Ukraine Easter Celebration
St Edmundsbury Cathedral to host a Celebration of the Ukrainian Easter Night
On Saturday 15 April, St Edmundsbury Cathedral will host a Celebration of the Ukrainian Easter Night with the
Ukrainian community in Suffolk. This will be a unique opportunity for people to experience the spirit of the
Ukrainian Easter, Velykden, the date of Easter in Ukraine being a week after that of ours.
The celebration will start at 5.00 pm on Saturday, 15 April, in the Cathedral following 3.30 pm Choral Evensong.
Ukrainians in Suffolk are invited to come in their embroidered national shirts and with Easter baskets. For those
Suffolk locals who would like to join, they are invited to celebrate, be curious and to prepare for something a bit
different.
The service will include Ukrainian Easter songs, a candlelit vigil, a short guide to Ukrainian Easter traditions and the
prayer for Ukraine. There will also be an exhibition of Ukrainian Easter crafts and a demonstration of the ancient
art of egg-painting.
As of 30 January 2023, The Office of the United Nations High Commission er for Human Rights has verified 7,110
civilian deaths during Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine. 438 of these deaths were children. 11,547 more
people have been reported injured. Ukrainian officials put the civilian death toll closer to 40,000 killed.
The Rev’d Canon Philip Banks, Canon Precentor at St Edmundsbury Cathedral said, “We’re honoured once again
to work with Suffolk’s Ukrainian community, offering a place to worship and mark Velykden on the date of the
The Cathedral Office, Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1LS
Telephone: 07736 994033 Email: catherinerayson@stedscathedral.org
www.stedscathedral.org
Ukrainian Easter celebration. At its heart, Easter is about light being stronger than darkness, life being stronger
than death, love being stronger than hate. As we continue to support those in Suffolk displaced by this needless
war, we continue to pray for its end and for the peoples of Ukraine to rise from the ashes of so much destruction
and human suffering.”
The event is being organised in collaboration with Suffolk Refugee Support. All donations received during the
service will be given to the charity fund Come Back Alive, in Ukraine.