Thank you to the participants of the festival “Vyshyvanka Unites”

Our Facebook feed is blooming with the colours of Ukrainian embroidery, your smiles and words of thanks after the festival “Vyshyvanka Unites”. We too want to thank you for the chance to be together like family. You are amazing, our dear friends!

Ukraine, Estonia, Poland, Armenia, Turkey and Japan – representatives of these countries took part in “Vyshyvanka Unites” this year, and just imagine how many guests came from other countries – the USA, Britain, Lithuania, Czechia, Latvia, Spain, Finland, Peru and more!

A big team of friends, partners and like-minded people worked to create our celebration:

• We thank the Estonian Open Air Museum Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum / Estonian Open Air Museum and Einike Sooväli for co-organising and supporting the festival! Thank you for your hospitality!
  
  
• We thank Integratsiooni Sihtasutus and Kultuuriministeerium for supporting the festival, and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia for its all-round assistance!
  
  
• We thank our partners who supported the festival: O.Z.Company – Work in Estonia, MTÜ Mondo, E-Governance Academy, Eluliin Mittetulundusühing, Nova Post Eesti, Kj Tours, AITAN KAITSTA, Spilno_ee, FC Molfar, Kaitseliit!
  
  
• We thank all the Ukrainian organisations that helped organise and took part in the celebration: the Ukrainian Youth Association in Estonia, the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Society PROSVITA, the dance ensemble “Kolor”, the Ukrainian art studio “MRIJA”, the Ukrainian association Spohad of Paide, Ukraina Meedia Druzi MTÜ, Art Studio “Anima”, MTÜ Spilno Library, KOLO (Tartu), OÜ Gumor UA, the Ukrainian Day Centre in Pärnu and others.
  
  
• We thank the artists and performers, dance and vocal groups, singers and dancers who created a true celebration uniting the cultures of Ukraine, Estonia, Poland and Japan!
  
  
• We thank the whole team of the performance “Ukrainian Wedding” and the group Dzherelo for the unforgettable festive atmosphere, Nina Gets for the costumes of the wedding party, Aleksandra Oleinyk for the lovely wildflower bouquet for the bride, and Julia Sweetbakery for the delicious, fragrant korovai and kalach breads!
  
  
• We thank the brand 2 KOLYORY for the chance to hold a show of Ukrainian vyshyvanky and embroidered dresses Два кольори, the brand MOMOT fashion brand for helping complete the looks with modern clothing, and the girls who accepted the invitation to model in the show. We thank GxBar Tallinn and Inna Felt for creating the models’ looks.
  
  
•  We thank the talented participants of the festival fair and the festive raffle. We are sure all our guests were impressed by the variety of items created by our talented women and men in Estonia. Now we definitely know which local makers to recommend – there were about 60 participants at the fair!
  
  
• We thank all the Ukrainian craftspeople who donated lots for our raffle – the guests appreciated your gifts, and I think they will be a lovely reminder of the festival for years to come!
  
  
• We thank the group of Estonian craftswomen Raudrohi and Silvia Aarma, thanks to whom we could watch a carpet being embroidered.
  
  
• We are extremely grateful to our craftswomen, who not only added the most important element – embroidery – to the festive atmosphere but also taught hundreds of visitors this traditional art! We are glad there was huge interest in the workshops: decoupage vyshyvanka by Mariia Tymkiv, embroidery by Svitlana Yatsenko, towel stitches and kachalochky embroidery by Alina Paas, braiding by Yuliia Shevchenko, earring-making with Liza Nevodnycha, gingerbread painting with Iryna Petrova, painting ceramic badges and magnets with Nataliia Kalinina, printing on T-shirts and tote bags with Alla Inno-Yakymenko, origami by Yumiko Kiyima and pictures from natural materials by Kai Tomasberg!
  
  
• Many thanks to craftswoman Olena for the workshop on making victory angels for Ukrainian soldiers and to Mariia Tymkiv for the workshop on making blue-and-yellow ribbon bracelets, which will be sent to soldiers of the Ukrainian army.
  
  
• Many thanks to MTÜ Aitan Kaitsta, thanks to whom everyone could join in weaving camouflage nets, and to the organisation’s volunteers who helped guests make nets and support Ukraine’s defenders.
  
  
• We thank “Faina Ukraina”, “Kanuti / Kanuti Ramen”, Totti Pizza, the Turkish eatery Güllüzadem, “Croissant Taskusse”, “Slava Ukraini” and the Armenian restaurant Papa’s Gril for delicious and unique dishes for the festival guests! We thank Wines From Ukraine and Father Ivan Khristenko for treating guests to wine and monastery beer.
  
  
• Sincere thanks to the volunteer library Spilno_ee and football club “Molfar” for supporting the festival and running activities in the children’s area – children and parents alike were delighted!
  
  
• We thank the team that worked to create the festival: Alex Smirnov, Toivo Kratt and Volodymyr Prokopenko – for organising a comfortable festival space, Anastasia Kozachok – for organising the day’s concert programme and stage, Yuliia Nevodnycha – for organising the catering area and food courts, Tetyana Gorbunova and Mariia Tymkiv – for communication with partners and craftswomen and for organising the workshop area, the camouflage net area and excursions; Antonina Halkina and Tetiana Kovinska – for organising the relaxation and entertainment area; Inna Vnukova – for coordinating and organising volunteer support; Inna Felt – for creating amazing photo zones and decorating the festival; Nataliia Shevchenko – for preparing and organising the vyshyvanka show; Hanna Kiriienko – for coordinating and organising the performance “Ukrainian Wedding”; Margarita Katrenko – for information support and coordinating purchases; Iryna Makushynska – for coordinating the photographers and photos during the festival; Denis Priimägi – for simultaneous interpreting during the event; Serhii Oliinyk and Oleksandr Popov – for hosting the festival; Anna Shulika – for coordinating the fair and festival announcements; and Inna Hordiienko – for leading the project, communicating with media, partners and participants, and tirelessly seeking new opportunities!
  
  
• Special thanks to Allan Teetlaus, who did everything to make the festival “Vyshyvanka Unites” happen and also organised the stage area!
  
  
• We thank Volodymyr Horbenko for the design of all visual products, Print market, in particular Maksym Khodus for all the printed materials for the festival, and Valeriia Konieva for help with print production and design!
  
  
• Aleksandra Rybnikova, Andrii Verkholiak and Dasha Poliakova – for media support of the festival on Radio Druzi!
  
  
• We thank Volodymyr Palamar for all-round assistance and support for the project!
  
  
• We thank our volunteers – the young men who tirelessly helped prepare the venue, from setting up tables to looking after children, and the young women who welcomed and saw off guests, advised, made crafts and… what didn’t they do!
  
  
• We thank every photographer at the event for their special perspective and for preserving such precious moments of the day: Shestakov&Maki, Jana Vorontsova, Nataliia Drozd, Sukhodolska Lilia, Sergei Fridman photography, Oleksandra Khrypunova, Diana Didyk.

Thank you to all the guests who came to our event and donated to the combat unit Kraken Спеціальний підрозділ "Kraken" група підтримки SG! Thanks to you we raised 627 euros, which have already been sent to buy a drone!

We hope we haven’t forgotten anyone)

Look through the photos and be glad that we were all together on this fantastic day.

See you next time!