Sawt Falasteen - In Athens, refugees celebrate Ukrainian folk traditions in show of unity

Demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags and chanting songs marched through central Athens and past the Greek parliament dressed in the colourful loose-fitting vyshyvanka garment, which has become a symbol of national strength and a cultural weapon against the invasion.

Oxana Kicheniuk Revagka, president of the union of Ukrainians in Greece, said the annual day of celebration was "dedicated to the fight for freedom that Ukraine is leading".

"The vyshyvanka is a traditional costume we wear during parties, weddings, baptisms but also during difficult times," she added.

Vyshyvanka Day, celebrated on May 19, aims to preserve the creation and wearing of such traditional Ukrainian folk clothing. It was inaugurated in 2006 after a student organised a flash mob to make the garment known worldwide.

Vyshyvankas came back into fashion after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and fomented separatist conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Yuri Vichnievsky, 57, said the vyshyvanka was a "symbol of our DNA in Ukraine. Each piece of embroidery, each colour represents a region of Ukraine".

"Although we're smiling today, in our heart we're thinking of our compatriots in Ukraine," added Andreas Doroshkebych, 31, who was sporting a white shirt with red embroidery.

"There are regions where genocides are being perpetrated like in Mariupol or Bucha, innocent people have died."

Mariupol refugee Anastasia Sarbash arrived in Greece a few weeks ago after escaping the devastated port city via Russia, Georgia and Turkey.

"My family is still in Ukraine, in Mariupol. Now I can communicate with them, but I cry for them every day. They still don't have water, internet," said the 29-year-old hospitality worker.

President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians on Thursday to celebrate Vyshyvanka Day, calling the shirt "our sacred amulet in this war".

J.Saleh--SF-PST