) for New Year鈥檚 Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar, or what can be called the 鈥極ld New Year,鈥欌�� notes a UFest press release.
鈥淭his is the inaugural event鈥t's something new (and) it's open to everyone, you don't have to be Ukrainian to attend,鈥� said Adrian Warchola, co-chair of the UFest Mountain Malanka organizing committee.
鈥淚t's a nice way of learning a little bit about Ukrainian culture while having a relaxed, good time in Jasper.鈥�
Warchola explained that UFest has been wanting to bring some celebratory events to town for a while, and they co-ordinated Mountain Malanka during Jasper in January with the help of Tourism Jasper and Jasper Event Management.
The event is a fundraiser for the organizers who host the largest Ukrainian festival in Western Canada, with this year鈥檚 celebration taking place in Edmonton鈥檚 Borden Park on May 26 and May 27.
Mountain Malanka will be a family-friendly event that includes a Ukrainian buffet dinner, late night snack and a chance to experience Ukrainian holiday traditions while learning more about the ancient folk origins of the holiday.
The Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton will entertain attendees with carols and traditional songs, the Volya Ukrainian Dancers will perform high-flying tricks and performances and Euphoria, a live Ukrainian band from Edmonton, will have guests dancing the night away with Ukrainian and English music.
The dress code says vyshyvanka and jeans, but if you don鈥檛 have a vyshyvanka 鈥� which is a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt 鈥� just dress to your best mountain casual style, explained Warchola.
The evening will begin with cocktails from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., after which dinner will be served, followed by an evening of entertainment.
Tickets are available only through
There will also be a Pre-Malanka Pub Night on Jan. 20 at the Whistle Stop beginning at 7 p.m. for those looking to get the celebrations started early.
