Earlier this week, members of the Ukrainian-Australian community performed traditional Ukrainian Christmas carols for an appreciative audience at Parliament House.
For the first time ever, the sound of Ukrainian Christmas carols such as the Ukrainian “Carol of the Bells” (“Shchedryk“ or “Щедрик”) and “Good Evening to You” (“Добрий вечір тобі”) filled the halls of Parliament House, in a beautiful display of culture, tradition and connection to the wider Australian community.
At Parliament House, the event was introduced by Senator Catryna Bilyk and Senator Linda Reynolds , Chair and Co-Chair of the Australia Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, and Kateryna Argyrou, AFUO Co-Chair.
Those who attended received a beautifully wrapped Ukrainian Christmas gift – a brightly coloured Ukrainian Christmas ornament and a card which, when opened, joyfully played “Carol of the Bells”.
The AFUO extends its sincere thanks to the Посольство України в Австралії / Embassy of Ukraine in Australia for assisting with this event; the AFUO’s Future Ukraine for financial assistance; and last but not least, the carollers and supporters from the Sydney and Canberra Ukrainian communities.
Thank you for attending the Parliament House event Minister Don Farrell, Senator Simon Birmingham, Senator James Paterson, Senator Deborah O’Neill, Dr Daniel Mulino MP, Senator David Fawcett, Senator Dave Sharma, Senator Jacqui Lambie and Senator Tammy Tyrrell.
Photography by: Lidiia Svarychevska
