Crowning Affair of Ukranian Women with Flowers

Ukranian women with flowers

Vinok” is a  traditional flower crown worn by Ukranian women on festivals and weddings, it is crafted with Flowers, feathers, hemp threads, shells, beads, painted sawdust, pieces of foil and wax. During pandemic many Ukrainians  artists are embracing traditional culture and strive to bring back the crafts of yore in daily life with a bright future in mind.

Having its origin in paganism before the Eastern Slavic was introduced to Christianity in 10th century, the culture of wearing a wreath or flower crown by both girls and married women  at festivals and weddings symbolized purity and fertility. During pandemic, Ukrainians designers are artists are embracing traditional culture and strive to bring back the crafts of yore in daily life—modernised with both a proud history and a flourishing future in mind.

The wreaths are also a classic decoration for Ukraine’s Ivan Kupala celebrated in Russia, Poland, and Belarus in early July. The fest include women creating wreaths from fresh flowers and plants and places her wreath in a river to divine her romantic future by its fate in the water’s flow and man follows it by diving into water to sieze it.

Apart from other traditional clothing such as embroidered shirts and dresses, the wreaths are getting more and more popular. According to Daga Gregorowicz, a member of the Ukrainian-Polish band DAGADANA and a proud exhibitor of Dyka’s creations, as the craft culture is linked closely with traditional folk culture, neighboring states are looking to fuse it with elements, such as jazz, electronica, rock, and improv.

Besides its  cultural significance , the flower crowns have the political bearings as well which defied soviet subversion as during the Soviet era celebration of local traditions was forbidden, so as not to look anti-Soviet, hence most weddings were held in city buildings or civic locations.

Moved by the natural desire, artists are exploring all sorts of local traditions inspired by rural or folk motifs and update them for modern times in a bid to catapult the traditions of the past into a colourful explosion of art and national pride today. 

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