Ukrainian Easter Celebration 2023

Join the Ukrainian community on the 16th April to celebrate the Ukrainian Orthodox Easter Sunday! 

In Ukraine, Easter is called Velykden, or The Great Day.  As in many cultures, Velykden is both a religious and secular holiday combining Christian and ancient traditional practices and symbolism.

At 11:30 a.m., the Ukrainian Orthodox Easter service and the blessing of Easter cakes and Easter eggs according to the Ukrainian tradition will be held for the first time in Exeter at St. Peter's Cathedral.

The service will be celebrated in Ukrainian by an Orthodox chaplain, Fr. Yevhen from London, who is a descendant of Ukrainian immigrants and serves at the London Cathedral of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the UK.

A prayer for Ukraine and the Ukrainian army will be read during the service.

At 13:00 we will head to Maketank for potluck lunch event spruced with dynamic activities: pisanki - decorating eggs in Ukrainian style, egg hunt, crafts, art activities and learning a Ukrainian song - vesnyanka.

What to bring:

You can bring a dish or two such as

--Salad

--Fresh baked bread

--Ukrainian Paska (Easter Bread)

--Vegetable dish

--Meat dish

--Cake, dessert

--Soft drink

WHEN: Sunday, 16 April, 1-3pm

WHERE: Maketank, 5 Paris Street, EX1 2JB

Please RSVP if you can - so that we can prepare enough eggs for everyone!

Wear bright colours!

Looking forward to seeing you at Exeter Cathedral or Maketank, or both!

This celebration is made possible with support from  Exeter Communities Together