Have you ever been to an expedition in your life? Students from Ukraine and Poland are lucky: young researchers from Zhytomyr organized a scientific and ethnographic expedition «Lemkivschyna’s Ways: History, Language, Culture» at the Sarepta Youth Camp in October
In the village of Nowytsia (Poland), where the famous Ukrainian Lemko poet Bohdan-Igor Antonich lived, 20 students studied history, studied the language, folklore and customs of one of the Ukrainian ethnographic groups – Lemkos. The visit to UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Church of St. James the Younger (1604) and the wooden Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1653) were extremely interesting. The biggest open-air museum in Poland – the Museum of Folk Architecture and the Museum of Lemko Culture and the Lemko Wall of Lament – have also struck researchers. The young people came to the village of Komancha, where they met Dariya Boevka, a craftswoman who manufactures clothes with Lemko cuts and patterns. The participants of the expedition were impressed by the private gallery of folk art.
«During the expedition, I had a magical feeling. It was interesting to talk to the Polish. We discussed various topics with them, including politics, Lemkos culture, and the places we visited. In the evening we would often gather at the fire and sing songs both Ukrainian and Polish. Very glad to have taken part in the expedition. I received a lot of pleasant memories and emotions», – said expedition member Andriy Melnyk.
«We have visited many churches and temples. I realized that the culture of Lemkos is in many ways similar to the traditional Ukrainian culture. We liked the attitude of the Polish to the guests: they were all open to us, with respect for our thoughts. I was convinced that Lemkos retained their authenticity and value for history», Anna Petrovska shared her impressions.
What is our language, traditions? The young people sought answers to this question in the materials collected during the expedition. The results of the project organized by Student Club are not only about new knowledge of Lemkos history, language, folklore, beliefs and customs. In the future, all that will be seen and heard will contribute to the awareness of the importance of folk traditions and language, and subsequently will become the basis of future scientific works, articles and publications.
Such initiatives in the framework of Ukrainian-Polish youth exchanges form not only respect for the past. As we learn to respect ourselves, our authenticity, our history and our language, we understand how important it is to cherish our own cultural and historical heritage while respecting our neighbors.