Two charity festivals took place in Mykolaiv: meditation sessions, fairs and celebrations to mark Ivan Kupala Day

On Saturday, 21 June, residents of Mykolaiv had the chance to attend two charity events organised by volunteers: the «DVARA» festival of transformation and personal growth in Vitrylnyi Park at Pier 8, and the opening of «Freedom Pocket Park» in Namyv microdistrict, where people celebrated Ivan Kupala.

This was reported by a correspondent for NikVesti.

From early morning, peace and quiet reigned in Vitrylynyi Park, accompanied by meditative music. Seven spaces had been set up here, where physical and conversational practices, masterclasses, tea ceremonies, massages and other activities took place simultaneously.

The festival organiser, who introduced himself as Alik, explained how the idea for the event came about:

«I’m a soldier, currently on leave. After the full-scale invasion began, I became interested in various forms of meditation, looking for a way to cope with stress without psychoactive substances. Meditation helped me cope with this, and I began to share these practices with the people of Mykolaiv. I’ve led sound meditation sessions for veterans on several occasions, which is why we’re organising this festival for the second year running. «DVARA» means «gate» in Sanskrit; our word for «door» is derived from this. We want people to find the door to their inner world. The festival features around 30 different workshops, where everyone can choose their own way of managing stress. They’re led by practitioners from Mykolaiv, as well as my friends from Odesa, Lviv and Dnipro,» says Alik.

In addition, the event has a charitable aim — we’re raising funds for turnstiles for our defenders. Together with the Mykolaiv Regional Organisation of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, we’re also raising funds for children deprived of parental care.

In the evening, the festival also featured a joint mantra chant for peace in Sanskrit and Ukrainian. Afterwards, accompanied by music from a DJ from Odesa, participants joined in a meditative dance.

Throughout the day, the festival featured a market selling handmade items by craftswomen from the «Art-Niko» association and the Mykolaiv volunteer centre «Insurgent Volunteers».

Meanwhile, life was in full swing at Namyv, in the «Freedom Pocket Park» space. The humanitarian headquarters of the «DOF» Volunteer Centre organised various exercise sessions and workshops for children and adults. There was also a market featuring crafts by the «Art-Niko» craftswomen and handmade products from local entrepreneurs.

The most popular spot was where members of the «Chimeras of the Wild Steppe» community organisation from Nova Odesa were teaching anyone interested how to weave wreaths from wildflowers, as the event took place on the eve of the Ivan Kupala festival.

In the evening, a concert by the Mykolaiv band «Radiostars» began. Both adults and children danced enthusiastically to the music. And when members of the «Chimeras of the Wild Steppe» organisation began teaching guests Ukrainian folk dances, no one remained indifferent. The area in front of the stage could barely accommodate everyone who wanted to join in.

The programme was hosted by its spiritual inspiration and organiser, Volodymyr Aleksieiev. He emphasised that the organisers respect the law and the residents of Namyv, so the concert would end at 22:00 sharp.

And although complaints about loud music in a residential area appeared on social media that evening, those present enjoyed the festivities. This was evident from the large number of guests and their happy faces.

As a reminder, on 18 June, the Mykolaiv Regional Universal Scientific Library hosted a meeting entitled «The Library in Lines and Shadows» with Mykolaiv-based artist Anatolii Krutikov.