That Flower Crown Means A Sign Of Purity In Ukraine- Giving a New Meaning To Ancient Tradition

Slavic workshop Treti Pivni (translated as Third Rooster) has recently created an amazing new series of portraits featuring women and children wearing traditional Ukrainian headdresses. It was created to pay homage to their homeland while sharing a message of peace, tenderness, and knowledge of the Ukrainian culture with the world.

Traditionally, these floral headdresses are worn by young, unmarried women as a sign of their “purity” and marital eligibility. In pre-Christian times, they were even thought to protect innocent girls from evil spirits. Currently, after the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, the headdresses are being worn in daily life to symbolize national pride, especially when it comes to fashion. The floral headdress, or vinok, is often worn in daily life. The flowers are usually either fresh, paper or waxen, and are attached onto a band of stiff paper backing covered with a ribbon. The vinok is mostly connected with weddings and folk festivals, though its floral aesthetic has a more peaceful purpose in its contemporary use.

Model Nadiia Shapoval told Vogue Magazine, “I think we are coming back to floral themes because fashion is starting to react on wars that we are having around the globe. We need some tenderness.”