Ukrainians celebrate midsummer traditions with song, dance and fire

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of Ukrainians observed the longest day of the year on Saturday with a midsummer celebration of some of their oldest traditions, a display of cultural perseverance in a nation threatened by war.

Rooted in Ukraine's ancient past of Slavic paganism the event, Ivana Kupala, features rituals and symbolism to honor the summer solstice, related to fertility, nature, purity and renewal — values that predate the region's Christianization at the end of the first millennium.

At the open-air National Museum of Folk Architecture and Ukrainian Life on the outskirts of Kyiv, participants in embroidered shirts and blouses strolled among thatched-roof cottages, wooden churches and windmills dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. Women and girls wore vinoks — wreaths made from wildflowers — as they took part in folk dances, games and craft workshops.

Viktoria Phi, a master of folk art at the museum, taught visitors to weave the colorful flowered headdresses. She said that Ivana Kupala, which also has variations in other Slavic countries from the Czech Republic to Bulgaria to Russia, was a “small oasis” in the war in Ukraine, where people can “walk and enjoy nature, architecture, songs and dances.”

"It's most popular among young people, and I am very happy when a family comes with young children," she said.

As the sun began to set over the wheat fields and wildflower meadows, hundreds formed a circle around a pyramid of logs. When the bonfire was lit, flames climbed into the twilight sky as music swelled and people spun around the pyre hand in hand. In a purification rite, some leapt over the burning embers.

With Russia's war in Ukraine now in its fourth year and aerial attacks on cities intensifying, for some the observance of old folk customs holds deeper meaning.

Saba Alekseev, 25, said the event gave her a chance to “breathe some fresh air without thinking about (the war), for some time at least, because it’s impossible to put it out of your mind under shelling.”

For 18-year-old Sofia Orel, it was a reminder that "it is crucial to support Ukrainian culture and traditions, especially since the war started, because this way we preserve what is ours.”

“As I am weaving a wreath, I’m thinking that I will teach my daughter how to do it," she said. "These are our traditions and they have to be passed on and honored.”

The wheat ripens against the setting sun in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

People perform a rite during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A young woman dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothing smilies during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Young women dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothing dance in circle during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

People jump over bonfire during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

People dance in circle around a bonfire during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

People wearing traditional Ukrainian clothing dance in circle during a traditional midsummer celebration in Pyrohiv, Ukraine, outside of Kyiv, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

NEW YORK (AP) — Police scuttled an NBA Finals watch party near Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks warned fans to get to Monday’s matchup at least two hours early as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game.

Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. He already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

Part of the fallout from Trump’s visit was the cancellation of a Game 3 watch party outside MSG. The New York Police Department said in a statement Sunday the decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service.

“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” the statement said. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”

Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department, even without the complication of a presidential visit.

More than two-dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks beat the Spurs in San Antonio. One woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, the NYPD said.

Heading into the NBA Finals, the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena altogether because of rowdy behavior at unofficial gatherings but later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 last Wednesday.

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office, said he understood that with the Knicks on a historic run there would be some disappointment from fans.

“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations.”

Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks website said. Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.

Strict rules were put in place for those attending the game. The Knicks warned fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures.

The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy would be in place and there would be “TSA-style screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 8:40 p.m. EDT.

The Knicks said there would be no storage at MSG for prohibited items brought to the arena. A list of them is available at https://www.secretservice.gov/prohibiteditems.

Associated Press writers Michael Sisak and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

FILE - Actor Elliott Gould, left, joins Donald Trump, center, and Marla Maples at courtside during an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, in New York, March 6, 1991. (AP Photo/Steve Freeman, File)

FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)