A public event for Vyshyvanka Day, an annual celebration of Ukrainian folk traditions, was held in Taipei yesterday, with organizers saying that they hoped to raise awareness of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
The celebration, organized by Taiwan Stands With Ukraine (TSWU), a volunteer organization founded in Taipei in response to the Russian invasion, was held at an outdoor venue near the Guting MRT Station and featured a picnic and market selling Ukrainian food, beer and souvenirs.
TSWU member and Ukrainian Oleksandr Shyn said that Vyshyvanka Day is dedicated to the tradition of embroidering vyshyvanka shirts, which have become a celebrated symbol globally of Ukrainian culture.
Photo: CNA
While Vyshyvanka Day is normally celebrated on the third Sunday in May, with festive events such as picnics, markets and parades, the war has prevented people in Ukraine from enjoying it to the fullest this year, Shyn added.
“But here in Taiwan, the picnic is a great opportunity to show people that Ukrainian culture matters and that it is a beautiful culture,” he said.
Shyn hoped the picnic would raise awareness and bring in more donations, he said, adding that all of the funds raised at the event were to be donated to groups providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“The war is still going on, even though people talk about it less — it is still happening,” he said.
Visitors to the event could buy unique “Ukraine + Taiwan” embroidered stickers, as well as make their own motanka dolls.
Anastasiia Palamarchuk, a Ukrainian who came to Taiwan on an Academia Sinica scholarship and was responsible at yesterday’s event for teaching people how to make the motanka dolls, said that Ukrainians used to keep such dolls in their homes for protection and to bring blessings to their families.
Traditionally associated with fertility, motanka dolls now symbolize healing, protection and family ancestors, Palamarchuk said.
In Ukraine, Palamarchuk said, she made motanka dolls to send to soldiers for good luck.
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
FIVE QUESTIONED: Customers reported faulty kits after Safeway OA Supply Co allegedly imported poor-quality versions from China and sold them as US-made products The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday banned the sale and importation of Flowflex COVID-19 rapid test kits, after 2.37 million flawed kits, allegedly made in China, entered the Taiwanese market and were sold to 13 government agencies. According to regulations, the kits should be manufactured in factories in the US, but the importer allegedly imported poor-quality kits from China illegally and sold them as US-made products, FDA section chief Fu Ying-hsien (傅映先) said. The FDA ordered that all Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests that were imported by Safeway OA Supply Co Ltd (大鑫資訊) be recalled and warned customers against buying or
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
RSS