Pушниk

Rushnyky are traditional Ukrainian woven & embroidered, rectangular cloths typically made of linen, with an ancient history of use as ritual objects imbued with talismanic power (Sciacca, 2014). The word rushnyky derives from ruka which means "hand", the literal translation of rushnyk being hand towel (Kononenko, 2018). 

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Used to protect family, home, & village, and as a conduit to the spirit realm, rushnyky are integrated into all aspects of family and village life (Sciacca, 2014). Their talismanic power is believed not only to lie in the embroidered symbols, but in the practice of spinning and weaving the linen, a distinctly female craft (Sciacca, 2014). In ancient times, spinning and weaving were honoured as sacred, and feature throughout slavic mythology and folklore as the work of the Great Mother, or Goddess (Sciacca, 2014). Testament to this is found in the oldest surviving rushnyky, with the central emblem being that of the slavic Goddess Berehynia, or Mokosh, standing with outstretched arms and flocked on both sides with various cryptograms (often birds) signifying her power as protectress of all life on earth, and thus of village, family, and the individual (Sciacca, 2014).

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The length of cloth symbolizes the life path, from birth to death (Nykorak, n.d.). The rushnyk is the first cloth new born infants are wrapped in; this same rushnyk is kept to be later used in the wedding ceremony; and, for a final time during funeral rites, either placed in the coffin or tied around the grave cross (Sciacca, 2014). Other rushnyky may be crafted to be included in these same rituals, and for other events throughout a person's life. Traditionally, a close female relative would be the maker of such significant rushnyky, imbuing the cloth with protective energy with every careful stitch. 

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Every step in the crafting of rushnyky holds sacred significance: different needles are used for each separate colour stitched, and these needles are kept secretly hidden so they cannot be used by anyone else for any other purpose (Nykorak, n.d.). The traditional colours used were red, blue, and black, made with natural dyes from crushed plant and insect material (Sciacca, 2014). Now many different colours are employed, though red still features as the most common - in Central and Eastern Ukraine especially - as it is believed that this bright, powerful colour is ideal for the talismanic purpose of the rushnyk (Nydorak, n.d.).