Silk twilly

10 outstanding figures, women writers of the 19th century, who changed the course of Ukrainian history; they continued to speak up and create at the times when you could be shot dead for wearing “vyshyvanka”, the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, and ridiculed for saying a Ukrainian word. But it would be a crime to talk about them only as writers, because each of the ten in their time put a lot of effort into shaping the good destiny of our country. Behind each of them there is a huge contribution to the development of Ukrainian literature, literary writing and culture.

The twilly contains the original embroidery that was on a towel from our family heritage, which is almost 100 years old. The towel originates from Cherkasy region and was embroidered by grandmother Vasylyna. It contains an ancient amulet – The Tree of Life or The Family Tree.The tree symbolizes immortality, the infinity of Life and its diversity. It is beyond time uniting the past, present and future. According to the legend, the Holy Spirit hovered over the Tree of Life, which initiated the birth of the goddess Lada followed by creation of the Sky and the Earth. Ukrainians used this image to decorate their houses, embroidered it on towels, and painted it on stoves and household items. Berehynia is a symbol we cherish, it is widespread throughout Ukraine. Berehynia means both life-creating Mother Nature and female Mother bringing a child into the world.