A magical night on Ivan bathed. Ivana Kupala: history, traditions, everything you need to know about the celebration

Custom celebrate the summer solstice , Kupala Day, has been preserved since ancient times. Kupala night is known today more than the winter solstice, spring or autumn equinox.

By Kupala, the Orthodox understand the saint - Ivan the Baptist, for someone such a holiday is called "Ivanov Kupala", "The Feast of Ivan Kupala" or simply "Kupala Night". In the understanding of a simple layman, you just need to swim more on such a night. This is all that remains in the family memory.

Confusion also occurs with the names - Ivan, John the Baptist, John the Baptist - this is according to modern Orthodoxy, which has Catholic roots. In the Old Believer communities, the Kupalo holiday is not called Ivan at all. And if we take the native faith customs - those clans that honor the times and knowledge of pre-Christian Russia, there the holiday is also called simply - “ Kupala holiday».

On the winter solstice, the Orthodox have doubts about the dates that are offered by the native faith communities of the Slavs, just like on the Kupala night. Some Christian churches celebrate this day on July 7, and some people celebrate on June 24. Neither date coincides with the solstice, which is celebrated in the northern tradition - from 21 to 22 June, at an early dawn.

From year to year, in the next 7 years, the date of such a holiday will be the same, only the hours of the event will change. Astronomical time is important for those who seek Fern flower, is going to seriously turn to God Kupalo.

Saying “Kupalo day”, they mean not the time of day, but the day as such - the date. This is also due to the fact that such a day is the longest of the year, which is why everyone rejoices by celebrating it. If they say “Kupalo night”, then they mean the night time itself, which is the shortest in the year. In this dark time, the Summer Sun is just coming, being born, gaining its strength.

How to determine the date of Kupala night?

What is the shortest night of the year - that will be the magical Kupala night. This is the night before the longest day, the astronomical date of the summer solstice. IN 2018 Kupala night - from 21 to 22 June, and a new day on June 22 is already the first day under the rule of Kupalo - the God of the summer Sun. The mass folk festival is held for three days, nowadays it can be dated for the weekend.

The night before the holiday of Ivan Kupala

Our ancestors considered the night on the eve of the Kupala night "terrible". This is also reflected in Gogol's work "The Night on the Eve of Ivan Kupala". It is no coincidence that the day before was sometimes called witches day. According to the collector of folk proverbs and will accept V. Dal, on this day all the witches flocked to the Sabbath on Bald Mountain, committed many pranks and atrocities. According to other myths, it is on this night that Skipper Serpent, the messenger of Chaos, penetrates into Yav. Girls remember Kupala songs, young men are full of expectations... Someone rejoices at the wonderful Slavic holiday - the Magic Kupala Night, and someone knows that the dark navy essence of the Skipper-Snake rises from the incomprehensible depths of the subtle world and invisibly spreads its wings over our world in all its dark power. On the day before the bright Slavic holiday Kupala, on the day of the sun's heyday, summer solstice, summer solstice, the Russian dark army rises to Earth, the monstrous offspring of Navi, led by the Skiper-Serpent, greedy for human souls.

That is not dust in the field is sprayed,

Not fogs rise from the sea,

That from the eastern land, from the high mountains

A herd of animals ran out,

That the animal herd is snake.

A fierce Skipper-Beast ran ahead!

("Vedas of Perun")

Strange, snakes come alive at this time. It was believed that “snake weddings” gather in places that are popularly called “cursed snake hills.” Tales are still told about the fact that if a girl inadvertently looks at a snake wedding, she herself will become the bride of the Skipper snake. Malice, envy, meanness - all this is the power of the Skipper-Snake. As a being from another world, having a different form of existence, in Reveal he feeds on these human feelings, greedily eating the souls of those people who allowed this in themselves.

Other evidence of folk sightings - these days, when the Skipper Serpent approaches with his army, hordes of mouse flocks are often seen, clouds of crows fly in. Memory keeps sightings of ghosts, heavenly signs of death and trouble. It was believed that if you bow your ear to the ground on this day, you can hear how the Mother - Cheese Earth is moaning.

The day before the bathing night

But the most magical Kupala night of the year begins with the most magical day! The miracles of northern magic are still happening, because Nature still lives and gives us its power.

These days, in our North, the people began cleansing in the morning before the arrival of Kupalo. This is an important part of any Slavic holiday, and especially this one. First of all, the wells were cleaned, it was believed that the water would be especially “healthy” if cleaned on that particular day.

In the afternoon - prepared medicinal herbs and brooms. Slavic girls-women went to the forest after dinner, prepared young birch brooms with songs. The broom collected on this day is magical. Not only does it give special strength when you soar in the bath, so you can dress up a calving cow with them - and there will be enough milk for both the calf and the owners. You can guess. Throw it on the roof of the bath: if the broom falls with its top to the thrower - life will be red - fun!

