Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · 2d

Nature, belonging, and drones in the night: moments from our conversation at the edge of a wetland in the middle of Ukraine kupalabrighton.org/trubaitsi.html

Vladyslava Bondar standing at the edge of the boloto, or wetland, that borders the village of Trubaitsi, in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava oblast, August 2025.

1 3

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · Sep 10

A siren on the audio tracks and Cuyahoga playing in my head as I edited this #R.E.M.

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 9

'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ

Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside

YouTube video by Kupala Brighton

youtu.be

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 10

The sounds of war just reached deep into the Polish countryside too. Surreal experiences are often previews of a new reality.
#Poland #Ukraine

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 9

'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ

Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside

YouTube video by Kupala Brighton

youtu.be

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 9

'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ

Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside

YouTube video by Kupala Brighton

youtu.be

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 9

also on Spotify
audio-only: Apple, Amazon podcasts
YouTube has English subtitle option

1 1

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 8

We travelled to the Ukrainian village that is the deep inspiration for our project, and talked on the edge of its wetlands: about nature, childhood, imagination, the sounds of war in the air, and why places must not be stolen from people.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...

Trubaitsi: wetland spirits and night spirits in a Ukrainian village

YouTube video by Kupala Brighton

www.youtube.com

2 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Sep 8

We travelled to the Ukrainian village that is the deep inspiration for our project, and talked on the edge of its wetlands: about nature, childhood, imagination, the sounds of war in the air, and why places must not be stolen from people.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...

Trubaitsi: wetland spirits and night spirits in a Ukrainian village

YouTube video by Kupala Brighton

www.youtube.com

2 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Aug 29

All these brilliant performers, and we'll be there too! Looking forward hugely to the Summer Fusion Festival at the Jubilee Library in Brighton, Sun 7 Sept, 11 – 3, free, all welcome!
bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...

Flyer for Summer Fusion Festival, Jubilee Library, Brighton, 11–3 Sun 7 September. Performers billed: Cohesion Plus Bhangra Fusion, Kapil Seshasayee, Suna Alan – Kurdish folk songs, Ukrainian Voices Choir

1 1

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · Aug 27

A week ago I was eating grapes from a Ukrainian kitchen garden (= small farm in UK city terms) and thinking I should follow the example in my own small way back home
so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do)

soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...

Picking dog-rose hips in Brighton garden

1 2

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Aug 20

We made it, 2700km from Brighton to the birthplace of Kupala in the middle of Ukraine! We’ll tell you all about it when we’re back in the UK

Vlada and Marek at the boloto (wetland) near where Vlada spent much of her childhood. Vlada’s got blue hair and looks like a nature spirit. Marek is very excited. There are blue skies, a forest and meadows on the background.

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Aug 20

We made it, 2700km from Brighton to the birthplace of Kupala in the middle of Ukraine! We’ll tell you all about it when we’re back in the UK

1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 30

'Every Motanka I make is a quiet storyteller of our homeland and our hopes for the future.' Hanna Mariienko on what making traditional #Ukrainian motanka dolls in Sussex means to her and her community. kupalabrighton.org/motanka.html

Hanna Mariienko teaches how to make traditional Ukrainian motanka dolls at the Kupala midsummer festival in Brighton, 2023.

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 27

We found a new place to celebrate Kupala this midsummer, and wrote a new piece to accompany it as well 🌿

kupalabrighton.org/kupala25.html

A New Place | Kupala

A New Place

kupalabrighton.org

1 2

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

National Folklore Survey for England @nfsengland.bsky.social · Jun 24

Head to our website to read our latest guest blog. This time we hear from @kupalabrighton.bsky.social to learn how this Ukrainian midsummer festival has got underway in Brighton since refugees began arriving in 2022.

www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/kupala-...

6 17

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 23

We talked about your arguments at our Kupala gathering yesterday. The point about lack of documentary evidence was well taken, though the point about inference from cross-European ritual similarities was also made.

1 3

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 21

Pagans set wheels on fire and rolled them down hills at midsummer in 4th-century France. More recently Ukrainians did the same with car tyres 🔥☀️🔥

Folk Horror Revival 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @folkhorrorrevival.bsky.social · Jun 21

🌞 Happy #Solstice all! Hail, the God of the Sun! 🌞

🖼️ 'Solstice of the Sunflower' by Paul Nash (1945)🌻

A stylised landscape painting of rolling hills with the Sun overhead. On the right is a gigantic sunflower head.

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 20

Thanks for noting the diasporas ☀️ For Ukrainians, the significance of Kupala is contemporary as well as pre-Christian 🌿

2

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 12

As it's Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka spirits come out of water, and sea-themed #FolkloreThursday, we'd like to point out it's a myth that rusalky are #mermaids. Key differences:

Fish-tails: mermaids✅ rusalky❎
Complex, tragic backstories: rusalky✅ mermaids ❎

More: kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html

3 5

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 9

Since it's Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka spirits come out of water, we'd just like to point out that rusalky are❗️not #mermaids❗️Key differences:

Fish-tails: mermaids✅ rusalky❎
Complex, tragic backstories: rusalky✅ mermaids ❎

More info: kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html
#MythologyMonday

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 9

Dangerous spirit alert ⚠️ Today is the start of Rusalnyi Week, when #rusalka water spirits emerge onto dry land. They can be deadly, so
⚠️ Keep away from rivers, pools etc
⚠️ Also fields
⚠️ Put bread, milk, shirts out for them
Stay Rusalka-Safe! #folklore
kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html

1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Jun 8

It's Trinity Sunday, and here's a priest in #Ukraine blessing people who have brought greenery to the church. They'll also put branches around their homes, to protect against spirits from before Christianity arrived. kupalabrighton.org/rusalnyi.html #folklore

Rusalnyi Week | Kupala

The Start of Summer

kupalabrighton.org

1 2

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · May 1

Then flowers and fire at Midsummer, Kupala, and water too ☀️🔥🌿🌼

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · May 1

Happy Beltane! Rise to meet the sun wherever you are, then don't stop rising.
Remember to say it with flowers and fire.
🔥🪻🔥🌷🔥🌸🔥🌹🔥🌺🔥

Illustration of a female figure with arms raised framed by a garland of flowers. Text says "A Garland for May Day 1895"

1 1 1

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Apr 1

We agree 😆☀️

1

Reposted by Kupala Brighton

Marek Kohn @marekkohn.bsky.social · Mar 21

I said a few words – some of them in Ukrainian 😁 – at the Rose Hill about what our Razom gatherings mean to us. Thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for including them in this post about last Sunday's wonderful Razom 💛 bestfootmusic.net/2025/03/16/r...

Razom ~ Together: March 16th

The Razom ~ Together event with the current round of funding, and what a fantastic event it turned out to be Commencing with a great life set of folk songs and stories from Mavka Singer, followed b…

bestfootmusic.net

2 3

Kupala Brighton @kupalabrighton.bsky.social · Mar 7

If you'd like to spend some time with our local #Ukrainian community in #Brighton and show your support for them, come to Razom at the Rose Hill on Sunday 16 March, 2-6pm. Music, food, conversation, and now a visit from a Ukrainian author too 💙💛

Poster for Razom event at the Rose Hill, Brighton BN1 1JL, 2–6pm 16 March. An afternoon with the local Ukrainian community and friendsm sharing music, food and chat. Free entry

2 3