On Thursday, February 24, at 3 a.m. Polish time, Russian troops attacked Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s troops struck from various directions, both from the ground and from the air. In the morning of February 25, the Russians began bombing the capital of Ukraine. The situation changes minute by minute, we have a special relationship.
On Saturday night, viewers of “Saturday Night Live” expected a burst of laughter, because the main star of the episode was comedian John Mulaney, one of the audience’s favorites. The vast majority of the program went according to plan, but the producers did not remain indifferent to the events in Ukraine. In the place of the opening sketch of the evening, actresses Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon announced the performance of the Dumka choir.
“Prayer for Ukraine” in “Saturday Night Live”. The emotional opening of the episode
Dumka is made up of amateur singers who perform classical, sacred and folk music, mostly written by Ukrainian composers. “Saturday Night Live” resounded the moving “Prayer for Ukraine”, written in 1885 by Oleksandr Konyśky (words) and Mykola Lysenko (music). This is one of the most important songs in Ukraine, considered to be the “spiritual national anthem” and sung, among others, by at the end of services in the Byzantine-Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Apart from decorations made of sunflowers, the national flowers of Ukraine, on the table in front of the choristers, there were several dozen candles. As it turned out at the end of the performance, they were written “Kyiv”. After the song performed, Strong and McKinnon greeted the viewers with the traditional slogan: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night”.
There have been loads of positive comments on the web about the unique introduction to SNL. “Tonight I turned on ‘SNL’, wondering how they would handle the opening. Then there was this beautiful moment of solidarity. I cried live and came back to see it again” – wrote one of the internet users. “It was the deepest and most moving opening possible. A frame with the national sunflower, the inscription ‘Kyiv’ with candles, the national anthem of Ukraine, and even yellow and blue lights in the colors of the flag. Solidarity” – we read in another entry.
Many compare the emotional importance of introducing the show to the first episode of “SNL” after the events of September 11, 2001. The then mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, advised producers not to abandon the issue, because they can use humor to help their compatriots and show that “New York has not stopped, that it is still working”. “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels asked Giuliani to deliver a speech in front of the firefighters and policemen who had been working day and night in the ruins of the World Trade Center for the previous three weeks. Paul Simon was responsible for the musical accent – the artist performed the song “The Boxer”, a ballad with New York in the background.
The Russian war against Ukraine continues. There is information about houses destroyed, wounded and killed. Needs are increasing hour by hour. Gazeta.pl joins forces with the Polish Center for International Aid Foundation (PCPM) to support humanitarian aid for Ukrainians and Ukrainians. Anyone can join the fundraiser by paying via Facebook or pcpm.org.pl/ukraina. More information .
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
