TheUkrainian wreath (Ukrainian:вінок,romanized: vinok,pronounced[wiˈnɔk]ⓘ) is a type ofwreath which, in traditionalUkrainian culture, is worn by girls and young unmarried women. The wreath may be part of a tradition dating back toEast Slavic customs that predate theChristianization of Kievan Rus'.[1] The flower wreath remains a part of the Ukrainian national attire, and is worn on festive occasions and on holy days, and since the2014 Ukrainian revolution increasingly in daily life as part of a wider cultural revival.[2][3]
On theday of Ivana Kupala, young women placed their wreaths in the water with a lighted candle, foretelling their romantic future by how the wreath flowed down the river or lake. From the wreath's direction, the girl could tell whom she would marry: if the wreath stayed in one spot and did not float down the water, she would not marry; if it went under, she would die; if the candle went out, misfortune would follow. The young men would dive into the water, trying to retrieve the vinok of the girl each loved. One of the ritual Kupala songs says, "Who will catch the wreath will catch the girl, who will get the wreath will become mine."[1] It dates back to pre-Christian times when it was thought that the headdress would protect girls from evil spirits.[4] The ceremonial, religious value diminished, and was later replaced as a national character of girlhood: to lose a wreath in folk songs and traditions means for a maiden to transition into womanhood.[1]
In his bookThe Golden Bough, mythology scholarJames George Frazer first claimed thatIvan Kupala Day (John the Baptist Day), celebrated inUkraine shortly after thesummer solstice, and closely associated with the wreath in Ukraine, was in fact originally a pagan fertility rite.
Like most Ukrainianfolk dress, thevinok had significant symbolic value and only specific flowers were used.[5] It was traditionally worn by girls who were eligible for marriage. The wreath's name,vinok, is related to the Ukrainian word for a wedding ceremonyvinchannya. The flowers used to make the wreath were generally fresh, paper or waxen and were attached onto a band of stiff paper backing covered with aribbon.[6]
The wreath varied in many of the regions of Ukraine; young women throughout the country wore various headdresses of yarn, ribbon, coins, feathers, and grasses, but these all had the same symbolic meaning. In parts ofcentral andeastern Ukraine the flowers were raised in the center front. Usually multicolored, embroidered ribbons were attached to the back. During the Ukrainian wedding ceremony, the vinok was replaced by theochipok, a cap that she would wear for the rest of her life.[1]
Followers of the modernSlavic Neopaganism attach a mystical significance to the wreath, weaving their wreaths of oak leaves and field flowers for their celebration of theSummer Solstice.[7]
Since the 2014Euromaidan uprisings, the wearing of a vinok increased in popularity as part of a wider revival in Ukrainian culturalism and interest in symbols of national pride.[2][3] In addition to aesthetic purposes, wearing a vinok was also a symbol of protest used in demonstrations beginning in the 2004Orange Revolution and continuing in the 2014 revolution as well as 2022 demonstrations against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3][8]
.jpg)
Media related toUkrainian wreaths at Wikimedia Commons