Festival «Boykivske Festyny», which is held annually in the village of Turka, Lviv region, can be safely called an event of international scale. And the jubilee V World «Boykivske Festyny — 2012», which took place last summer, confirmed this status with its grandiose scope.
The beginning of the festival was marked by lighting the torch at the highest point of the Lviv region. On Pikuy Mountain at an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level.
The official opening of «Boikivske Festyn — 2012» took place on the main square Turki on August 1. This event was marked by the lighting of lights on the four largest mountains of the district and on the fortress «Sobyn».
The festivities began with an exhibition of Boykovo fine and applied arts, music, song and folklore children’s contest «Little Boykin and Boyko», ethnographic contest «Boykovo World» and many other contests, meetings and performances held on the opening day of the festival.
During the next five days in Turk and district were held creative meetings dedicated to Taras Shevchenko, as well as people who made an invaluable contribution to the Boykivska culture — Ivan Bagryany, Oleh Olzhych, Emelian Bachynskyi, Oleksandr Berezhnitskyi.
These days there were excursions to historical sites, fine art exhibitions, creative meetings and scientific seminars dedicated to the legacy of ethnographer Mykhailo Zubrytskyi.
Throughout the festival, sports competitions were held in Turk. On Shevchenko Square, fragments of the Boykovo wedding were recreated in a theatricalized performance. At the conclusion of the festival on August 5, a Festive Liturgy was held in all the churches of the Turk district
The main task of the «Boikovskie Festyn» is to revitalize and preserve the Boik ethnic community. The Boiks have lived in dozens of countries around the world for more than one generation. However, the traditions of their historical homeland have not been forgotten. Every year «Boikovskie Festyny» gathers more and more guests from many countries. At the jubilee V festival, according to some estimates, several tens of thousands of people came. And the Governor of Lviv region directly participated in the organization of the festival.