But that childhood was short-lived and soon the happy memories were overshadowed by horrible atrocities most cannot fathom.

At the tender age of eight, Burtatynsky endured Holodomor - the widely unknown genocide inflicted by means of a Soviet government-engineered famine that wiped out millions of people across the Ukraine in the early 30s.

Burtatynsky joined 19 other survivors at a 75th anniversary commemoration ceremony this weekend at the Ukrainian Black Sea Hall on Welland Avenue.

"We suffered. We suffered so much," said Burtatynsky, clutching a tissue and wiping away tears from her aging face. "My father hid a bag of wheat in our home. I remember watching the soldiers go through. They took everything, but they didn't find the bag of wheat."

That bag fed her family of five for over a month, each eating a cup a day mixed with leaves from trees and flowers from the gardens.

"My family survived, but so many did not. My neighbours died. The houses were empty. My street was empty."

Burtatynsky recalls seeing people dying in the streets of her village, some even resorting to cannibalism to feed their starving bodies.

"This is a forgotten chapter in the pages of history," said Maryann Kobzan-Diakow, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC). "There are so many survivors and it's so important that we share their stories."

Survivors received pins and plaques from young Ukrainians, who are encouraged to tell the stories of the survivors for years to come. "We cannot forget," said Kobzan-Diakow.

Until recently, Holodomor, which roughly translates to suffering through starvation, was not recognized by the world as a form of genocide. It wasn't until this year that the European parliament recognized Holodomor as a crime against humanity.

Canada has also now followed the lead of other nations in recognizing the event as a deliberate attempt by Josef Stalin to torture and ultimately kill Ukrainians and as such, Canada has now proclaimed the fourth Saturday of November as a memorial day for the victims of Holodomor.

On Saturday Nov. 22, the UCC will come together at the QEW overpass bridge to light candles and say a prayer for the victims. The ceremony takes place at 9 a.m.