Ethnic Festival Kraina Mriy Welcomes Summer Solstice

Kyiv, June 27, 2012. For the ninth time in a row, the international ethnic festival Kraina Mriy took place on the picturesque embankment hills of the Dnipro river in Kyiv. The festival promoted Ukrainian history and culture through ethnic music and art performances. “Being natural in everything” was the credo of the festival, which offered its numerous guests and participants the option of getting away from the usual challenges of reality and fast paced modern world filled with advanced technologies.

During the two days Kraina Mriy had a lot to offer. The festival featured the variety of ethnic music from every corner of Ukraine. Kids had a chance to spend some quality time at a specially designed children’s playground based on folklore motives. For the craftsmen and artists to showcase their works – from pottery to loomed blankets – the festival designated the entire surrounding pathways. Here, the festival patrons could learn about traditional craftsmanship, try tasty foods like “shashlyck” (shish kebab) and learn national dances in real time. For those who sought a more adventurous experience, wild and jaw-dropping entertainment was provided by teams of Cossacks who’s performances included walking on sharp nails and hanging from each other’s abdomens by use of a thin rope.

“I think Krayina Mriy is one of the brightest cultural victories of our country. This is the ninth year in a row this festival has taken place. The festival represents not only foreign cultures, but also the entire Ukraine with its different regions through regional music and culture, art, people’s crafts and dances. And all of this is happening in one place at one time,” said Yevgeniya Stryzevska, Media Coordinator at Kraina Mriy Festival.

This year Kraina Mriy presented several new features for its attendees. For the first time ever, the festival hosted the Crimean folk stage. Another successful project that was premiered last year was Ethnic Fashion Project – collaborative intitiative of the the festival and the Ukrainian Fashion Week. Through Ethnic Fashion, Ukrainian designers created collections based on Ukrainian traditional outfit elements and displayed their pieces on models in a featured fashion for all to enjoy. “I think today people understand that they should wear Ukrainian clothing more often, even if it’s for daily purposes, because it’s something to be proud of. We have very beautiful clothing, very nice designers and very beautiful folklore,” said Lyudmyla Bushynska, designer at Ethnic Fashion. Since its emergence in Europe just fifty years ago, ethnic style shows have become increasingly popular at every succeeding fashion season and remain deeply inspirational.. The contribution Ukrainian fashion designers have to ethnic style is very significant due to their ability to preserve and integrate the traditional elements of an old-style Ukrainian outfit.

Festival Kraina Mriy was founded by the famous Ukrainian rock musician Oleg Skrypka, leader of the renowned band Vopli Vidpolysova. The name of the festivals originated from one of his band’s songs - Kraina Mriy. 2004 was the first year when Kyiv hosted the festival and since then it has become an annual celebration in the nation’s capital.

“The main idea of this festival is to contribute to the revival of Ukrainian culture and traditions, support modern musical ethnic styles, acquaint ourselves, the Ukrainian spectator, with ethnic elements of different people,” reads the official Kraina Mriy Festival website.