Your news this week: Thieves out in full force in 2025 - 2 Andrew Rural Academy - 3/14 Fish and Game horn scoring - 15 OPINION: Frightening time for Canada - 4
Proud to be an Independent CANADIAN Publication
FREE
Vol. 20, No. 15, Wednesday, January 15, 2025 www.LamontLeader.com
Malanka celebration welcomes the Ukrainian New Year at St. Michael an exaggerated nurse cosBY JANA SEMENIUK tume and pushing a It was a night of joy as wheelbarrow with the nearly 300 people gathNew Year’s ‘baby’ nestled ered at St. Michael Hall inside. Jan. 11 to celebrate Each actor, volunteers Malanka, the traditional who were recruited from Ukrainian New Year. the crowd, unveiled Organizer Mae themselves at the Adamyk reflected on how parade’s conclusion meaningful the New revealing their true idenYear’s song, “Peace in the tity. Family,” is. Attendees reacted At a later point in the with laughter and cheerevening, a choir made up ing before the old man of volunteers from the character pulled down kitchen, sang the the net from the ceiling to Ukrainian version of the instigate the annual drop song, before singing the of dozens of balloons. more traditional New Children squealed and Year’s song Auld Lang giggled gathering as Syne. many balloons as they Adamyk said she felt could and popping them the song Peace in the to the chagrin of some Family was appropriate standing nearby. in light of the times. Adamyk said the “I feel there's an Malanka Cast originally absence of God or spirituhad 14 characters before ality in the homes and the Millie the Bear was added families don't stick A line of children from Veselka Ukranian dancers perform for the crowd at Malanka. Jana Semeniuk photo. in 2000 to mark the miltogether. They're so busy lennium, and Pany doing things, they forget Veselka Dancers, and a special parade emerging one by one from a back room Kalyna joined the cast in 2005 to mark what the family unit is,” she said. of characters known as the Malanka while Adamyk emceed the parade and “I think it's so important that we Cast. Each member of the cast dons a explained their significance. Among Alberta’s centennial. Although Adamyk was under the have things like this, like we're having costume recreating a legend, as shared the cheeky troupe was a man in long in St Michael when the families are by Adamyk with the crowd, where underwear wearing an old man rubber weather fighting a virus for the past included. You can just feel love radiat- townspeople dressed in different cos- facemask and carrying a candle, signi- month and a half, she said she could ing from their children. Everybody tumes, depicting spirits and animals, fying the old year leaving, a gypsy, not imagine missing one year of looks after each other's children, and and paraded through town until mid- complete with shawl and head scarf, Malanka. “I was sick for almost a month and a that's such a good feeling. And I think night believing the good spirits would carrying a ‘crystal ball’ to bring good that's basically what the communities stay and the bad would disappear New fortune for 2025, and a devil in a red half. I was weak, and didn't care if anyreally need to emphasize now, is fami- Year’s Eve. costume with horned facemask to thing happened or not. And then all of lies.” r e m i n d a sudden, the phone calls kept coming Meanwhile, Adamyk has been organizing c h i l d r e n people of in. And I said, Yes, we’ve got to do Malanka since 1985. The annual event gathered at the naughty this,” she said. “It's seeing the people coming into begins with dinner, prepared by the edges of things they the door and the smiles on everybody's Ironwood Catering in addition to local the dancedid last volunteers, music, a mixture of coun- floor, excityear. The face, and it seems like everybody try, classic rock and traditional ed to see p a r a d e ’ s knows someone, and it's just like famiUkrainian, courtesy of the local Joe the 16 cosfinale was a ly. Seems like there's no strangers here. Mae Adamyk Hrycyk Starlight Band, Ukrainian tumed charv o l u n t e e r Everybody's happy.” MORE PHOTOS PAGE 6 dancing performances by the Lamont a c t e r s dressed in
“
You can just feel love radiating from their children
”