August 24 is a special date for Ukrainians, because on that day Ukraine broke away from the Soviet Union 31 years ago. But this year everything is different, because of the war that broke out at the beginning of this year. Letting this day pass by quietly doesn’t feel right for a group of Ukrainian refugees in Barsingerhorn, so they organized a big festival today.
Riding school Bucephalus in Barsingerhorn was transformed into a real festival site today. Ukrainian refugees celebrated Independence Day there today. It was grandly decorated in the colors blue and yellow.
The idea came about when Peter Fekkes from Barsingerhorn was talking to a number of Ukrainian refugees who are staying with him. They got into a conversation about holidays and told Peter about their Independence Day on August 24. Peter thought there might be something organized nearby, but that turned out not to be the case. “We googled where there was a festival and it wasn’t there yet,” says Peter.
Something for everyone
The organization has spent weeks organizing the day and there is plenty to experience for children and adults. There is a large bouncy castle, children can be painted, there are Ukrainian snacks and there is a stall that sells shirts, bags and accessories. Oleksandra Solodkova is one of the organizers and is very proud that we have managed to get this festival going. “Everyone wants to celebrate this day because it’s very important to us,” she says, “It’s hard, but I like it.”
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The organization also managed to get a number of Ukrainian artists to Barsingerhorn. They have also fled and live in various places in the Netherlands. Ukrainian Diana Kirtsydeli is very excited to perform in front of this audience. “When the war started I couldn’t find myself, I was very stressed and didn’t know what to do. They found a way for me to share the Ukrainian culture and convey the love for the culture,” she says emotionally.