Exploring Midsummer Traditions of Ukraine
About this Event
Come join musician and storyteller Beverly Dobrinsky as she explains the origins and traditions of the Ukrainian midsummer celebration Ivana Kupala. Sitting amongst hundreds of flowers and sharing some simple traditional food and drink, we’ll learn about the historical merging of pagan summer solstice and the Christian Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. Beverly will outline cultural aspects such as the clothing, food, songs, stories and rituals that mark the magical time of transition between summer solstice and harvest time, and she’ll help us prepare for Summer Solstice (which takes place the following day), by teaching us how to make head wreaths (vinoks) from local greenery (zeellia), as young women in Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe have done for thousands of years. We’ll also learn a Ukrainian solstice song and explore myths such as the elusive flowering fern, a plant so secretive that it only reveals itself at midnight on midsummer’s eve.
All of Beverly’s previous Secret Salons were extremely well attended and tickets are expected to go quickly, so please book your spot as soon as possible.
Produced by Secret Lantern Society in partnership with the AIA Arts In Action Society.
Event Notes / Be Prepared:
- Tickets are available by sliding scale: $20-$40. Suggested admission: $30.
- Doors open at 5:45 PM and the event will start promptly at 6:00 PM. Please do your best to be on time as late arrivals will be disruptive to activities in progress.
- Space is limited to 20 participants so please register early.
- We will provide wild-harvested local greenery for the wreath-making but please bring any additional foliage from abandoned sites or your gardens to personalize your wreath.
- Beverly will bring a homemade traditional food, and if you are so moved, please bring some fruit to share.
- Wear something you find beautiful and comfortable. Feel free to wear any vyshyvanky (embroidered shirt, dress or scarf) you may have, but be aware that we will be actively making vinoks, eating and drinking.
Your donation contributes directly to supporting our programming to continue ongoing learning and cultural sharing. If you have financial barriers preventing you from purchasing a ticket, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to accommodate.
About the facilitator:
Facilitator Bio Beverly Dobrinsky is a Vancouver musician and storyteller who works both as a soloist and in various artistic collaborations. In 1991, inspired by the centenary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, she founded “Zeellia”, a Slavic Soul sextet which specializes in E. European traditional music with a contemporary edge. She produced three Zeellia CDs, and performed with Zeellia across Canada and in NY city. She was the musical director of the Barvinok Choir, a choir based in Vancouver’s historic Ukrainian Hall from 2001-2022. In 2009 she was the artist in residence at the Carnegie Community Centre in Vancouver’s downtown east side and led “The Carnegie Village Project,” a community engaged project using song, poetry and story to express the uniqueness of that particular community. Over the years, she has been involved in several projects with Vancouver Moving Theatre, including “Bread and Salt” in 2013, and the evolving “Big House” from 2009-2015. She is currently composing and writing a bilingual folk opera,“ ТРИ СЕСТРИ/3 Sisters”, based on her personal story of inter-generational trauma and ancestral healing. Bringing forward her work as a folksong researcher, writer/storyteller, musician/performer, composer, arranger and conductor in collaboration with other artists, she will combine musical, visual and narrative elements interwoven in a dramatic context to create an immersive experience for audience and performers to recognize and process the complexity of trauma. Doing so while honoring our ancestors, and reclaiming our roots provides a template of healing for all generations, past, present and future.
Secret Headquarters is gratefully situated on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We honor, respect, and give thanks to our hosts.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00 to CAD 33.28
