Mnohaya Lita

Today's the day ..................... to sing for Ukraine

We were sent an extra piece of music and a sound file by our choir conductor this week - so that we could have a look at it before we went to choir practice this evening.  It's a well-loved Ukrainian blessing song, sung frequently in homes and the community. The words translate to 'Many Years!' and it's a song traditionally sung at festive events - birthdays, weddings, and other occasions in need of a blessing for 'many years'.  Kate, our conductor, had written the musical notation using a video of her Ukrainian friend, Anni Zylstra.  

As Anni says in her video "Today, I sing it for Ukraine itself. Many Years, dear land. May there be many more years of your songs, your dances, your culture, your resilience, your sovereignty, the safety of your human & nonhuman inhabitants. I include a call and repeat style teaching video because I want to invite you to learn & sing it with me, that this spell might spread and be sung in the mouths of many and grow in strength."

So tonight we learnt it together and sang it.  It's a small and insignificant thing to do in the face of the atrocities that are at present being heaped upon that country.  But it helped us - and if you want to hear Anni you can find it here ........................