☀️ In a beautiful display of preserving and continuing our rich traditions, the Association of Ukrainians in Tasmania recently gathered to celebrate the summer solstice festival of Ivana Kupala – a joyful, ancient holiday of love, rebirth, the beginning of the harvest and fertility.
🔥 On Ivana Kupala Night (24 June / 7 July) couples jump over the bonfire, effigies of the gods Kupalo and Mara are burned or drowned, girls weave vinky (flower garlands) and place them in the river for boys to fetch and foretell their marriage, and a mythical fern flower is sought out to bring prosperity and powers.
On the other side of the world, in the midst of air alarms, russian shelling, power outages, and curfew restrictions, the holiday rituals could not be performed overnight in Ukraine.
Yet with pride and resilience, hundreds of Ukrainians gathered outside of Kyiv to celebrate the festival of Ivana Kupala in the afternoon.
A key weapon against russia’s war is the remembrance and continuity of Ukrainian tradition and culture.
#IvanaKupala2024 #SummerSolstice
