In the Sumy region, a village marked the 334th anniversary of its founding.
Traditionally, Village Day in Yunakivka is celebrated on September 21 — the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God. From early morning, the area near the village House of Culture, located in the center of the village in a picturesque park, is lively and crowded. Everyone can find something they enjoy — music plays and songs are sung on the porch of the House of Culture, visitors can enjoy shashlik and other tasty food and drinks, buy sweets, take photos near the “I Love Yunakivka” stand, chat with acquaintances and guests, try their skills at the shooting range, and more. For children, there is plenty of fun — various attractions, competitions, trampolines, and cotton candy, which, by the way, was enjoyed not only by children but also by adults.
Village head Hryhorii Skliarov welcomes guests, responds to greetings, talks with fellow villagers, and eventually invites everyone to the House of Culture to continue the celebration. The cozy and fairly large hall, which has been renovated with new windows and stage curtains and equipped with new drapes, fills almost completely. The ceremonial part is opened by the ensemble of the local House of Culture, performing a song with lyrics written by Hryhorii Skliarov. Yes, indeed, the local head not only skillfully manages the village but also writes poetry and plays the guitar well — he has a creative talent. For Village Day, he wrote a new poem, which he performed on stage, visibly nervous, and was greeted with sincere applause.
Certificates of merit and gifts from the local authorities were awarded to village residents who work for the benefit of the community — truly worthy people. Afterwards, the head of the executive office of the district council, Mykola Okhrimenko, also presented letters of appreciation from the Sumy District Council and the district administration, and the head of the “Iskra” enterprise, Anatolii Kushch, honored the best as well.
The villagers were congratulated by agrarian Serhii Karpenko, who presented a football and expressed hope that a strong football team would also appear in Yunakivka. The deputy of the regional council and chief physician of the central district clinical hospital, Volodymyr Potseluiev, also came as a guest bearing gifts. He presented an icon as well as a children’s computer for the youngsters. By the way, it is worth noting that Yunakivka has managed to preserve its medical outpatient clinic — there is a doctor, nurses, and an emergency medical aid point. Therefore, if anything happens (God forbid), villagers can always rely on the help of their medical staff, whom the local authorities also honored with letters of appreciation. And of course, one cannot fail to mention those who helped organize this celebration and who always respond to requests for assistance — local agrarians Anatolii Zakharchenko, Borys Tkachenko, and the same Anatolii Kushch.
After the ceremonial part concluded, the musical program began — local amateur performers of various age groups took to the stage, as well as guests from Malyi Vystorop and Korovyntsi. The guests from Korovyntsi especially energized the audience — laureates of numerous regional and all-Ukrainian competitions: the folk song ensemble “Ternytsia,” the male vocal ensemble “Koloryt,” a women’s vocal ensemble, and soloist Diana Teslyk. This impressive artistic delegation was led by the village head of Korovyntsi, Serhii Shylo, who also sings in the ensemble. From the stage, he sincerely congratulated the residents of Yunakivka on the holiday and wished them all the best.
Thus, Village Day was a great success! From the bottom of our hearts, we wish the residents of Yunakivka all the very best — as the saying goes, may it be from dew and water!