"Vatro, vatro, Boh tia stvoryv...": a holiday of Lemki culture

August 6, 1997. Lviv State Television and Radio Company. The program about Lemkivshchyna "Vatro, vatro, Boh tia stvoryv..." tells about the 15th Lemkiv festival "Vatra-97", which takes place in the Lemkiv village of Zhdynia.

During the festival, Lemki songs and "God is great, the only one..." performed by the folk folklore chapel "Lemkovyna" are played. The participants talk about Lemki culture, people's unity and Ukrainian-Polish relations. A greeting from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Hennadiy Udovenko is read. The song and dance tournament "Musical talents from everywhere", concert numbers and a press conference in the Lemki hut are shown. The writer Mykola Mushinka talks about his Lemki origin and the published book of manuscripts by Ivan Franko.

A separate episode is dedicated to the competition for the best singer "Vatra-97". After the announcement of the winner, Iryna Kamenetska performs "Red Ruta" and talks about herself, and her mother — about her daughter's love for the song. The Lemki song and dance ensemble "Kichera" from Legnytsia and the ensemble "Saint Nicholas" from Lublin perform on stage. The performance of the men's choir chapel of the medical academy from Ivano-Frankivsk, children's games and the consecration of the memorial cross are also shown. The program ends with the "Lemkovyna" choir performing "Prayers for Ukraine".

Commenting: Bishop of the Przemyśl Diocese of the UGCC Ivan Martyniak, artistic director and conductor of the folk folklore chapel "Lemkovyna" Ivan Kushnir, head of the Lviv Regional Society "Lemkivshchyna" Ivan Shcherba, People's Artist of Ukraine Maria Baiko, head of the council of the Society of Ukrainian Culture "Slavutych" Vasyl Antoniv, head of the Association of Lemki of Poland Vasyl Shlyanta, adviser of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland Teodoziy Starak, chief specialist of the State Committee of Ukraine for Nationalities and Migration Svitlana Reznichenko, writer Mykola Mushinka, winner of the competitionVatra-97" Iryna Kamenetska and her mother.

The following worked on the program: journalist Vasyl Havrylyshyn, director Oleg Andreev, cameraman Lyubomyr Hrybok, video engineers Volodymyr Hnativ, Mykola Ryabchenko, Tetyana Noskova, Viktor Yarmush, sound engineer Anatoly Ivantsov, transport support Volodymyr Keslo.