Ukrainians In Prague Gather For Emotional Cultural Celebration

Ukrainian children applaud a group performing at the Vyshyvanka Fest, which took place in the Holesovice district of Prague on May 19. 

Ukrainian singer and former member of parliament Oksana Bilozir performs during the Vyshyvanka Fest, which is named after Ukraine's traditional embroidered shirts. 

A war-themed magnet for sale at the festival, which featured stalls selling traditional clothing and food. 

Maria Skyba, the organizer of the event, told RFE/RL the idea for the festival came soon after Russia's 2022 invasion as she was teaching the Czech language to Ukrainian children in Prague and found vyshyvankas to give out to her students. 

Crowds watch a performance. 

Skyba says that after her colleague, Lenka Hess Garciova, saw the respect that Ukrainian children held for their national clothing, the Czech woman brought a traditional doll to the class that she had been gifted on her first birthday. "This doll was 40 and Lenka was 41 but it had sat in her cupboard for 40 years." 

"This is how the idea [for the festival] was born, the need to show each other the traditions of our different countries," Skyba told RFE/RL. 
 

A woman weeps during the performance of a patriotic Ukrainian song.

Organizers say the festival was attended by around 1,000 people. 
 

Yulia Krasylenko wears traditional Crimean Tatar clothing shortly after she performed at the festival.

"It's not just a celebration, it's a kind of support," the Crimean Tatar woman told RFE/RL when asked why she took part in the event. "When [Ukrainian] people are scattered across Europe they need to feel they are not alone." 

Yuriy from Kharkiv and Anna from Kyiv dance to the Ukrainian classic song Chervona Ruta. The young couple described the song as "like our second national anthem." 

Ukrainians hold Czech and Ukrainian flags during the performances. 

The Czech Republic has the highest per capita number of Ukrainian refugees in the EU. Some 339,000 Ukrainians currently hold "temporary protection" visas, allowing them to live and work in the country. 

Prague local Tereza learns Ukrainian embroidering techniques with her daughter, Ariana, during a class held in Prague on May 17, two days before the main celebration of Vyshyvanka Fest. 

An embroidering lesson during the May 17 class.

Maria Skyba told RFE/RL that as well as Ukrainians, the festival was attended by people from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. 

The Syavo Band folk ensemble, made up of women from different parts of Ukraine, leaves the stage after performing at the festival on May 19. 

"We plan to organize a two-day Vyshyvanka festival next year and invite more nationalities to take part," Skyba said of plans for the festival's future.