Danube Day in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Danube Day will be a day of fun, festivities and music but with a serious message — to “celebrate Danube cultures” on behalf of the many cultures and nationalities living in the Danube basin region.  The main celebrations will be held in Vylkove, but other Odesa region towns such as Tatarbunary, Odesa, Kilia, Reni, Bolgrad and Ismail will also be involved.

On 27th June the race will be on, as a convoy of cyclists and yachts will leave Odessa to travel to the Danube delta town of Vylkove. The boats carrying the Danube Day banner will go by sea. The cyclists will go with the task to inform the local people of the villagers and towns about the Danube Day. They will disseminate the leaflets, newsletters and posters among the dwellers of the towns and villages which they will pass through. The cyclists and the boats all aim to arrive to Vylkovo in time to join in the vibrant and colourful Danube Day Celebrations. This will include exhibitions and stalls with local art and traditional crafts, living music and boat trips for people along the Danube. 

The day will be a visual feast to remember, as a brass band will play the famous classic and folk music, open-air fair will work in the main street showing the local traditional crafts and embroidery.  There will be an exhibition of the work of local artist Alexandr Sharonov, who specialises in representing local traditions and cultures. In that day the Museum of fisherman will be opened in Vylkove. There will also be boating for the all wishing along the Danube to enjoy. And it will be possible to test the famous Danube herring. Finally, there will be a grand concert, with folk music from nine folkloric amateur groups. It is planned to invite near 250 such actors.  The main street that runs along the Danube, and the port, where the concert will be held, will be garlanded with flowers, and a symbolic Danube flower wreath will be put into the Danube waters after the official ceremony of the launching of the Danube Day celebration.  The day will finish with a bang, as there will be a disco and fireworks from 9pm!

Month before the celebration, there will be an educational campaign on the basis of the Danube biosphere reservoir infocentre: raising public, especially children awareness of the ecological importance of the river and the need for conservation and environmental protection. Infocentre visitors will received posters, postcards, an ecological newspaper, an Environmental Box, and a booklet entitled “Danube – A River for Life”. These materials and other promotional cds, printed materials and T-shirts will also be distributed through schools, higher educational organisations, libraries and other groups in the Odessa region, thus helping to raise awareness throughout the Danube Delta about the need to protect the water resources and nature, to save the cultures.

Organisers

MAMA-86; MAMA 86 – Tatarbunary; Danube Biosphere Reserve; Odessa Ecological University; Vylkove town council; Ecological Club “Danube”, Vylkove; Vernardskyi Youth Centre, Kilia; environmental NGO “Zhaivoronok”, Kilia; environmental NGO “Eco-Ren”, Reni; southern Ukrainian organistion “Dobra Volia” (good will), Ismail; Worldlab (DEF); Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine, and with the involvement of Odessa oblast Administration and the Departments of culture of the Odesa Oblast Administration.

For further details about Ukraine’s Danube Day, contact:

Ganna TSVIETKOVA, of MAMA-86
e-mail:

Iryna VYHRYSTYUK, of MAMA 86 – Tatarbunary
e-mail:
(04844) 31066;  8(067) 3460842.

Danube Day: uniting Danube people in celebration

For general information view www.danubeday.org or email the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River: .