'We are brave': Ukrainian refugees in Saskatoon celebrate their heritage
Nataliia Sopotyk wears her vyshyvanka proudly, showing off the intricate details in each stitch.
The embroidered shirt was handmade by her mother Svitlana, who says they take her about a year to complete, working on them in her spare time.
The Sopotyks are now in Saskatoon staying with distant cousins after escaping the Russian invasion two weeks ago.
They’re celebrating World Vyshyvanka Day by wearing the embroidered blouses they brought with them. The day has heightened meaning with everyone left behind in their home including their father and husband who is a doctor.
“It’s a symbol of Ukraine and that’s why we should wear this blouse or vyshyvanka as a symbol that we are brave and we can win this war,” Sopotyk told CTV News.
The commemoration day started in 2006 in their home city of Chernivtsi — Saskatoon’s sister city. The goal is to showcase this Ukrainian symbol to the world.
Oksana Kupetska, an artist in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, says the vyshyvanka is the genetic code of the country. The symbols she makes, such as flowers or plants, have specific meanings.
“The plant elements symbolize purity and development of life,” Oksana Kupetska told CTV News.
There are different symbols for each letter of the alphabet and shapes and symbols for each day and month, Kupetska said.
Seeing people in Saskatoon and Canada wearing their vyshyvanka is heartwarming to see, Sopatyk says.
“It’s good because people who don’t live in Ukraine, they live in Canada and they support our holiday, our vyshyvanka day. It's nice,” she said.
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