This year marks the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, and the Ukrainian Seniors' Centre in Sudbury held a celebration Sunday to honour the milestone.
Dozens of Ukrainian-Canadians showed up to hear live music played on traditional Ukrainian instruments like the tsymbaly and bandura, as well as enjoy a plethora of Ukrainian dishes.
Between 1891 and 1914, approximately 170,000 Ukrainians left their homes in Western Ukraine in search of freedom from oppression, with the first Ukrainian settlement in Canada being established near Edmonton.
Today, Canada has the third highest Ukrainian population in the world, behind Ukraine and Russia. Nearly 10,000 Ukrainians fought for Canada in WWI and another 40,000 fought in WWII.
Following the Second World War, another major wave of immigrants from Ukraine made their way to Canada with nearly 35,000 people making Canada their new home.
"We have so much to celebrate today," said Halia Buba, cultural committee chair at the Ukrainian Seniors' Centre. "We have our very own Ukrainian corner right here in downtown Sudbury with Hnatyshyn Park, St. Mary's Church, Barvinok, and this Ukrainian seniors' complex."
Buba's fellow cultural committee member Taras Martyn says that the seniors' centre has evolved and become a hub for Ukrainian culture in Sudbury.
"When Ukrainians first came to Sudbury they were in different smaller pockets, and they needed a place for everyone to gather," said Martyn.
"That's why this place was originally built, as a gathering place, and now it's evolved to a cultural centre for seniors and the entire Ukrainian community for events like today's celebration."
The celebrations will be going until 4 p.m. today at the centre.
"Our Ukrainian story here in Sudbury and the rest of Canada is a testament to the opportunities and possibilities that this great country, Canada, represents," said Buba.
