Ukrainian Pysanky (Easter Egg decorating)
Every year during the month preceding Easter, the cottage holds workshops on the ancient tradition of Easter egg decorating. The word “pysanka”comes from the word “pysaty,” to write.  A fresh egg is written on with bee’s wax using a special utensil and dipped into dyes of various colors producing an intricate and delicate design. This makes each egg a piece of art. These workshops are held at different locations.

An Ancient Ukrainian Hospitality Gesture
The ancient tradition to offer a guest bread and salt dates back many centuries and is still practiced today.  Bread is one of the holiest foods because it contains wheat, a staple of life. Salt symbolizes friendship; it will never sour because it is never corrupted by time.

Guests are offered a circular loaf of bread and a mold of salt on an embroidered ceremonial cloth.  The guest accepts the bread and salt with their hands, bowing their head, kissing it, and taking a small amount and handing it back to the host. Later the bread is served or given to the guest to take home.

Ukrainian Festival
An annual three-day “Ukrainian Festival” is sponsored by the House of Ukraine during Labor Day weekend.  A welcome to San Diego event is held on the Friday of the long weekend. On Saturday night a Canadian Ukrainian dance company is invited to perform a concert of Ukrainian folk dance. 

On Labor Day Sunday the House of Pacific Relations Lawn Program is part of the three-day celebration, with the Canadian Ukrainian dancers performing on the outside stage for visitors to Balboa Park.

The Festival concludes with a dinner dance featuring live bands from Canada or Ukraine.

Food Fairs
The House of Pacific Relations Ethnic Food Fair in May features varenyky (hot dumplings), kapusta (cabbage and sourkraut) and kovbasa sandwiches.

Christmas on the Prado in December has the same menu plus hot borsch, Kozak Koffee and Ukrainian beer.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Ukraine occupies an area of 603,700 square kilometers, and is among the largest European countries. Territorially it is larger than France, Spain, Sweden, and Poland.
• In terms of population (50.5 million as of January 1, 1998), Ukraine ranks fifth in Europe after Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
• In its ethnic composition, Ukraine is a multi-ethnic Republic, inhabited by more than 110 ethnic groups, of which Ukrainian (72.7%) are the largest, followed by Russians, Jews, Belarussians, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Poles and Hungarians.
• The largest mountain system is the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, which are part of the Eastern Carpathians.
• The Black Sea borders Ukraine to the south. The Dnieper is the country’s largest river. The deepest river is the Danube. Yalpug is Ukraine’s largest lake in the Danube delta of the Odesa Region.

Learn more in the House of Ukraine website.

Land Area: 603,700 sq km                              
Population:  46,299,862 (July 2007 est.)
Capital City: Kyiv (Kiev)                                        
Language:  Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)
Religion:  Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.)
Form of Government: republic
Economy: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. (read more link below)
Export: ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

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Source: The World Factbook - Ukraine