Vita, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Vita is a small community in Southeastern Manitoba settled by Ukrainian immigrants in the late 1890s. It is roughly 50 km by road from Steinbach
, Manitoba
(via PTH 12 and Manitoba Provincial Road 302) in the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn
.
Vita has a multi-cultural population with residents from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, the largest being Ukrainian
and Mennonite
.
Vita is served by "Shevchenko School" (part of the Border Land School Division), built in 1970. It educates Kindergarten
through Grade 12. From 1965 until 1991 the Ukrainian language
was taught as an option at the elementary and secondary levels – parallel to the French language.
Businesses and services in Vita include, but are not limited to: a restaurant, fuel station
, hospital, credit union with drive-thru ATM
, post office, two grocery store
s, an arena-curling rink
, a liquor store
, and a hotel-motel.
Vita is known for its large Canada Day
celebration on July 1 of each year. The event generally includes a softball tournament
, rodeo, beer gardens, and live entertainment. The night is capped off by a fireworks
display. Other events include "socials" throughout the year and other events such as Halloween, Valentine's Day
, and New Year's Eve
Vita was heavily damaged by a tornado
in 1954 - the roof of the hospital was completely torn off.
of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko
. When the railway arrived in the district in 1910, the company decided that "Szewczenko" was both unpronounceable in English
and too long to be put on train schedules – thus, "Szewczenko" was changed to "Vita".
Two traditional Ukrainian churches
serve Vita: Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church
and St. Demetrius Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
. There is also a Ukrainian "National Home
"/community hall.
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
(via PTH 12 and Manitoba Provincial Road 302) in the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn
Stuartburn, Manitoba (rural municipality)
Stuartburn is a rural municipality located in the Eastman Region of Manitoba, Canada. It had a population of 1,629 according to the Canada 2006 Census. It is home to the Ukrainian-Canadian village of Stuartburn...
.
Vita has a multi-cultural population with residents from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, the largest being Ukrainian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
and Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
.
Vita is served by "Shevchenko School" (part of the Border Land School Division), built in 1970. It educates Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through Grade 12. From 1965 until 1991 the Ukrainian language
Canadian Ukrainian
Canadian Ukrainian is a variety of the Ukrainian language specific to the Ukrainian Canadian community descended from the first two waves of historical Ukrainian emigration to Western Canada.Canadian Ukrainian was widely spoken from the beginning of Ukrainian...
was taught as an option at the elementary and secondary levels – parallel to the French language.
Businesses and services in Vita include, but are not limited to: a restaurant, fuel station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
, hospital, credit union with drive-thru ATM
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
, post office, two grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
s, an arena-curling rink
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, a liquor store
Manitoba Liquor Control Commission
The Manitoba Liquor Control Commission is a Crown Agency mandated with regulating, distributing and selling beverage alcohol in the Canadian province of Manitoba....
, and a hotel-motel.
Vita is known for its large Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
celebration on July 1 of each year. The event generally includes a softball tournament
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, rodeo, beer gardens, and live entertainment. The night is capped off by a fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
display. Other events include "socials" throughout the year and other events such as Halloween, Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
, and New Year's Eve
Vita was heavily damaged by a tornado
Tornado climatology
The United States has the most tornadoes of any country, nearly four times more than estimated in all of Europe, excluding waterspouts. This is mostly due to the unique geography of the continent. North America is a large continent that extends from the tropics north into arctic areas, and has no...
in 1954 - the roof of the hospital was completely torn off.
Ukrainian culture in Vita
The original name for the community – "Szewczenko" – was a Polish spelling of the surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
. When the railway arrived in the district in 1910, the company decided that "Szewczenko" was both unpronounceable in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and too long to be put on train schedules – thus, "Szewczenko" was changed to "Vita".
Two traditional Ukrainian churches
History of Christianity in Ukraine
The History of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the apostolic church. It has remained the dominant religion in the country since its acceptance in 988 by Vladimir the Great , who instated it as the state religion of Kievan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state.Although...
serve Vita: Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada, primarily serving Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada ...
and St. Demetrius Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg
The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic archeparchy for the country of Canada, and includes the suffragan eparchies of Edmonton, New Westminster, Saskatoon, and Toronto...
. There is also a Ukrainian "National Home
Narodny dim
A narodni dim is a community hall, with a related organization, in the Ukrainian Canadian community. Nardoni dim literally means "people's home" or "national hall"....
"/community hall.