In the traditional Ukrainian calendar, Intercession is a time of matchmaking and weddings. This charming and, to a certain extent, magical event, reconstructed from ethnographic sources, took place at the picturesque Kalynovyi Kushch estate in the village of Dmytrenky at the Feast of the Intercession. We are grateful to the hostess, Nina Nesterova, for her warm welcome.
Baking a Korovai Wedding Bread, A Bachelorette Day and Taking Away a Bride, Bride’s Ransom from Her Brother and Pinning a Bridegroom’s Flower – the atmosphere of these four wedding rites of Kyivshchyna (Kyiv Region) was recreated by the ethnic group “Vohnevytsia” from Uzyn city, Bila Tserkva district, and the folklore group “Kalyna” from the village of Deremezna, Obukhiv district. They collect information about the performances during folklore and ethnographic expeditions in their native land, and adopt traditions from their elders in order to preserve, revive them and give them a new life.
During the wedding at the Feast of the Intercession, in particular, the rituals of kneading dough and baking wedding bread (Korovai) and wedding buns, which were used to treat guests, as well as decorating a ceremonial tree were recreated. The guests also attended an exhibition of wax wreaths, one of the most important parts of the bride’s look.
The event proved to be very vibrant, so you are welcome to browse our photo and video galleries. We hope you will enjoy this fascinating event. We express our gratitude to Natalia and Oleksandr Shevchenko for the photos. We have also recorded a series of exciting videos that will help you learn more about the elements of the wedding: traditions, the festive table, and the musical part of the event, including wedding songs.
Another part of the Intercession programme was a reconstruction of the novel The Kaidash Family by I. Nechuy-Levytskyi, performed by the team of “Around Us. UA” NGO and the Bohuslav Volunteer Headquarters. Elements of the costumes worn by the actors were made following old samples by local craftswomen Kateryna Zamnius, Kateryna Robak and Anna Slobodianiuk under the supervision of the head of the “Around Us. UA” NGO, Oksana Humeniuk. The wedding wreaths we mentioned earlier were created by Kateryna Zubko.
The event was organised by the “Around Us. UA” NGO and the Bohuslav Volunteer Headquarters as part of the project “Traditions of Ukrainians. Folk Calendar of the Bohuslavshchyna” with the support of the “Partnership for a Strong Ukraine” Foundation.
See more photos from the event in our photo report.