Harvested magical herbs for the whole year! Be sure to prepare herbs for the evening bath that day. Collected special brooms "radiant herbs"-thyme and thyme, fern, Ivan da Marya, buttercup - bathing suits, mint, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, celandine, chamomile and wormwood. Many say that by this Slavic holiday, radiant herbs come into force, and fierce ones still gather strength in the roots. "Radiant" herbs are definitely healing, pure herbs.

"Fierce" herbs- those that contain both poison, and medicine, and witchcraft. Most of the "fierce" herbs are not always dangerous, but only at certain times. So on this day, the poison of the "fierce herbs" remained in the roots - "catchment", "ash tree", "milestones", "hemlock", "datura" and "henbane".

While the girls were having fun with flowers-herbs for divination, adult women were collecting Bogorodsk thyme grass for the household. It lies until the Yarilo holiday, and this day they burn this Kupala grass on an iron plate, make a detour. And on the new Kupalo - new grass is harvested.

Yet it is important on this day to whisper conspiracies, to make nauzes.

A great day has a sacred meaning - it is the peak of summer, the day opposite to the winter Solstice. The day when the planets, the Sun, rise in a way that has never been done throughout the year. This is day and night, when the boundaries between the worlds, between the real and the magical, are erased, everything around - Nature, people, Gods - unite with a great song that glorifies this land.

As before Kolyada, in this time can be guessed and guess make and receive wishes.

Nauzas, this well-known method of white magic of the Slavs, protect, heal, fix what is planned, bewitch, help overcome obstacles, stop evil spirits, establish a magical connection at a distance and maintain spiritual strength. That's how many useful properties nauzes have in general, and nauzes with Kupala grass in particular! A knotted nauz with grass collected on this day has magical powers! The power of summer witchcraft and the magic of the ancient Slavs rages in it all year long!

Girls used to love to guess on the rich. Bogatynki, bagavochki, puffs - that's what these dandelion flowers called. It was necessary to pick the flowers that had not yet blossomed and put them in a corner near the Chury for the night, then see what happened to them? It will blossom, it will not wither - that native person will live and prosper. To tell fortunes about the groom is the sweetest thing! Hide the flower under the pillow and wait for the morning, you will find out everything. A flower will bloom - you will get married this year!

It is most reliable to collect twelve different flowers, put them under the pillow - here is the betrothed-mummers and will be seen in a dream:

eleven flowers,

The twelfth is an ear,

With whom would they see in a dream,

With that, and forever povenchatsy.

And you can also worry in advance, curl a wreath on a birch tree or from rye ears on the field, and on the eve of the Solstice, run to see who's braid will unravel? Unravel - so get married this year!

And in the evening they washed themselves with the evening dew in order to receive strength and health from Mother Earth Cheese, the strength that is so necessary to maintain their spiritual purity in the midst of the Skipper-Snake invasion. In the rye in the dew they rode for health, without clothes.

Such preparations for the Slavic holiday Kupalo were carried out carefully, slowly. And this day should end with another Slavic holiday!

Put on your best jewelry and go smile guys, search with the cutest of them for a fern flower! Ancient Slavic begins Kupala night holiday!

In the bathing night

The fire of the Kupala bonfire, the wind picking up girlish wreaths, clear water, the gift of the earth - the color of ferns - all the elements are called by the Slavs so that the best, bright feelings lift everyone and everyone on this short night.

On this night, according to the beliefs of the Slavs, noted by A. Afanasyev, a symbolic wedding took place between Fire and Water on earth. Best Rites Kupala holiday associated with divination by the water and the Kupala bonfire. Even ordinary people in the shortest night burned fires on the banks of the rivers, bathed in the night dew and in the morning river water, danced around the tree and immersed it in water, looked for healing and magical herbs, for example, a fern flower (like Gogol in the story), and guarded themselves from evil, from aliens from the world of spirits.

Girls and boys, of course, did not sleep all night. They gathered around in one place, made a fire near the river, cooked porridge and scrambled eggs from the food they brought.

Pranks on the Slavic holiday Solstice were a legal matter. For example, guys and girls doused each other with water, ran through the forest, and played pranks on the street with their neighbors. The youth kept silent, rolled up pranks. They closed the chimneys with glass or tubs, locked the doors on the outside, carried woodpile, laid firewood on the road or rolled out carts.

No one sleeps on this magical night of the Slavic holiday of the Solstice. The youth runs until the morning, it's light, the cuckoo is calling, everything is itchy!

Two powerful elements converge on this night to give birth to the miracle of Love. Fire will purify, water will wash, if you do everything right. It is joyful and fun to honor the Sun with Kupala lights! Gathering nettles, wild roses, all kinds of burning plants, they covered the prepared heaps of dry branches and brushwood. Having waited for the sun to hide behind the heavenly edge, the evening dawn begins to fade, they ignited a living fire, made by hands, to the glory of the Solstice. A round hole was cut in a dry birch plank, and a log was driven into the hole. This friction wiped out the fire.

It's just the old people's business. The rest, while the old people stir up a living fire, silently and motionlessly stand around, waiting for the miraculous appearance of Semargl, the God of Fire. Nearby stands a teenage girl, firstborn by her mother, all in flowers with a torch in tense, raised hands.

