Ukrainian Women's Magic Traditions

Ukrainian Women's Magic Traditions / Lada Luzina
London: Glagoslav, c2020
64 p.

I picked up this book on the Halloween weekend, as a timely read ;) It's a very brief book which shares some of the traditional practices around divination and charms in Ukrainian folklore. It's not really magic, but more a look at the ways in which women tried to protect their households, or young women tried to foretell their potential marriages or charm their chosen men. Much of the content shares the rituals around Ukrainian seasonal holidays. 

I thought it was interesting -- some of the traditions, like those connected to Ivana Kupala, are ones I was familiar with. But some were new to me. I was interested in the idea she shares that women who could perform rites were often considered witches, and there were so many that Kyiv women were all assumed to be witches. And that there were rumoured witch gatherings on Lysa Hora, a 'mountain' near Kyiv better known as Bald Mountain (written about by Gogol). 

So there's a good mix of legend and folklore, from the fantastical to the humble and everyday. The author appears to practice these traditions and believe in the powers of the past. I'm not able to estimate how much this author is involved in these traditions as there is not much info to be found about her anywhere! 

The book is short, and ends quite abruptly. I'd have liked to see a bit more context given, but it was still an interesting find with some really neat historical tidbits in it. If you find these kinds of traditions of interest as well, this is a neat read. 

And if you do find 'big witch energy' fascinating, the Ukrainian podcast UkrainianSpaces (in English) had a recent interview with artist Anka Lavriv that covers some of these themes as well.