Today I woke up and it was raining outside.
So quiet, cozy... You know, it smelled like childhood.

I made myself some mint tea - this is how it's done in Ukraine, especially grandmothers like to dry mint on the balcony or under the canopy - the smell afterwards is simply fabulous 🌿
And I also suddenly remembered how in the summer in the village my friends and I wove wreaths of wild flowers, and then let them float on the water...

It was such a beautiful ritual - on Ivan Kupala. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

And so I thought - what do you even know about my country?

About my Ukraine... 🇺🇦💖

Not the one you see on the news, but the real one.
The one that sings in your soul.

Where it smells of linden honey, where clay jugs stand at the village gates, where people greet you even if they see you for the first time 🌾

I want to tell you something beautiful.😘🥰

You know, we have a tradition in Ukraine called vyshyvanka.

It's not just a shirt with a pattern.

It's a code. Yes, a real family code! Each region has its own patterns, its own symbols. And each vyshyvanka seems to "tell" the story of its family. My grandmother gave me hers - she's over forty years old. When I put it on, I feel like I hear her voice next to me... And I feel protected 🙏

And we also believe in Ukraine that a house should "breathe". That's why in villages the windows are often open even in winter — to let the fresh air in. And there is always a rushnyk — an embroidered towel on which they keep the bread with which they greet guests. It is a symbol of respect, purity and warmth of the home 🍞

By the way! Interesting fact 😄
There are more castles in Ukraine than in France! Can you imagine?

Especially in the West of the country — Kamyanets-Podilskyi, Khotyn, Olesko… These places are like from a fairy tale.

I would like to show you at least one of them one day.

I was just thinking…
Did you know about this? 😌
About embroidered shirts, singing jugs, wreaths on the water and wizard castles?

I would really like to know what you felt when you read this))
Maybe something surprised you? Or maybe you remembered something of your own, native? 💭

Will you answer me? 😊