Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Flowers and ribbons in the Ukrainian vinok

Photo courtesy of Anna Senik
Translated by: Christine Chraibi

Each flower and ribbon in a Ukrainian wreath (vinok) has a meaning because it is not only a thing of beauty, but also a talisman

One of the oldest Ukrainian symbols is the head wreath woven from grasses and flowers and decorated with bright ribbons. There can be up to 12 different flowers in one wreath. Each flower or grass means something: roses stands for love, lilies are symbols of purity and innocence, cornflowers – simplicity and modesty; heathers – independence, field bells – gratitude, laurels – success and fame; hollyhocks – beauty and coldness, peonies – longevity, daisies – peace and tenderness, immortelles – health and guelder roses – symbols of maiden beauty, the symbol of Ukraine.

8224310-R3L8T8D-1000-4609573813-600x334wreath-1

The vinok was always decorated with different coloured ribbons, which were cut lower than a girl’s braids in order to hide them. The central ribbon was usually light brown, symbolizing the land and soil, then came yellow ribbons, symbolizing the sun, followed by light green and dark green – beauty and youth, light blue and dark blue – sky and water, which give strength and health, orange, symbolizing bread, violet – wisdom, crimson – truth and sincerity and pink – prosperity. White ribbons were intertwined only if they were embroidered with silver and gold (the sun on the left side of the vinok and the moon on the right). Non-embroidered ribbons were not added to the vinok as they commemorated the dead. Girls used red ribbons to intertwine poppies into their wreaths – symbols of grief and magic.

Orphans wove blue ribbons into their hair and wreaths. People bestowed lavish gifts, bread and money on young girls wearing these decorative head wreaths and wished them happiness and prosperity. The girls, in turn, expressed their gratitude by giving them a ribbon from their wreath.

In Ukraine, the vinok is a solar symbol. Girls wearing a vinok were linked to the rising sun. The vinok was also a symbol of glory, victory, holiness, success, power, peace, sun and authority. It signified purity and maiden youth.

18-07-2014_20-39-04.jpg.pagespeed.ce_.AklaQuA8Dv

 

 

Translated by: Christine Chraibi
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
11
Shares