Vienna is accustomed to major cultural events. Every week, the Austrian capital hosts dozens of concerts, diplomatic receptions, artistic evenings, and international festivals. But there is one day each year when something far more powerful than official speeches or classical music can be heard in the very heart of the city. That is the sound of Ukrainian hayivky.
During these hours, Vienna fills with Ukrainian voices, children’s laughter, traditional songs, and an atmosphere that is difficult to describe in words. For the Ukrainian community in Austria, Easter hayivky have long ceased to be simply a festive event. Today, they are a symbol of unity, cultural memory, and a living connection to Ukraine.
At the same time, they have become a powerful charitable platform supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The history of Easter hayivky in Vienna began back in 2011. That was when the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Austria first organized a celebration for the Ukrainian community on the grounds of the Embassy of Ukraine in Austria.
At that time, it was a small gathering for several dozen Ukrainian families. The main goal was to preserve tradition and create a sense of home for Ukrainians living abroad.
From 2011 to 2016, the entire organization of the hayivky was managed by the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Austria. In 2017, the youth choir of St. Barbara’s Parish joined the initiative and later became one of the main driving forces behind the development of the celebration.
Gradually, St. Barbara’s Parish itself became actively involved in organizing the event, and the Easter hayivky began to take on a new scale.
“For us, hayivky are not just a festive event. They are a great responsibility. We understand how important it is to pass Ukrainian traditions on to children, young people, and new generations of Ukrainians growing up abroad,” says event organizer Oksana Dopilko.
For several years, the event remained камерний and mostly entertainment-oriented. However, after the pandemic and the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the role of such gatherings changed dramatically.
A new stage in the development of the Easter hayivky began after the event was revived in 2024. That was when the organizers realized that Ukrainian culture abroad could no longer exist separately from helping Ukraine.
As a result, the traditional celebration transformed into a large-scale cultural and charitable event that now gathers around two thousand people each year.
“We realized the importance not only of preserving traditions and introducing children and young people to Ukrainian culture. We understood that we also had to add a charitable component. That is how the hayivky became a platform for supporting important initiatives for Ukraine,” says Oksana Dopilko.
Today, the Easter hayivky in Vienna are a place where culture, spirituality, volunteer work, and the Ukrainian community of Europe come together.
In 2026, the main charitable goal of the event was fundraising for the purchase of two ambulances for Ukrainian military personnel.
The result became one of the strongest in the history of the event.
During the Easter hayivky, organizers raised €16,070.
All funds were transferred to the charitable organization Hela Flanko, which is responsible for purchasing vehicles, handling documentation, and organizing the transportation of ambulances to Ukraine.
According to the organizers, the head of the organization, Lucia Lares Barinova, personally oversees one of the most difficult stages — the complete preparation process of the vehicles and their transfer to the Ukrainian side.
And it is at this moment that one thing becomes clear: today, the hayivky in Vienna are no longer only about culture. They are about lives being saved.
One of the highlights of this year’s hayivky was the performance of the specially invited band “Kana” Band.
Their concert became a true emotional culmination of the evening. Combined with the Easter atmosphere, Ukrainian traditions, and the warm communication within the community, the band’s performance turned into something far greater than a musical act.
It became a reminder of how alive, profound, and powerful contemporary Ukrainian culture truly is today.
Another important part of the event was a large-scale charity lottery organized by the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Austria.
Each lot carried not only material but also symbolic value.
Among them were:
— stamps signed by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk created for the anniversary of St. Barbara’s Parish;
— a KTC H24T7 gaming monitor provided by Verein PCS für Alle;
— a beaded icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus;
— a painting by artist Olha Chornokondratenko;
— a traditional Ukrainian gerdan necklace from the “Family Dopilko Tradition Workshop”;
— Mykhailo Ratushnyi’s book “One of the Patres Patriae”;
— branded “Ukrainian Ball” mugs;
— a ticket to the Ukrainian Ball 2027;
— ten certificates for computer equipment repair from Verein PCS für Alle.
The atmosphere of the lottery felt more like a large family gathering than a traditional charity auction. People purchased lots not for the gifts themselves, but for the opportunity to support Ukraine.
The main organizer of the Easter hayivky traditionally became St. Barbara’s Parish together with the parish youth choir.
The following organizations and communities also contributed to the event:
— the “Family Dopilko Tradition Workshop”;
— the “Territory of God’s Love” community;
— the youth community of the “Territory of God’s Love”;
— the Jesuit Fathers Church;
— the charitable organization Hela Flanko;
— the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Austria;
— around twenty Ukrainian artisans who presented their works at the charity fair.
It was precisely this synergy of public organizations, the church, volunteers, artists, and youth that created an event which has now become one of the largest Ukrainian cultural traditions in Vienna.
Today, the Easter hayivky in Vienna are much more than a post-Easter celebration.
They are a living form of Ukrainian cultural diplomacy.
They are a space where children born abroad learn to sing Ukrainian songs. Where young people discover traditions not through textbooks, but through a living atmosphere. Where Ukrainians find one another even far from home.
“The social mission of the event is to unite the Ukrainian community, support cultural identity, and create a space of unity for Ukrainians abroad. At the same time, it is concrete support for Ukraine and our military,” says Oksana Dopilko.
And perhaps this is the true phenomenon of the Easter hayivky in Vienna.
As long as Ukrainian hayivky continue to sound in the heart of Europe, Ukrainian culture continues to live. And together with it lives the feeling of home that Ukrainians today preserve in every country around the world.
Photo: Ira Karpenko, Oleksandra Chornobab, Yavorska Oksana