"Library as a hub for learning and popularising the Ukrainian language and culture: the “Let’s speak Ukrainian” conversation club for adult readers. Photos by Eleonora Tsybulska."
- Olha Maksymenko, librarian at Pavlo Usenko Library for Children (Dniprovskyi District, Kyiv, Ukraine)
This 20th century Ukrainian flower crown originated in Podilla. It was hand made using wire, paper, and encaustic painting with wax. It is a beautiful depiction of lilies of the valley woven into a crown. In Ukraine, the lily is symbolic of innocence and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Because of this, It was not uncommon for these flower crowns to be worn at weddings by women, symbolizing purity as they entered their marriage.
The artifact was made by V.F. Khomenko in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1977. It is made out of silver, agate, and enamel, and the exact purpose for production is unknown. The ring was featured in the exhibition "Rings: Thousand-Year Histories of Familiar Things", from September 24, 2019 to October 11, 2020 in the Museum of Historical Jewels of Ukraine.
The artifact was made by one of the Kyiv Master goldsmiths, Master Byshevs′kyǐ, for an unknown marriage around 1857. This crown was made for the crowning ceremony of Eastern Christian wedding tradition. The crown of marriage would be placed on the groom's head, with a similar one for the bride, to signify Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, evil, and death. This ceremony would typically have friends, family, and clergy members in attendance and involve prayers and hymns. “An Explanation of the Crowning Ceremony.” Melkite Eparchy of Newton, https://melkite.org/faith/faith-worship/an-explanation-of-the-crowning-ceremony.
