The invitation
Join us for a special cultural day at House Blivande, exploring winter ritual, the cultural diversity of Ukraine, and our sense of identity and belonging in a changing world.
Our gathering will be anchored in the ethnographic film From Bloom to Flame — a documentary about a Bulgarian ritual tradition in Bessarabia, Ukraine, silenced by war and brought to us by visiting ethnographic filmmaker Tetiana Staneva.
We will learn about Bessarabia’s and Ukraine’s rich cultural diversity — how minority traditions are misused in false narratives in Russia’s war of aggression, and how cultural awakening and resilience serve to defend core human values.
We will also explore old Bessarabian winter rituals preserved by ethnic minorities, and bring them to life through circle dance, craft, and ceremony.
Most importantly, we will hold multiple questions together, as we imagine new ways of belonging in a world in transition:
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How are our own heritages and lineages calling to be remembered, renewed, or released?
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What stories and rituals help us endure liminal times? What flames are we tending — and what do we wish to carry from the past into the year ahead?
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What are the links to local Indigenous histories of erasure and preservation?
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And how can we, across languages and histories, shape a shared culture of aliveness — one that honors difference without fear?
