Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Saskatchewan Canora Lesia
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Lesia

The giantess welcomes travelers to a small Saskatchewan town with a traditional Slavic greeting of bread and salt.

Canora, Saskatchewan

Added By
Kristopher Watrich
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The statue welcomes visitors to Canora.   Munringus / Atlas Obscura User
She offers visitors a traditional warm welcome.   John Kaminski/CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of the plaque.   Munringus / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This 24-foot-tall statue greets visitors as they enter Canora, a small town in Saskatchewan. Dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothing, the giantess, named Lesia, clutches a slab of wood in her hands topped with bread and salt.

The statue honors the descendants of the Ukrainian and Eastern European settlers who made Canada their home. It was erected to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Saskatchewan’s founding and the history of Canora.

Lesia welcomes anyone passing through Canora in the traditional Slavic way, offering them bread and salt. Bread is a highly respected food, and salt is viewed as a symbol of a long, enduring friendship. As part of a customary greeting, a beautiful loaf of bread, usually korovai, is crowned with a salt cellar and set upon an embroidered ritual cloth. Guests are then offered a chunk of bread to dip into the awaiting pile of salt.

You can find more traces of the area’s Ukrainian heritage throughout Canora. The Ukrainian Heritage Museum and Ukrainian Orthodox Church both stand as proud testaments to its citizens’ roots.

Related Tags

Statues Bread Women Villages Roadside Attractions Immigration Tradition

Community Contributors

Added By

Munringus

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, Cedargirl

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Cedargirl

Published

July 11, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/listings/2897/canora-welcome-statue
  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/17352
  • http://www.bigthings.ca/saskatchewan/canora-lesia.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canora,_Saskatchewan
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_salt
Lesia
Canora, Saskatchewan
Canada
51.629984, -102.430836

Nearby Places

Fort San

Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan

miles away

The Indian Head Statue

Indian Head, Saskatchewan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Canada

Places 28
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Fort San

Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan

miles away

The Indian Head Statue

Indian Head, Saskatchewan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Canada

Places 28
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Cotonou, Benin

    Amazon Statue

    The 100-foot-tall (30-meter) bronze statue was built to recognize the world's only documented all-female army.

  • A curious legend surrounds this effigy.

    Kagoshima, Japan

    Jimesaa

    Locals have put a new makeup on this strange statue every year since they unearthed it.

  • Danbury, Connecticut

    World’s Tallest Uncle Sam Statue

    Star-spangled and 38 feet tall.

  • This giant fiberglass catfish welcomes visitors to Trempealeau, Wisconsin.

    Trempealeau, Wisconsin

    Trempealeau Catfish Statue

    A giant fiberglass catfish welcomes visitors to this Wisconsin river town and heralds its annual Catfish Days festival.

  • Gummy bear statue

    Madrid, Spain

    El Oso Verde (The Green Bear)

    This larger-than-life lime green gummy bear sits in the middle of a roundabout in Spain.

  • Statue of Stephanie Beauharnais

    Mannheim, Germany

    Statue Stephanie de Beauharnais

    This easily overlooked statue depicts an important woman in Mannheim's history.

  • Yokohama, Japan

    ‘Shake Hands With Lima-chan’

    Commemorating the Japanese migration to Peru, this statue has a sister standing across the Pacific.

  • Nontron, France

    Soufflaculs de Nontron

    This pair of statues commemorates a once-widespread carnival tradition of blowing on each other’s butts with bellows.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.