Pagan Kupala festival held on Odesa seashore
An ethno-festival titled “Kupala Night” was held on an inclusive beach in Odesa.
On June 20, 2026, the ethno-group Lehit organized a Kupala celebration on the Odesa seashore, which, according to the organizers, became the largest event of its kind ever held. Suspilne Odesa reported this.
The program included folk dances, musical performances, and a handmade crafts fair. Participants came dressed in themed costumes of mythical creatures – “mavkas” – wove wreaths from wild grasses, and decorated trees with ribbons.
The organizers actively promoted pagan traditions: guests jumped over bonfires, searched for the mythical fern flower, and practiced wreath divination.
In comments to journalists, visitors themselves compared the atmosphere of the celebration to a Western “occult” holiday.
“I really like the concept of this holiday; it is a kind of Ukrainian Halloween,” one participant said.
As the UOJ reported, the Ministry of Culture moved the pagan holiday of Kupala following the OCU calendar reform.