Quiet despite the many people. People stand silent. In the already dark silence, only the rustling of dry wood, the whispering of quiet conspiracies, and the sighs of old women are heard.

Here it smokes, here it blazes. The girl carefully brings a torch to the fire. The king-god has appeared! Came down to earth! The great gift of the life-giving God caught fire! The old people are brought water, which they pour over. Screams, joy, fun.

All the young people gathered in front of the fires - wreaths, and grass belts for girls, guys with flowers on their heads. Cheerful glances, laughter, whispering. For purification, old shirts were burned at the stake, especially the shirts of the sick.

And if you jump over the Kupala bonfire without opening your arms, then the wedding will definitely be celebrated in the fall!

And, of course, the pinnacle of the holiday is the bathing of the fiery wheel!

Of course, you can’t do without a search for a fern flower either! It doesn’t matter that the magic lights in the forest are lit by fireflies, which also somehow disturbingly do not sleep that night.

Until the morning, fun does not stop. And at dawn, when it is already completely free in the forest from unclean spirits, they disperse through the copses and ravines. Children conceived on Kupala Night will be healthy, beautiful and have a magical gift. And this Slavic holiday of the Solstice ends quietly, overshadowing the lovers with scarlet flowers and ripe ears of corn.

The morning after the Kupala night

And according to the morning dew, they collected medicinal herbs for the whole year. They believed that all herbs would tell in a voice what disease they were treating, and in order to pick them, you need to draw a circle around yourself with the “Kolyadovsky cinder” (a candle preserved from the evening of the Kolyada holiday). The one who performed this custom will become famous as a healer, as he will receive extensive knowledge about the properties of medicinal plants.

More about the Slavic God Kupalo (Kupala).

01.07.2017 | 12:03

Good day. The magician Azal is with you, and today we are discussing Ivan Kupala - a holiday, customs and traditions of Ivan's day. You will receive answers to questions about who Ivan Kupala is, when this holiday takes place and how to spend it, is it possible to swim on this day, why do they jump over the fire, what herbs to collect, what rites, divination and rituals can be performed, what charms to make yourself and others

Ivan Kupala holiday - history and traditions

The history and traditions of the Ivana Kupala holiday date back to the ancient Slavs. This is the holiday of the summer solstice - one of the most powerful days, one of the 8 main magical holidays of the Wheel of the Year, saturated with powerful natural energy.

The Slavs celebrated the holiday in honor of the pagan god Kupala, who gained fame far beyond the borders of paganism. This is a border creature, the bloody god of borders, who often plays tricks on people. However, on the day of the summer solstice, the boundaries between different worlds are erased, and he becomes the main protector of man.

Who is Ivan Kupala

Who is Kupala, of course. And who is Ivan Kupala? The fact is that with the advent of Christianity and the establishment of its power in the Slavic territory, this day began to be celebrated as the birth of John the Baptist.

The Church actively forbade, condemned the celebration of the Kupala Night, but could not completely eradicate pagan customs and traditions. Both holidays - pagan and Christian - overlapped each other, as well as their names. From here, Ivan Kupala, familiar to us, appeared.

When is the holiday of Ivan Kupala

According to the old style, the holiday of Ivan Kupala took place in the month of June on the 24th, now we celebrate on July 7th. They are preparing from the evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala, June 6. The main celebration takes place on the night of July 6-7. By tradition, Kupala night is spent in vigil and noisy celebration.

Ivan Kupala - the meaning of the holiday from the point of view of the magician

The energy of the Kupala holiday is such that the boundaries between the worlds are as thin as possible. Everything becomes different. Various kinds of creatures - both the forces of light and all the evil spirits on Ivan Kupala are more actively manifesting themselves. Therefore, this day is different in that a lot of miracles, inexplicable phenomena, signs, signs, etc.

Magic on Ivan Kupala is enhanced in capabilities, as there are more chances to be heard by force. Rituals acquire special power. The main defender and assistant on this day is Kupala.

They turned to Kupala for protection from water evil spirits, protection of marriage, children. He was addressed to protect everyone who is on the water, to keep them on the road. Kupala can change and reduce the fate of people, so frequent rituals for Ivan Kupala are love spells, purification, improvement of the share, getting rid of troubles and misfortunes.

A person who wants to take advantage of the opportunities of this day can get answers to his questions, make wishes, and carry out magical work to correct his fate. Cleansing rituals are relevant, you can enlist the support of various forces, find allies among the spirits.

On this day, witchcraft rites were strong, and divination was particularly accurate. The day is good for priestly initiations and magical initiations of various kinds.

Where Ivan Kupala was celebrated

To celebrate the Kupala night, people united together in several nearby villages. On the eve, they chose a place where Ivan Kupala was celebrated - it was usually a large meadow where everyone could fit. That night no one slept - neither the elderly, nor the sick, nor the children.

Huge bonfires were kindled in the clearing in the evening, massive noisy festivities were held. Bonfires were burned, as bright spirits strive for the fire, and the fire frightened away evil spirits.

