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From Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23, students and staff of IHMS celebrated their unique culture and heritage with Ukrainian Week. The theme for this year was ???Welcoming Spring and Easter???

Monday was a N.U.T. Day – ???No Uniforms Today???. Students and staff wore blue and yellow clothing symbolizing the colours of the Ukrainian flag – a blue sky above a brilliant yellow field of wheat.

Also on Monday, and for every day throughout the week, the students were able to participate in a daily trivia contest that helped them to learn more about Ukrainian spring and Easter traditions. The trivia questions (and answers) were in an information sheet sent home with the students. Students entered their answers for the chance to win a daily prize.

Trivia Questions

Monday: According to Ukrainian beliefs, how would ???Spring???, a beautiful young maiden, arrive?
Answer: ???Spring???  would arrive on the wings of birds.
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Tuesday: What is the Ukrainian word for a beautifully decorated Easter egg with intricate designs?
Answer: Pysanka
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Wednesday: What are three Easter foods found in the Easter basket?
Answer: Paska, babka, ham, cheese, eggs, butter, horseradish.
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Thursday: On what day do Ukrainians use pussy willows to show signs of new life and to recall Jesus??? triumphal entry into Jerusalem?
Answer: Palm Sunday (also known as Verbna or Willow Sunday).
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Friday: When church bells ring on Easter morning, what message are they announcing?
 Answer: Jesus has risen from the dead.

 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, students continued rehearsing for the Ukrainian concert.

 
The classroom doors were decorated with coloured Ukrainian Easter eggs

 

Thursday was another N.U.T. day, in this case, Ukrainian Wear Day. Students were encouraged to wear an article of clothing with either a Ukrainian slogan or design printed on it. They could also wear the outfit they were planning to wear to the dress rehearsal later that afternoon in the gym.

The concert, entitled ???Welcome Spring and Easter??? was also performed that evening at 7:00 p.m. Like the Christmas concert, it was performed twice that day in order to accommodate the work schedules of parents who were unable to make it to the 7:00 p.m. performance.

Friday, March 23rd was the last day for the trivia contest, and the last day before the beginning of the Spring break. Thanks to perogy donations from various Ukrainian Catholic parishes, students enjoyed a delicious perogy lunch served by the IHMS Parents Guild.

At 1:00 p.m., students attended Divine Liturgy at Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral before being dismissed for their spring break.

 

Ukrainian Week was another great success this year. Thank you to Mrs. Wdowiak and Mrs. Stanowych (the school’s Ukrainian teachers), and to Mr. Picklyk and Sr. Anne for planning the activities. Their dedication and hard work made Ukrainian Week 2012 the success that it was.

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