Ukrainians celebrate midsummer traditions with song, dance and fire
Hundreds of Ukrainians observed the longest day of the year on Saturday with a midsummer celebration of some of their oldest traditions, a display of cultural perseverance in a nation threatened by war.
Rooted in Ukraine's ancient past of Slavic paganism the event, Ivana Kupala, features rituals and symbolism to honor the summer solstice, related to fertility, nature, purity and renewal — values that predate the region's Christianization at the end of the first millennium.
At the open-air National Museum of Folk Architecture and Ukrainian Life on the outskirts of Kyiv, participants in embroidered shirts and blouses strolled among thatched-roof cottages, wooden churches and windmills dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. Women and girls wore vinoks — wreaths made from wildflowers — as they took part in folk dances, games and craft workshops.
Viktoria Phi, a master of folk art at the museum, taught visitors to weave the colorful flowered headdresses. She said that Ivana Kupala, which also has variations in other Slavic countries from the Czech Republic to Bulgaria to Russia, was a 'small oasis' in the war in Ukraine, where people can 'walk and enjoy nature, architecture, songs and dances.'
"It's most popular among young people, and I am very happy when a family comes with young children," she said.
As the sun began to set over the wheat fields and wildflower meadows, hundreds formed a circle around a pyramid of logs. When the bonfire was lit, flames climbed into the twilight sky as music swelled and people spun around the pyre hand in hand. In a purification rite, some leapt over the burning embers.
With Russia's war in Ukraine now in its fourth year and aerial attacks on cities intensifying, for some the observance of old folk customs holds deeper meaning.
Saba Alekseev, 25, said the event gave her a chance to 'breathe some fresh air without thinking about (the war), for some time at least, because it's impossible to put it out of your mind under shelling.'
For 18-year-old Sofia Orel, it was a reminder that "it is crucial to support Ukrainian culture and traditions, especially since the war started, because this way we preserve what is ours.'
'As I am weaving a wreath, I'm thinking that I will teach my daughter how to do it," she said. "These are our traditions and they have to be passed on and honored.'
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The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Ukrainians celebrate midsummer traditions with song, dance and fire
Hundreds of Ukrainians observed the longest day of the year on Saturday with a midsummer celebration of some of their oldest traditions, a display of cultural perseverance in a nation threatened by war. Rooted in Ukraine's ancient past of Slavic paganism the event, Ivana Kupala, features rituals and symbolism to honor the summer solstice, related to fertility, nature, purity and renewal — values that predate the region's Christianization at the end of the first millennium. At the open-air National Museum of Folk Architecture and Ukrainian Life on the outskirts of Kyiv, participants in embroidered shirts and blouses strolled among thatched-roof cottages, wooden churches and windmills dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. Women and girls wore vinoks — wreaths made from wildflowers — as they took part in folk dances, games and craft workshops. Viktoria Phi, a master of folk art at the museum, taught visitors to weave the colorful flowered headdresses. She said that Ivana Kupala, which also has variations in other Slavic countries from the Czech Republic to Bulgaria to Russia, was a 'small oasis' in the war in Ukraine, where people can 'walk and enjoy nature, architecture, songs and dances.' "It's most popular among young people, and I am very happy when a family comes with young children," she said. As the sun began to set over the wheat fields and wildflower meadows, hundreds formed a circle around a pyramid of logs. When the bonfire was lit, flames climbed into the twilight sky as music swelled and people spun around the pyre hand in hand. In a purification rite, some leapt over the burning embers. With Russia's war in Ukraine now in its fourth year and aerial attacks on cities intensifying, for some the observance of old folk customs holds deeper meaning. Saba Alekseev, 25, said the event gave her a chance to 'breathe some fresh air without thinking about (the war), for some time at least, because it's impossible to put it out of your mind under shelling.' For 18-year-old Sofia Orel, it was a reminder that "it is crucial to support Ukrainian culture and traditions, especially since the war started, because this way we preserve what is ours.' 'As I am weaving a wreath, I'm thinking that I will teach my daughter how to do it," she said. "These are our traditions and they have to be passed on and honored.'
BBC News
20 hours ago
- BBC News
Wiltshire in Pictures: Special solstice sunrise
Thousands of people have journeyed to Wiltshire this week to witness the iconic moment of the sun rising above Stonehenge. The midsummer celebrations were marked at dozens of places across the county, including our world-famous stone circle. People have also been taking advantage of the sunshine to get out and about, capturing some of the best sights across the has also been lots of excitement at Longleat Safari Park with some new arrivals. Here is our weekly round-up showing life across the county this week. A midsummer night's dream: Thousands of people stayed up to watch the sunrise during this year's solstice. With the main event happening at Stonehenge, crowds flocked to witness the first rays of sunlight piercing through the ancient stone archways. Brightening up: Local art students spent their work experience painting a large mural on a subway in West Swindon. As part of an initiative rolled out by Marlborough Parish Council, five pupils from St John's School, painted the 26-metre (85ft) wall under Mead Way. New chick on the block: Keepers at Longleat Safari Park are hand rearing an endangered secretary bird chick. Born five weeks ago to seven-year-old Janine and dad Kevin, aged nine, the gender of the chick is not yet known. It was successfully reared in 2024 and is now living in a zoo in Singapore. Say hello: There was also excitement at the safari park as sisters, Matylda and Manon, were the first hippopotamuses to be welcomed at Longleat in more than 40 years after their journey from the Czech Republic. Fine needlework: Volunteers at Salisbury Cathedral have made the first stitch on their part of a major project which is in collaboration with 12 other cathedrals across the country. The Saintly Stitchers will help create a textile piece called the Circle of Life, which has been designed by iconographer Aiden Hart. The project should be completed by March 2026. Time for a cuddle: These ducks were spotted having a snuggle in Malmesbury.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Lowestoft to see in Midsummer Day's first light with arts festival
What better way could there be to mark midsummer than staying up all night dancing in the sand dunes and greeting the sun at dawn in Britain's most easterly town? This is how locals and visitors to Lowestoft in Suffolk will be spending the solstice at First Light, a free arts festival now in its fifth year, which runs for just over 24 hours, with a few brief breaks in the programming for sleep. About 40,000 people are expected at the event, which will feature an eclectic array of attractions, from the musical headliners Nubiyan Twist and spoken-word events with the poet Jackie Kay to silent discos and sound baths dotted around the sands. As night falls, the action will transfer indoors with a hedonistic club night from Horse Meat Disco and more ambient musical offerings in a church. The solstice festival came out of a regeneration project aiming to revive the fortunes of the seaside town, led by the designer and Red or Dead co-founder Wayne Hemingway. Hemingway recalls a meeting in which 'someone said their favourite thing was to go down to the beach on Midsummer Day and be there at around 3.50am for the first light in the morning'. 'We said: 'That sounds lovely but why does it mean so much here?' The person responded: 'It's Britain's most easterly town. So that means I'm getting the first light to hit Britain on Midsummer Day, and it feels mystical and like something special is happening to me,'' Hemingway said. Throwing a big party on the town's vast, sandy beaches seemed the ideal way to celebrate this, and for Hemingway one of the most important elements has been engaging the community, with local musicians, schools and choirs all performing. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The town's teenagers were initially dubious of the festival's Balearic vibe. 'They were a bit disruptive,' says Hemingway, 'because they'd not heard this kind of music – they were more into house [music]. The next year, the same lot came back and said: 'Actually, we like this music, we've got into it … can we help you clear up after?' Every year they come back and help. They're about 18 now and one of them is DJing.'