In the clearing where Ivan Kupala was celebrated, there was always a large stone with a flat surface. On it, people put offerings for light spirits and gods so that they could join the celebration.

We did not stay at home that night. If someone did not go out to mass celebrations, he could be considered a witch or sorcerer. It was also not customary to move away from the crowd one by one - upon your return, they will definitely check whether you are a spirit or a person.

With extreme caution, they treated strangers who turned to people, asked to come into the house or to the fire on Kupala night. It was also tested whether it was a person or a spirit. If the spirit, then they tried to pay off - they fulfilled his request, but they were not allowed into the house.

Is it possible to swim on Ivan Kupala

You can’t swim on Ivan Kupala - you can before or after, but not on the holiday itself. Why can't you swim on Ivan Kupala? Because the water is different on this day, it becomes a passage to the world of the dead. You can not be on this day on the water.

It was believed that any travel by water should not take place on this day, otherwise a person may not return. Everyone who was on the water went out on land to celebrate the Kupala night, and could continue their journey during the day.

It was not allowed on the day of Kupala even to look at the water - at the surface of the lake, the surface of the river, and so on, so that the water evil spirits or those who died on the water would not flirt. This is the best day to remember such dead.

You can swim on Ivan Kupala if it is dictated by necessity - the conditions of a magical rite.

What did they do on the holiday of Ivan Kupala

In the evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala, they collected herbs for a fire and rituals. They collected old damaged things to burn them in a fire and make room in the house for good. Girls wishing to tell fortunes at night for their betrothed and marriage wove wreaths of herbs.

On the feast of Ivan Kupala, they dressed in white clothes to show purity. The traditional women's dress for Ivan Kupala is a long white shirt (with or without sleeves) to the floor, tied with a belt at the waist.

During the day, preparations were made for the ritual part of the holiday. Getting ready for the night out. The main celebration took place on Kupala night.

What do they do on the night of Ivan Kupala

The night before Ivan Kupala is a special night. At this time it was always light from the fires and very noisy, like during the day. Several villages or a large city would come together for this holiday. Young people from different villages had the opportunity to get to know each other, look at each other and find their love on Ivan Kupala.

They sang songs, there were games, festivities, jumped over the fire, played skits, told stories, made wishes, performed purification rites, guessed, laughed.

This was done in order to protect people from rampant evil spirits. Fire attracts light spirits and scares away dark ones. They strengthened the protective properties of the fire of grass, which were thrown into the fire in large quantities. They were collected in the evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala.

According to popular beliefs, the fern blooms on the night of Ivan Kupala. The most courageous people went alone into the forest and looked for the color of the fern in order to acquire magical power and opportunities.

The night was spent in joy, and only at dawn they dispersed. In the dawn hours, when the first rays of the sun appeared, many bathed in the dew on their way home and dried themselves in the wind. It was believed that such bathing brings health. The clothes in which they bathed in dew were not washed, but kept for the next year. Dressed her in case of illness for speedy healing.

Day and morning on Ivan Kupala passed in the collection of herbs and rest.

Rites for Ivan Kupala

Rites on Ivan Kupala were carried out in three main areas:

1. with fire;
2. with water;
3. with herbs.

Rites with fire or why jump over the fire on Ivan Kupala

The most common rites for Ivan Kupala are rites with fire. With the help of fire, purification was carried out, evil spirits were repelled, people conveyed their desires and requests to the forces of light.

Jumping over the fire on Ivan Kupala is not just an element of entertainment or folk festivals. A lot of cleansing incense and herbs were burned in the night fire, so jumping over the fire on Kupala night was cleansing.

In addition, on this night, people willingly rid their homes of unnecessary and broken things in order to make room for something good that could come into their lives.

In the fire they burned specially made motanki from herbs to realize their desires. It was believed that the forces of light flocked to the fire on the Kupala night, accepted treats from a large sacrificial stone and, satisfied, willingly took up the fulfillment of desires.

Fortune-telling was carried out with fire, the answers were read from the smoke.

Rites with water on Ivan Kupala

Rituals with water on Ivan Kupala relied on its special properties that night. These rituals are dangerous, since the water on the Kupala night is a good guide to the world of the dead.

These properties of water were used to improve their share. For example, for this purpose, they bathed in the river on Ivan Kupala. An unlucky person or a person with a bad, hard fate was thrown into the water according to a special ceremony.

It was believed that everything bad should drown (the dead will take it for themselves), and the good will remain. After this rite, the fate of a person changed. If it did not come up, they believed that the bad outweighed and took the person away with it.

On this day, the water became a mirror, and on the surface of the water you can see the future. With the help of water, they learned the necessary information from the dead, asked important questions, guessed. They commemorated the dead on the water - let bread with honey on the water for them.

On the day of Ivan Kupala, in order to wash away troubles and misfortunes, a person was smeared with honey, and he went to wash in the water. Protective herbs were scattered across the water. When he went out, he was dressed in clean white clothes.

Water on this day was an opportunity to meet and communicate with the dead. For this purpose, on the afternoon of June 6, they make a boat. A candle is placed in the boat, a thing or a photo of the deceased is placed at the bottom, and a doll is planted opposite the candle.

