On the territory of Ukraine, this flower crown amulet has a long history. Even in pre-Christian times, a wreath was the main decoration of a girl’s head, and it protected her from the evil eye and ensured well-being. Over time, the wreath has undergone changes and variations, but has not lost its primary meaning.

Different regions had their own name for this girl’s jewelry: korobula, lubok (Podillia), teremok (Chernihiv region), kapelyushinya, fes (Bukovina), crown, perta (Transcarpathia), (Naddnipryanshchyna), braid, wattle fence (Hutsulshchyna), Koruna (Lemkivshchyna), gibalka (Pereyaslavshchyna, Dnieper region). A wreath could be not only flower decorations. For example, the Hutsuls covered their heads with a wreath-shaped chilts – copper plates in the form of petals strung on a wire or a strap, and bukovinkas – with codes – wreath-shaped decorations that were attached to the crown of the head and rose magnificently, while the hair was loose.

Children started to wear a wreath from the age of three. The daughter received her first wreath from the mother (mother wove it from marigolds, which relieved headaches, forget-me-nots and periwinkles, which develop vision, and chamomile, which soothes the heart).

They kept it in a chest and put it on Spas (Honey).

At the age of four, another wreath was woven: the petals of all its flowers were cut, immortelle, wild rosemary or apple leaves were added.

For a six-year-old, poppies were woven into a wreath (added sleep and protected thoughts) and cornflowers.

A seven-year-old was woven an ornament of seven flowers (with the color of an apple tree). The girl already wove the next wreaths for herself (often the science of wreath weaving was taught to her by her sisters or older friends).

According to tentative estimates of researchers, there are about 80 types of wreaths (age, magical, ritual, etc.).

The most popular age wreath was the wreath of love, which the girl wove from the age of 13 until marriage. They wove it from daisies, which were diluted with the color of ample and cherry trees, hop tendrils, and a bunch of viburnum above the forehead.

The betrothed girl weaved a wreath of love from periwinkle, mint, sage and other medicinal herbs.

Weaved girls and wreaths for loved ones (a wreath of devotion): from lovage and cornflowers.

Girls were given to loved ones going on a long journey as a symbol of the fact that they are expected at home, they are remembered and loved.

Girls unhappy in love made wreaths of hope from cornflowers and field poppies (it was believed that love would come when a girl put a wreath on her chosen one’s head, and with this wreath a girl could confess her feelings to an indecisive guy).

A wreath of separation from primrose and heather was woven by a girl whom her beloved left for another. If the initiative came from a girl, she gave the guy a wreath of willow earrings, periwinkle and asters (carried the message: “Forgive me, but I love another”).

The girl who took the tonsure prepared a monastic wreath of white lilies, which symbolized the purity of God’s bride (she gave this wreath to her best friend after pronouncing her vows). Of white lilies, they also wove for a dead unmarried girl (his girlfriends wove his deceased – as for a bride).

The most magnificent and most beautiful was the wedding wreath, which was supposed to protect the bride from the evil and envious eye. They wove it at the bridesmaid’s bachelorette party from periwinkle, fresh flowers, medicinal plants (if the bride was from a wealthy family, the wreath could be purchased: from wax flowers, tissue paper, which was bound with periwinkle and lovage; if the bride was an orphan, viburnum was not woven into the wreath ).

The classical wreath had to consist of 12 types of flowers.

Each flower had its own symbolic meaning:

poppy – a symbol of fertility, beauty and youth;
chamomile – love, tenderness and fidelity;
sunflower – devotion and fidelity; cornflowers – a symbol of humanity;
rose, mallow and peony – hope, faith and love;
mint – health;
mother – maternal love;
lily – girlish charms, purity and innocence;
elecampane and immortelle – health promotion;
cherry and apple blossom – devotion and love;
viburnum – beauty and girlish charm;
hops – flexibility and intelligence;
field bells – thanks.
Also, “greens” were often woven into wreaths:

wormwood (from the evil eye);
burkun grass (can connect those who are not together in a quarrel);
oak leaves (gives strength);
periwinkle leaves and color (a plant of love and girlish beauty – it’s not without reason that it can be seen on many wedding wreaths, each flower petal had its own meaning: the first is beauty, the second is tenderness, the third is unforgettable, the fourth is consent, the fifth is fidelity).
The material for the wreath was collected on certain days or hours (depending on the purpose of the wreath). Before weaving a wreath, the plants were cleaned with well water. During the “work” the girls sang songs, told instructive stories. Traditionally, the girl wove a wreath for herself, but for the kids, a mother, sister or other older relative could weave a wreath-amulet.

Depending on the season, wreaths could be woven from herbs and flowers (in spring and summer), from leaves and clusters of viburnum (in autumn), from artificial and wax flowers (in winter). Wax wreaths and wreaths of artificial flowers were traditionally bought (wax wreaths were usually made by nuns and sold at Kyiv bazaars) for the wedding. Brides additionally intertwined artificial wreaths with periwinkle or decorated them with bird feathers (peacock, chicken or drake tail).

Ribbons were an important attribute of each wreath. Their color, quantity, length mattered.

Like flowers, there should also have been 12 ribbons. The length of the ribbon should have exceeded the length of the girl’s braid (the ribbons protected the girl’s treasure from envious eyes).

Ribbons were knitted in a certain sequence: in the center there should have been

brown (a symbol of the earth),

on the sides yellow (sun),

light and dark green (beauty and youth),

blue (sky and water, which symbolized strength and health),

yellow-hot (symbol of bread), purple (wisdom),

raspberry (soulfulness and sincerity),

pink (wealth).

They also knitted a white ribbon embroidered with gold and silver (the sun is on the left end, the moon is on the right), they did not knit an unembroidered ribbon – it symbolized the memory of the dead. If a poppy was woven into a wreath, then it was braided with a red ribbon as a sign of grief and memory. An orphan girl wove blue ribbons into braids and a wreath (the people she met gave her gifts, wished her happiness and wealth, and she gave them a ribbon from a wreath in gratitude).

There are a number of “wreath” features characteristic only of certain areas.

In the Middle Dnieper region, the size of flowers decreased in the direction of the back of the head, and in Podolia, the “flowering” is the opposite.

In Western Ukraine, wreaths were decorated with tiles, gerdans, and gilded periwinkle. Hutsul panis made karabuli vinka from glass beads and ribbons, from artificial flowers and peacock feathers.

In the Vinnytsia region, girls decorated their heads with wreaths for holidays: multi-colored kutasiki, beads, buttons, threads were sewn onto black braid, and in some areas a “kvitka” was common – a ribbon with a double flower sewn on it from ribbons decorated with beads and beads.

In Polissya, it was possible to determine the property status of a girl’s family by a wreath: the more magnificent the wreath was, the more prosperous (sometimes it consisted of so many intertwined hoops that it looked like a hat of flowers that covered the entire head). Girls from ordinary families had a wreath in the form of a twisted hoop. In this region, ribbons were rarely woven into wreaths (wedding wreaths were an exception).