Lac Bellevue Hall was busy with the sounds of music and celebration on Jan 11, as locals from the town and county of St. Paul gathered to celebrate Malanka, the Ukrainian New Year, and bring an end the Ukrainian Christmas season.
The event featured a Ukrainian dancing routine put on by local dancers, music, drinks, and plenty of food. Also featured was a raffle for three door prizes, a quad, and cashes prizes of $200, and $500.
“We always celebrate it this way,” says Shawn Tymchuk, director of the Malanka celebration at Lac Bellevue. “It’s always nice to see these kids come out and dance.”
Tymchuk explains that the Ukrainian tradition of celebrating Malanka has been passed down from generation to generation saying, “In this community, my grandparents have lived here and celebrated the same way, and so have my parents. It’s a tradition we’ve kept, even with the late-night lunch with perogies and cream.”
Tymchuk adds, “This is the second year we’ve celebrated Malanka here at Lac Bellevue Hall. Last year, we had a really good turnout, this year we decided to have dancers from the area perform on stage for guests. We figured it would be an attraction to all the grandparents out there, to see their grandchildren and kids from around the area on stage.”
Tymchuk mentioned that he was grateful to all who attended, and helped organize the event saying, “The hall has always been a family-oriented place, and everyone is welcome.”