A stick with five ends, similar to a little man, can enter into a chrysalis. The doll can be woven from herbs or carved from wood.

In addition, treats were placed in the boat for the dead - bread crumbs with honey. They wrote a question on a piece of paper. The paper was folded and also placed in the boat.

At night, alone without light (so as not to frighten away the dead), they went to the reservoir, lit a candle in the boat and let the boat float on the water.

It was believed that a person would receive an answer in the near future, a maximum of up to a year. The dead can intervene in life and point to answers by signs or dream. In the case when they received an answer, they brought a ransom to the dead to the place where the boat was launched from.

Rites with herbs on Ivan Kupala

It was believed that the herbs on the days of the holiday gain their maximum strength. Before Kupala night, they collected herbs for a fire and to protect the house, so that evil spirits would not settle in the house.

After the Kupala Night, herbs were collected for a year ahead - they were mainly herbs with protective and healing properties. It was believed that plants on Ivan Kupala, cut at dawn at the first rays of the sun, were endowed with the most powerful healing properties.

If the herbs were going to be collected in the forest, then the goblin was sure to be coaxed. At the entrance to the forest they left him alcohol, bread and a harvest of tobacco leaves. In this case, the goblin will show favor, lead forest paths to the strongest herbs, save in the forest, and not let you get lost.

Healers collected herbs using special conspiracies for Ivan Kupala - both common when collecting herbs, and for collecting a specific type of plant.

If the plants on Ivan Kupala were collected for divination on a wreath or the fulfillment of a wish, then this was done before sunset on June 6th.

To improve his share, at dawn in the morning on Ivan Kupala, a man, without looking or choosing, tore 7 slabs of herbs. He brought herbs home and took a bath with them for 7 days in a row.

What herbs are harvested on Ivan Kupala

Herbs on Ivan Kupala are collected as needed, depending on their goals. It is allowed to store such herbs for a maximum of 2-3 years, after which they completely lose their properties and are burned.

The main herb that is sure to be harvested on Ivan Kupala is wormwood. Wormwood calms Kupala when it rages, so she was always thrown into the fire on Kupala night. In addition, it has protective, healing, cleansing properties.

The second plant that Kupala loves is a fern. When a fern was plucked, it was sometimes pulled out with a root - a piece of rhizome. Such roots were hung around the neck or around the house for protection.

It is impossible to dig out fern roots specially for protection! Only the spirit of the plant, which is ready to help, will respond and share with you a piece of its root.

Charms on Ivan Kupala

To protect the house from evil spirits and witchcraft, special bundles were collected, which were hung on the gate. Nowadays, it is useful for residents of apartments to hang such a bundle over the front door. Knitting is a good amulet for the year ahead.

Herbs for knitting were collected in the evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala before sunset. The main herbs that were included in such a bundle are wormwood, fern, hyssop, thistle, St. John's wort. All of them have strong protective properties.

Sometimes other herbs were added to the bundles, for example, elecampane, lavender, sage, nettle. It was considered correct to collect 3, 7, 9 or 12 herbs for Ivan Kupala in a protective bundle. Occasionally, healers collected 21 types of herbs for her.

Such a knitting was not removed from the gate on its own. They were waiting for the wind to blow it or someone to rip it off.

Love rites on Ivan Kupala

The holiday of Ivan Kupala is not a holiday without a love theme. Kupala could not only bring fates together, but also breed unwanted couples. It was believed that if Kupala brought it together, then it was for life. The opposite is also true - relationships broken on this day will not be able to recover.

Kupala willingly helped people in love affairs, so on his day they often performed fortune-telling for love, for a betrothed, made calls for loved ones, love spells, work to strengthen and protect marriage ties.

Married to Ivan Kupala

Wedding on Ivan Kupala - good or bad? Is it possible to get married, marry Ivan Kupala? The Slavs considered Kupala Day to be the best of the summer days for connecting the destinies of lovers, so wedding ceremonies among the Slavs on this day were very common.

The newlyweds asked for the blessings of Kupala, so that they would take in their youth and lead to old age. To marry Ivan Kupala means to have a strong family.

Love spell on Ivan Kupala

People often used the properties of Kupala Day, trying to arrange their personal lives. A love spell on Ivan Kupala, a conspiracy or a love ritual has more power than on another day. The words of a conspiracy or love spell are better heard by the force because of the blurring of the lines that separate the different worlds.

However, any rituals on this day are also more dangerous, since evil spirits are walking, and any force can respond to the call - and often not at all the one that is called upon as part of the rite. The price for a mistake was sometimes too high, so only knowledgeable people performed love rites.

Signs on Ivan Kupala

A sure sign on Ivan Kupala - if a relationship began on this day, then this happened with his blessing, and such a relationship will be strong.

People noticed the places where Ivan Kupala was struck by lightning. Desiring to acquire a protector for himself, a person strove for this place. They were looking for a stone or a tree that was struck by lightning. If they found it, they took it for themselves - this little thing had strong protective properties.

