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By Taylor Merkley
For forty years, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village has provided visitors with a unique cultural experience. The open-air museum, complete with costumed interpreters, recreates the lives of one of Canada’s largest immigrant groups from around 1892–1930, and celebrates Ukrainian culture and language in a rural Albertan context. Around 1.2 million Canadians self-identify as Ukrainian, giving Canada the third-largest Ukrainian population in the world (surpassed only by Russia and Ukraine itself). The UCHV allows non-Ukrainians to experience the culture, and Ukrainian-Canadians to rediscover it.
The planting, harvesting, and preparation of food are cornerstones of the village’s daily operations. Cultivated and prepared exactly the way that it would have been done in a circa-1900 Ukrainian-Canadian settlement, the food grown here stays as true as possible to its cultural roots. Lessia Petriv, a senior interpreter in the village, says that the growing and preparation practices are informed by interviews with experts, producing the most accurate results possible. Albertan and Ukrainian agricultural traditions fuse together here to create a truly unique visitor experience.
Food and culture are inextricably linked, according to Lessia. Food preparation for Ukrainian, she says, is more than just a routine task; it’s “a beautiful art performance” that involves all the senses. The beliefs and traditions of Ukrainian culture are tied to food; traditions that have guided Ukrainian culinary processes for generations are now used to affirm and celebrate Ukrainian heritage. Lessia’s role is to teach guests about these practices and to bring to life old Ukrainian traditions.
And on Sunday, September 13, visitors will be invited to participate in these traditions. The Harvest of the Past and Harvest Food Festival invites visitors to experience Ukrainian cuisine and participate in activities like flower and herb drying, feather stripping, wheat grinding, and canning produce. An old-fashioned threshing bee will also be held. Take yourself back in time to early twentieth-century Alberta and enjoy a culinary experience like no other!
For more information, please visit the Village’s website at www.history.ab.ca/ukrainianvillage. The UCHV is located twenty-five minutes east of Edmonton on Highway 16.
This article was posted in Blog and tagged: alberta cuisine culture event food harvest heritage local Ukrainian
