Vinok and midsummer crowns

What it is

The Ukrainian vinok was worn by girls and unmarried young women. A full one holds many kinds of flower, each with a meaning, and coloured ribbons fall down the back. At a wedding the bride's wreath was a central object, often made of periwinkle, an evergreen that stands for lasting love. The Swedish midsommarkrans is simpler: birch twigs and whatever is flowering in the meadow, worn by children and adults alike on Midsummer Eve. Latvians wear flower wreaths, and oak leaf wreaths for men, at the midsummer festival of Jani.

Where it comes from

Wreaths at the summer solstice are older than the Christian calendar in this part of Europe. The church later tied the feast to Saint John's Day in late June. On Ivan Kupala night in Ukraine, and at Wianki in Poland, young women set their wreaths on a river, sometimes with a candle. Folk belief read the future in how a wreath floated: straight and far meant a happy marriage. In Ukraine the vinok has had a strong revival since the 2010s as a sign of national identity.

How it is made

Pick flowers with long, bendy stems. Lay one stem across another, wrap it once around and bring it back alongside, then add the next in the same way, so each new stem binds the last. Keep going until the braid fits the head, then tie the ends with grass, thread or ribbon. A base of birch or willow twigs makes a firmer crown. Poppies, cornflowers, daisies, chamomile, clover and grasses are usual. In Ukraine red viburnum berries and marigolds are added later in the year.

How to take part

1. At a Swedish midsummer gathering, join the wreath making before the dancing begins.
2. Use field flowers with stems at least a hand and a half long.
3. Make the braid thicker than you think you need. It shrinks as the flowers wilt.
4. In Kraków, look for the Wianki festival by the Vistula around midsummer.

Good manners

• Pick from roadsides and common meadows, not from gardens, crops or protected land.
• A traditional vinok with ribbons has meaning as part of Ukrainian dress. Wear it with respect, not as a costume joke.

The flowers

Ukrainian wreathA flower crown worn by Ukrainian girls and young women for tradition and celebrationCommon poppyThe vivid red wildflower of fields and remembranceCornflowerA bright blue wildflower once common in European grain fieldsChamomileA fragrant white and yellow annual flower used for tea and herbal remediesLesser PeriwinkleA low, evergreen groundcover with violet or white star-shaped flowersGuelder-roseA white-flowered shrub with red berries, rooted in Slavic and Ukrainian traditionOxeye DaisyA white-petalled wildflower of meadows, now found across much of the world

Sources and further reading

• Ukrainian wreath on Wikipedia