There are also rural signs on Ivan Kupala:

• if there is a lot of dew on Ivan's day - to a rich harvest of cucumbers;
• if it is starry on Kupala night, there will be a lot of mushrooms;
• if there is a thunderstorm on Ivan's day, then there will be a lot of nuts, but all will be empty;
• before Ivan's day, the rains add bread, after this day they decrease it.

Born on Ivan Kupala

If he was born on Ivan Kupala, then the person was considered close to Kupala. It is easier for him than for another to ask for blessings, protection and help from Kupala. If born on Ivan Kupala, then it is easier to achieve good relations with him, his intercession and patronage.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala, the customs and traditions of this day among the Slavs is an inexhaustible topic. I hope I have briefly covered the most important aspects of the magical significance of this day. Additional articles with practical things coming soon - divination for Ivan Kupala and rituals for the fulfillment of desires on this day. Don't miss out - subscribe to the site news.

If you have any questions, ask them in the comments to the article. Sincerely, magician Azal, author of articles and owner of the site “

Ivan Kupala (Ivan's Day) - the ancient holiday of the summer solstice among the Eastern Slavs is celebrated on the night of July 6-7 (June 24, old style). This night is considered magical: the herbs come into force, the time for divination comes. The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala is rooted in the depths of millennia. So Kupala is perhaps one of the most ancient holidays.

Look, Petro, you have ripened just in time: tomorrow is Ivan Kupala. Only this night in the year the ferns bloom. Don't miss!

N. V. Gogol "Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala"

According to legend, Kupala, who was carried away by the Sirin bird from his sister Kostroma in early childhood, raised his sister's wreath, sailing past on a boat, and according to custom, they were supposed to get married. Kostroma did not recognize her own brother. And only after the wedding, the bride and groom realized that they were brother and sister. Then they decided to commit suicide and drowned themselves in the river. Kostroma turned into a mermaid (mavka), and the sky god Vyshen took pity on Kupala and turned it into a flower Kupala da Mavka, later called Ivan da Marya.

Pavlovich- Fl'orchuk Oksana.

Night on Ivan Kupala is a summer holiday, when wreaths are weaved and floated along the river, they tell fortunes and jump over the fire. It is easy and fun for everyone on Kupala, the evil spirits are expelled, burned down, opening the way for carefree joy, games and round dances. Kupala is celebrated in the forest, and all its inhabitants, including goblin, also join the general dances and fortune-telling. Kupala night is simultaneously shrouded in mystery, suspense and the presence of another world, and at the same time it is one of the noisiest and most lively days of the pagan calendar.

Tomashevsky V.

In the old days, mothers burned the clothes of sick children on Kupala bonfires in order to burn the diseases themselves with it. The dew that fell on Ivan's Day was considered healing. They washed themselves with it to get rid of diseases. Popular belief says that on the night of Ivan Kupala, magical gaps bloom - grass and fern, capable of indicating buried treasures.

Svetlana Glebova. "On the Night of Ivan Kupala". Batik.

It has long been customary to guess at Ivan Kupala with the help of a variety of objects or plants. On a warm magical night, divination by Ivan Kupala and love spells are especially successful.

Fortune telling by wreath

Having let the wreath down the river, they observe how it behaves. A sinking wreath was a bad omen: "The wreath drowned - dear deceived." If the wreath unraveled, stretched out into a chain or broke up into separate flowers, it means that the girl is not destined to get married this year. If he was washed ashore, do not expect a wedding in the near future. The farther and longer the wreath floats, the faster the girl will marry.

Vyshinsky Vadim. "Morning, the day of Ivan Kupala."

Divination by the fire

On the festive night of Ivan Kupala, they make a big fire and jump over it. If the flame does not touch the jumper, it is a favorable sign, foreshadowing the girls - a quick and happy marriage, the guys - good luck in business and love.

Fortune telling on chamomile

Pour water into a wide and shallow container. Place two stemless chamomile flowers in it. If the flowers float in different directions - from each other - the lovers will part. If they continue to swim side by side, you will be together all your life.

Lyashko Ekaterina Vladimirovna

Divination in circles on the water

Water is poured into a wide and deep bowl. At sunset, they whisper their desire to the water and throw a small pebble. If the number of circles on the water is even, the wish will come true, if it is odd, the wish will not come true.

Divination by birch branches

Pick seven small birch branches (about the same length). Mix them together. Without looking, choose one. Which branch you pull out, this will be your future - even and smooth or curved and with tubercles-obstacles.

E. Kurbala. "On the Night of Ivan Kupala". Triptych.

From Agrafena to Ivan, he collected grass in the night.
Tomorrow you will swim.
Weave a wreath for me...
Strawberries are ripening, red girls are calling to the forest.

Tomorrow you will swim.
Will you come to the fire tomorrow?
Blossomed "fire-color" playing with lights in the dark.
Tomorrow you will swim.
Tomorrow I will come to the river!
Sergey Sofer.

Boris Olshansky. Night at Ivan Kupala.

