Get out to the mountains and experience the great Ukrainian pagan festival Ivana Kupala with some original Ukrainians, the Hutsuls, at Sheshory 2004 in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast beginning July 6. There's also the Ethnocamp at Sideiz in Crimea beginning in late July.
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In early July, thousands will crowd the Hutsul village of Sheshory to celebrate the ancient pagan holiday Ivana Kupala. Expect a huge bonfire and Hutsul folk music filling the Carpathian Mountain air, as it has for centuries during this bash. It’s a Ukrainian festival, all right, but with a twist.
Sheshory 2004 is “a new type of festival,” says Olha Mykhailuk, the event’s creator. “Hutsuls have started to feel ashamed of their traditional clothing, and their children don’t want to play folk instruments,” she says, adding that the event is meant to raise their national consciousness. Ethnic revival, in short, is the major theme here.
It’s hard to imagine preserving Hutsul culture without also preserving the Carpathian ecology. The brown bear, the lynx, and the mountain triton are now threatened with extinction.
The festival organizers – the Zelene Dosie (Green Dossier) ecological organization – see the festival as a chance to unite ecologically conscious citizens of all ages and popularize eco-tourism in Ukraine’s mountainous west. Mykhailuk expects a healthy turnout of about 3,000, meaning a boon for local Hutsul businessmen.
The festival begins on July 6 with the traditional Kupala Fire, to be set at nightfall. According to local tradition, you’re supposed to jump over the fire with a loved one in tow (or in mind), and then search for fern buds, which are supposed to bring good luck in finding hidden treasure. Girls make wildflower wreaths and toss them into a nearby river, in hopes that their future beloved will emerge from the direction in which the flowers are thrown.
On July 7 and 8 lots of hands will play: Cankisou (Czech Republic), Yerba Mater and Klepisko (Poland), DUBro (Russia) and – from Ukraine – Perkalaba, Hurt Yo’Gurt, Otcheretyany Kit, and Burdon. Their styles range from ethnic world music to jazz, ska and reggae.
Guests can take part in classes on world wind instruments, Hutsul folk instruments, photography, Carpathian herbology, recycling and land art, and traditional Ukrainian doll-making.
Crimea: Ethno-life
Those who prefer the sunny Crimean Mountains on the Black Sea coast can spend a week at an ethnic camp in Simeiz (near Alupka). The principle of an ethno-camp? To promote equality among religions, cultures and nations.
A typical day at the ethnic camp is an early wake-up, followed by a sunrise meeting. Then come meditation, ritual singing and yoga before you choose between oriental, Indian, Irish, African, American step or flamenco dance sessions. Nature excursions and diving tours in the Black Sea are also available.
Experienced tutors will also teach marshal arts and how to handle traditional weapons, including daggers, swords and staffs. After practice, trainees can either get a massage or, if they’re so inclined, learn massage.
Ethno-life also has much to offer children, including lessons in swimming, chanbara (a type of fencing), yoga, and water polo. The cost of all such classes (except massage) and of the concerts are included in the camp fee. Organizers assure you that there will be enough spare time to visit Aquapark in Simeiz, climb in the mountains, eat in local cafes or just lie on the beach. The evenings will be filled with live music, and there will be fire shows, tea ceremonies and bonfire gatherings.
The camp starts on July 10 and lasts until mid-August. Travel and food costs aren’t covered, so the organizers advise you to plan accordingly.
Sheshory
The easiest way to get to Sheshory 2004 is by train. A second-class sleeper berth from Kyiv to Ivano-Frankivsk should cost no more than
Hr 90 round-trip. Trains run daily.
From Ivano-Frankivsk, there’s a bus that goes from there through Kosiv to Sheshory for Hr 12 (one-way). There is a direct bus from Kyiv to Kosiv, which leaves from the central bus station and costs Hr 104, but we recommend it only as a last resort.
For more information, call 227-6277 or visit www.sheshory.org.
Ethno-camp
One week camping fees: for those with a tent $50; for those needing to rent a tent $75; for those staying in a cottage $110; luxury apartments cost $550.
Daily trains from Kyiv to Simferopol cost Hr 120 for a round-trip second class sleeper. Buses to Yalta leave Simferopol on an hourly basis, and cost Hr 5 to Hr 10. Buses to Simeiz leave from the central bus station in Yalta.
Info: call (8067) 997-6252, or visit www.ethnopeople.narod.ru.
