Warrington MELA Festival 2025

We were very proud to take part in the Warrington MELA festival again this year.   It's fantastic to see so many different communities coming together to share in each others cultures, traditions, food, music and much more.

This year we held 3 workshops for people to attend and try some traditional Ukrainian activities. Pysanka Egg decorating, embroidery and Montanka dolls.   We also provided a performance of  one of our members playing the Bandurra and singing

A pysanka is a decorated Ukrainian Easter egg made using an ancient wax-resist method, where beeswax is written onto the egg with a special tool (kistka) to create designs that are protected from dyes. The egg is dipped in progressively darker dyes, and the final step involves melting off the wax to reveal a vibrant, multi-colored folk art design with symbolic meanings.

Ukrainian embroidery is a culturally significant folk art featuring geometric, floral, and animalistic motifs in distinct regional styles, often with symbolic meanings for protection and good fortune. Traditional techniques like cross-stitch, satin stitch, and drawn thread work are employed, with common colors including red, white, and black, though palettes vary regionally, such as the pale blues and greens in Poltava embroidery. The practice has deep historical roots, with Scythians as early ancestors, and remains a central part of Ukrainian identity, notably seen in the vyshyvanka.

A Motanka doll is a traditional, handmade Ukrainian amulet that functions as a family talisman for protection, prosperity, and well-being. Made by winding fabric without needles, its faceless design protects against evil spirits by preventing a soul from entering the doll. Motankas are imbued with symbolic meaning through their colours, ornaments, and the intentions of the craftsperson, embodying themes of fertility, lineage, and harmony with nature and the cosmos.

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