Vyshyvanka Unites: Eurovision star Alika to headline Ukrainian festival this Sunday

This Sunday (May 18), hundreds of Ukrainians will gather at the Estonian Open Air Museum for "Vyshyvanka Unites" – a festival celebrating their national culture and costume. With Estonian Eurovision star Alika headlining the event, ERR News found out why "Vyshyvanka Unites" is a celebration of two cultures that care deeply about each other.
There are few symbols as important to Ukrainians as their national costume – the vyshyvanka. A symbol of pride in who they are and where they come from, on the third Thursday in May, Ukrainians around the world celebrate "Vyshyvanka Day" by wearing their beloved national shirts.
This Sunday (May 18), to mark the occasion, the Ukrainian cultural festival "Vyshyvanka Unites" ("Rahvustikand ühendab") will take place at the Estonian Open Air Museum on the outskirts of Tallinn.
Inna Gordienko, head of communications at the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia, told ERR News that "Vyshyvanka Unites" is much more than just a cultural celebration.
"It's a festival of opportunities and connections," Gordienko says. "As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia, we're creating a unique space where tradition meets solidarity."

Last year's Vyshyvanka Day event attracted over 2,500 people to the Estonian Open Air Museum, and this year's promises to be even bigger. According to Gordienko, the day will be packed full of performances by Ukrainian and Estonian collectives, with artists arriving from Narva, Kohtla-Järve, Rakvere, Paide, Keila, and even the island of Saaremaa to take part.
Unwanted wedding
In addition to traditional music throughout the day, there will also be a unique open-air theater performance of classic Ukrainian comedy "Matchmaking at Honcharivka" ("Сватання на Гончарівці") by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko.
The play, which tells a story from the Honcharivka neighborhood of Kharkiv, begins with a domestic quarrel between a married couple – Odarka and Prokip. Their beautiful daughter Ulyana receives a marriage proposal from a wealthy but foolish man called Stetsko. However, Ulyana's heart belongs to someone else – the serf Oleksiy.
To avoid the unwanted wedding, the two lovers resort to a series of tricks with the help of Oleksiy's uncle. In the end, love finds a way as Ulyana marries Oleksiy. There is no happy ever after for the unfortunate Stetsko, however, who is left with only a pumpkin – a traditional Ukrainian symbol meaning "No, I won't marry you.
United by Music
Music will play a central role at "Vyshyvanka Unites," thanks in no small part to Estonian Eurovision star Alika, who is headlining this year's festival.
After finishing eighth in the 2023 Eurovision final in Liverpool with her song "Bridges," Alika went on to dominate last year's Estonian Music Awards, winning five prizes. Since then, the Narva-born singer has also been busy exploring her own Ukrainian roots through music.

Last October, Alika even performed a concert of folk songs, including one tune from Ukraine.
"In my childhood, there was a Ukrainian folk song that my grandmother sang, and I chose it [to perform] at the concert. I [also] asked my Ukrainian aunt for one of the songs. I told her I needed a fun song," Alika said.
"Alika is one of Estonia's brightest stars, and her presence at the festival carries deep meaning," Inna Gordienko told ERR News. Although the songs Alika will perform are still a surprise, "her intention to perform a song in Ukrainian is an emotional and powerful gesture. It shows how music can transcend borders and bring people closer in the most human way," Gordienko said.
She added: "Alika's voice will remind many young Ukrainians that their identity matters – and that even far away from home, they are not forgotten. For young people with Ukrainian roots, especially those growing up abroad, music becomes much more than just entertainment – it is a bridge to identity, a way to feel seen and heard."

"When you hear your language and your story on stage, it helps you feel proud of who you are and where you come from," Gordienko explains. "It's not always easy to hold onto your culture when life changes. But music has a way of anchoring us in something true."
For Ukrainians, a vyshyvanka is much more than just a national costume. The performances on the festival stage this Sunday, too, are far "more than just songs," Gordienko says. "They are the shared heartbeat between two cultures that care deeply about each other. "
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The "Vysyhyvanka Unites" festival takes place at the Estonian Open Air Museum in Tallinn on Sunday, May 18, from midday until 8 p.m.
More information about the "Vyshyvanka Unites" festival is available here and here.
ERR News' feature article about the festival in 2024 can be read here.
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