Last year, the cultural and artistic initiative “Bakhmut Easter Tree” was just getting started and brought together 15 cities.
This year, this wonderful initiative has grown even larger and has united the people of Bakhmut across Ukraine and beyond.
From Kyiv, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Kropyvnytskyi, Zhovti Vody, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Vyshneve, Truskavets, Slavutych, Bilyky, and Kutiv—all the way to the Netherlands and Bulgaria.
Everywhere, the Bakhmut Easter Tree blossomed, adorned with pysanky, ribbons, children’s artwork, bright memories of home, and a sincere belief in return.
For some, it was a warm gathering at a support center. For others, it was a workshop, a museum event, a library activity, or participation in a festival. But the message was the same everywhere: we have not lost ourselves. We preserve our traditions, pass them on to our children, share them with the communities that have become our refuge, and even from a distance, we remain a united community.
Today, the Bakhmut Easter Tree is a symbol of life and rebirth. A living map of the Bakhmut community. This tradition unites not only different cities but also hearts. And as long as the people of Bakhmut come together, support one another, and decorate the trees on the eve of Easter, our Bakhmut lives on. It lives on in memory, in traditions, in children, in shared symbols, and in the belief in rebirth.
Based on materials from the Bakhmut City Council