The Secret Salon Series


We’re feeling energized from the overwhelming support for the Secret Salon Series and can’t wait to continue sharing immersive cultural experiences that merge art, education, science, music, and nature in unexpected ways all summer long. Next up: event #3

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The Secret SaloN SERIES #3: Exploring Midsummer Traditions of Ukraine

Tuesday June 20th, 2023

7:00 - 9:30 PM PST

Secret Headquarters in East Van

🌿 experience a seasonal ceremony

🌿 learn a traditional song

🌿 make a head wreath from wild flowers

🌿 try a traditional food

In this hands-on gathering we will learn about the Ukrainian midsummer celebration Ivana Kupala. Musician and storyteller Beverly Dobrinsky will explain the historical merging of pagan summer solstice traditions and the Christian Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, outlining cultural aspects such as the clothing, food, songs, stories and rituals that mark the magical time of transition between summer solstice and harvest time. She’ll help us prepare for the Summer Solstice by teaching us how to make head wreaths (vinoks) from local greenery (zeellia), as young women in Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe have done for thousands of years. We’ll also learn a solstice song and explore myths such as the elusive flowering fern, a plant so secretive that it only reveals itself at midnight on midsummer’s eve.

A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Canada-Ukraine Foundation to support their educational initiatives.

  • Tickets are available by sliding scale: $25-$50. Suggested admission: $35. 

  • This event is for participants ages 12+. Space is limited to 20 participants so please register early.

  • We will provide some local greenery for the wreath-making but please bring any additional foliage from abandoned sites or your gardens to personalize your wreath and make it extra special.

  • Beverly will bring a homemade traditional food, either varenyky, poppyseed cake or piroshky, and herbal tea. If you are so moved, please bring some fruit to share. 

  • Wear something you find beautiful and comfortable. If you have a vyshyvanky—embroidered shirt, dress or scarf, feel free to wear. But be aware that we will be actively making vinoks, eating and drinking.

about the presenter

Beverly Dobrinsky is a Vancouver musician and storyteller who works both as a soloist and in various artistic collaborations. In 1991, inspired by the centenary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, she founded “Zeellia”, a Slavic Soul sextet which specializes in E. European traditional music with a contemporary edge. She produced three Zeellia CDs, and performed with Zeellia across Canada and in NY city. She was the musical director of the Barvinok Choir, a choir based in Vancouver’s historic Ukrainian Hall from 2001-2022. In 2009 she was the artist in residence at the Carnegie Community Centre in Vancouver’s downtown east side and led “The Carnegie Village Project,” a community engaged project using song, poetry and story to express the uniqueness of that particular community. Over the years, she has been involved in several projects with Vancouver Moving Theatre, including “Bread and Salt” in 2013, and the evolving “Big House” from 2009-2015. She is currently working on creating a podcast series—Finding My Own Voice— a legacy project which allows her to look back at the arc of her career as a musician and storyteller; and in so doing honour ancestors, family and community who have supported her along the way. In this series, she will be examining her own process of uncovering and divesting colonial expectations and inviting other artists to present their work and discuss their own process of colonial divestment and cultural retrieval.

Getting Here: Secret Headquarters is in the 1300-block of East 3rd between Clark + McLean Drive. Bus # 22 is within walking distance; VCC Clark and Commercial Skytrain Stations are within 10 minutes' walk. Free parking on the street and in the large parking lot in the alley between 3rd and 4th.

Accessibility: Secret Headquarters is wheelchair and walker accessible. If you have specific accessibility needs, please get in touch with us at (778) 917-7859 or production@secretlantern.org.