The ancient pagan holiday Kupalo is a great day of purification with water and fire that takes place on the summer solstice. The word "kupalo" means a hot, ardent, boiling creature, which means the sun. This day of the pagan deity coincided with the Christian holiday - the Nativity of John the Baptist - St. John the Baptist. This coincidence and merging of holidays led to a change in the name of the holiday - Ivan Kupala.

Nicholas Speransky. Kupala round dance 1992

A love legend is associated with the image of the deity.

Separated in childhood from his own sister, Kupalo, not knowing that this was his own blood, subsequently married her. And it ended tragically: brother and sister committed suicide by drowning themselves. Hence the erotic nature of the holiday. It was believed that after going through all this, a person is cleansed. To bring themselves into the right state, the pagan Slavs drank special decoctions of herbs. On this day, the day of harvest, a fire of sacrificial herbs was lit, and everyone, without exception, regardless of gender and age, danced around this fire with songs. It is interesting that a kind of sacrifice was made to the god Kupala: bathing.

Semyon Kozhin. Fortune telling on wreaths.

There is an opinion that witches celebrate their holiday on Ivan Kupala. It consists in intensifying the infliction of evil on people. It was believed that the witches kept water boiled with the ashes of the Kupala fire, splashing herself with it on Ivan Kupala, the witch could easily fly wherever she pleases. According to the beliefs of the peasants, on the Kupala, the shortest night, you can’t sleep, as all evil spirits come to life and become especially active - witches, werewolves, mermaids, snakes, sorcerers, brownies, water spirits, goblin.

Kupala night: customs

From the Carpathians to the north of Russia, on the night of July 6-7, everyone celebrated this mystical, mysterious,
but at the same time, the wild and cheerful day of Ivan Kupala. Ivan's day is filled with rituals associated with water. Swimming on Ivan's Day is a nationwide custom, but in some regions the peasants considered such bathing dangerous, since on this day the birthday man is a water man himself, who cannot stand it when people climb into his kingdom, and takes revenge on them by drowning any careless.

V. Korolkov.

The main feature of the Kupala night is the cleansing bonfires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever is more successful and taller will be happier. In some places, livestock was driven through the Kupala fire to protect it from pestilence. In Kupala bonfires, mothers burned shirts taken from sick children so that diseases would burn along with this linen. Young people and children, jumping over the fires, arranged noisy fun games and races. Be sure to play in the burners.

Vsevolod Ivanov. The night before the Kupala holiday.

On this day, they throw a wreath of birch into the river: if it drowns - death, if it swims - to get married, if it is washed ashore - to be unmarried. There is also a custom to take a steam bath with Ivan da Marya flowers and eat kutya, which was boiled from barley and seasoned with oil. In pre-revolutionary Russia, Ivan Kupala was one of the most revered and important holidays of the year, the entire population took part in it, and the tradition required the active inclusion of each participant in the celebration in all rituals and the obligatory implementation of a number of rules, prohibitions and customs.

Heinrich Semiradsky. Night at Ivan Kupala.

Even Simeon of Polotsk in the 17th century. wrote about the faith of the people that the sun jumps and plays on the days of Kupala. Ethnographers have recorded many beliefs that on the day of Ivan Kupala and on Peter's Day "the sun plays at sunrise, shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, jumps, plunges into the water and reappears." The same ideas are expressed in the Kupala songs: “The sun played early on Ivan ...”; "The sun is going down grae ...".

I. I. Sokolov. Night at Ivan Kupala. 1856.

Observations of the "playing" sun continued until St. Peter's Day (Kupala), which should obviously be considered as the day of farewell to the sun, gradually decreasing after the summer solstice. There was a custom to "guard the sun." In the evening, capturing food, youth, and in the first half of the 19th century. and elderly peasants, went to the hill, where they walked all night, lit fires and waited for the sunrise to see the play of the sun.

Vsevolod Ivanov. Senich. June.

And in other countries...

The holiday of Ivan Kupala is inherent in many Slavic peoples. In Poland it is known as Sobotki, in Ukraine - Kupalo or Kupailo, in Lithuania - as Lado. Some peoples celebrate the so-called holiday of Dew, others dress willows and dance around it, others climb a high mountain and arrange a grandiose witch's gathering there.

In Lithuania, Midsummer Day is celebrated as the summer solstice and falls on June 24th. There is a belief that on this shortest night of the year, plants and water acquire the miraculous ability to cure all diseases and increase the fertility of the earth. People burn bonfires, float wreaths along the river and go into the forest in search of a fern flower.

Vera Donskaya - Khilko. Night of Ivan Kupala. 2005

The Japanese believe that the Great River (Milky Way) flows around the firmament, on the opposite banks of which stand a loving man and woman. They strive for each other, but only once a year, on July 7, when the Great River becomes shallow, they can ford it and meet. This day the Japanese revere as a big holiday - the holiday of the Star.

The end of June for the Spaniards is the time of the fight against witches. The night of sacred fires, magic and omens begins in Spain from 23 to 24 June. Bonfires are lit all over Spain, hostesses bake a festive coca cake and cava champagne flows like a river.

