IVANA KUPALA!
Fundraiser for Ukraine Celebrating Ukrainian Solstice Traditions!
Wednesday, July 6th, 5-11 PM @99scott
SPILKA in collaboration with @ukrainianartists invites you to join us for Ivana Kupala! Fundraiser for Ukraine & Celebration of the Ukrainian Solstice!
Kupala night offered:
- Kid-friendly activities
- Food and Drinks
- Fun and Games
- DJ sets, Special Performances, Dancing
- Film Screening of Sergei Parajanov’s legendary film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors*
and More!
*Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, is a 1965 Ukrainian film by the Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov based on the novel Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky that tells a “Romeo and Juliet tale” of young Ukrainian Hutsul lovers trapped on opposite sides of a Carpathian family blood feud.
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All proceeds will be donated to Ukrainian volunteer networks on the ground, providing urgent aid.
About Ivana Kupala
As one of the magical traditions – literally – to have come out of Ukraine, perhaps you too will become enchanted this summer The day is a celebration of the birth of John the Baptist – or Ivan in the Slavic world, celebrated in conjunction with the summer solstice. In pre-Christian times, this symbolized the birth of the summer sun – Kupala, and thus ended the domination of the spring sun – Yarilo.
During this time, the days are longer, the nights shorter. Rumor has it that the shortest night of the year is haunted by demons, and only dancing and festivities can ward off evil spirits. I guess you could call this holiday Slavic Halloween: The merging of Christian and pagan traditions, has formed the feast of Ivana Kupala. This is one of the most poetic holidays in the Ukrainian ritual calendar, the main characters of which are Kupala and Maren, who personify male (sun) and female (water) deities, respectively. Depicting Life and Death, these two characters are recreated as scarecrows, and at the end of the celebration, they are either drowned or burned.
More on the topic of burning, the main activity of Ivana Kupala is jumping over the bonfire’s flames. This tradition has been well-preserved from antiquity to the present day. Legend has it that if you jump quickly you will have good health. If lovers successfully jump over the fire, they will soon get married. But! If you fail to clear the flames, a troubled and turbulent year awaits you. Kupala Night is the time people believe that plants and especially ferns become magical, girls make flower crowns and let them drown by the river to see when they meet their only one, and if a girl wants to come into her crush’s dreams she would run three laps around a rye field, naked. Also, you are not supposed to sleep this night otherwise the evil forces can come for you and the mermaids, with their beautiful songs allure men, into the water.
Join us for a celebration of Ukrainian Traditions and Folklore!
we are partnering with SPILKA
About Spilka
Spilka is an independent collective of art, service and cultural workers based in New York City. Right now we are dedicated to providing people in Ukraine with lifesaving resources and critical supplies in the face of the ongoing Russian invasion and war. Spilka functions as an inclusive relief network, redistributing resources to those most impacted in times of crisis.
Our organization operates with full transparency as we fund and transfer grants directly to individuals in urgent need and to volunteers on the ground who are risking their lives to help those around them. Our donations go directly toward food, shelter, transport, and safety.