What to expect at this year’s Malanka celebration

While it might feel like the New Year celebrations have come and gone for many, the Westlock Ukrainian community is still eager to keep the festivities going as they welcome the Ukrainian New Year.

The Westlock and District Ukrainian Cultural Society is hosting its annual Malanka celebration with a 50^thanniversary commemoration of their society on Jan. 13^th, which happens to be Ukrainian New Year’s Eve.

“The fact [the event] falls on a traditional Ukrainian New Year’s Eve is…it’s kind of like the stars aligned,” said Charmaine Babiak, president of the Westlock & District Ukrainian Cultural Society.

The event will take place at the Westlock and District Community Hall, with cocktails at 5 p.m. and a supper catered by Daily Bread Catering beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Performances by the Thorhild Ukrainian Cultural Society and the Westlock Vrozhay dance clubs will also occur that evening, with 50/50 raffles for parents and children and a silent auction happening throughout the night.

A Kolomayka will take place at 11:30, where dancers will gather in a big circle and dance in the centre of the circle either by themselves or with friends, and kick off the fun for the night.

Drinks will be served for $5 at a bar, and a midnight lunch will happen after the New Year's countdown with items brought by the attendees, like veggie and fruit trays and crackers.

Because the event falls on Ukrainian New Year’s Eve, there will be a countdown to midnight and champagne to “bring in the New Year right.”

“It is a lot of fun. It’s all run by the dance society, all volunteers,” Babiak says. “So everyone working that night is part of the society who most likely has a child dancing or is a dancer themselves. It's very, very family-oriented."

This year marks the society’s 50^th anniversary, and the members are still deciding what kind of anniversary festivities to have. But Babiak says that Westlock Vrozhay's dance instructor is currently planning special activities for the society's alums who attend.

Babiak states that despite all the festivities, she is just hoping for everyone to have fun with family and friends and feel a sense of belonging within their culture by keeping Ukrainian traditions alive.

“I do think – now more than ever with the war in Ukraine going on – it’s important to keep those traditions alive,” Babiak explains. “The more I get involved and the longer I’m here, I learn more and more. It’s just really neat to learn that kind of stuff.”

Babiak states that the Ukrainian culture is quite admirable with all its different traditions, and she hopes that this kind of event can showcase those traditions brightly and introduce more new Ukrainians to their cultural society and others within their community. This event is a group effort, and Babiak says every member has a role to play in making this event possible.

“It definitely takes a village to pull this off. There’s a lot of planning and a lot of work. But it’s a great night and we love it.”

Tickets for Malanka are still available at MTech within Westlock or can be purchased online at simplytickets.ca.