Peder Severin Kroyer. Bonfire of St. John on the beach of Skagen.1903.

An unforgettable celebration takes place in the mountain village of Isil. On the night of San Juan, almost half of Spain and France come there (the rest of the time, 30 people live in the village of Isil). Men build a fire on a big mountain, dance around it, and then go downstairs, where they have fun until the morning: they drink, sing songs, dance and play.

By the way, mermaids are also found in foreign reservoirs, but their name is somewhat different. In Greece, these are sirens, in Serbia - pitchforks (winged beauties that can kill with a glance), in Germany - undines, in Ireland - merrows, sometimes coming ashore in the form of small horses.

Ivan Kupala: signs

beauty recipe.
You need a clean tablecloth, with which you need to go to the meadow early in the morning. In the meadow, the tablecloth is dragged over the wet grass, and then squeezed into a prepared container, the face and hands are washed with dew in order to drive away any disease and so that there are no acne or pimples on the face. Dew serves not only for health, but also for cleanliness in the house: Kupala dew is sprinkled on beds and walls of the house so that bugs and cockroaches are not found.

Checking the spouse.
On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls lower wreaths with lighted splinter or candles on the river waves, curl wreaths of Ivan da Marya, burdock, Mother of God grass and bear's ear. If the wreath sinks immediately, it means that the betrothed has fallen out of love and cannot marry him. Whoever's wreath floats the longest will be the happier of all, and whoever's splinter burns out the longest, she will live a long, long life!

Attack defense.
On Midsummer Night, witches become more dangerous, and therefore nettles should be placed on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attacks.

Burglary protection.
If that night you pick a flower of Ivan da Marya and put it in the corners of the hut, the thief will not come to the house: brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of the plant) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owners are talking in the house.

Traditions and rituals of Ivan Kupala

Ivan Kupala (or in Old Slavonic - Kupail, Ivanov's day) is considered by the people as a holiday of the Sun and green mowing. According to the old style, the celebration was celebrated on June 24 and coincided with the day of the summer solstice, to which the celebration was dedicated. After the transition to the new calendar, the holiday had only a semantic meaning, and the binding to the solstice was lost.

Traditions of celebrating Ivan Kupala

The traditional celebration of Ivan Kupala is associated with pagan pre-Christian rites, which include three essential components: herbs, water and fire.

Cleansing by fire

Fire was given a mystical meaning and believed in its cleansing power. On the bank of the river, a stuffed animal "madder" or "kupala" was installed - a tree one and a half human height, which was decorated with ribbons and wreaths.

Round dances were danced around it in the evening. A big bonfire was also lit, and the youth organized competitions by jumping over the bonfire and running round dances around it. The lovers jumped over the fire, holding hands, trying not to break them. It is believed that this strengthened the relationship.

In the fire on Ivan Kupala, old grievances and unwanted memories could be burned. To do this, it was necessary to find a thing that connected with a bad event, and throw it into the fire. When the thing burned down, the ashes were scattered along with bad feelings, illnesses and memories with wormwood bushes, the pungent smell of which helped oblivion.

Water rejuvenation

It was believed that water on this day acquires healing rejuvenating properties. On the eve of the morning, young girls washed themselves with morning dew, which, according to legend, made the skin cleaner and healthier. If a guy washed himself with dew, then his body became strong and strong.

After the obligatory ritual bathing, they did not dry themselves so that the body could be saturated with life-giving force. People believed that if the walls in the house were sprayed with such dew, then small insects would leave it.

It is very useful on this day to go to the bathhouse and take a steam bath with the so-called Ivankovsky wreaths, the grass for which was collected the day before. The ancient Slavs believed that such herbal preparations preserve and improve health.

The power of herbs on Ivan Kupala

The most popular "herbal" belief is the acquisition of magical power by the fern. It was believed that at night on Ivan Kupala, the fern begins to bloom and illuminates the entire forest with its light. It gives the finder the opportunity to understand the language of flowers and birds, to open any locks and gates without keys. And most importantly, a person will be able to see valuable treasures buried underground.

However, unfortunately, none of the known species of ferns bloom. Therefore, the plausibility of the folk legend should not be counted on.

The girls weaved wreaths of 12 medicinal herbs, and after sunset they let them go on the river with a lit candle in the middle. If the wreath was left by the shore, then the wedding this year is postponed, if it drowned, then the beloved fell out of love. If the candle does not go out for a long time, then life will be happy.

The same wreaths were used as a talisman for the house and barn, it was believed that herbs could protect people and animals from diseases. There is some truth in this, since the aroma of dried herbs repelled the carriers of the disease - insects and rodents.

According to the herbal plants blooming during this period, they were guessing for happiness. Flowers with unopened buds were plucked and placed in water. If it blooms quickly, in 2-3 days, and will have even and beautiful petals, then everything will go well.

Folk omens and beliefs

Numerous beliefs and beliefs are also associated with Ivan Kupala:

• Until July 7, it was forbidden to swim in open water. For the celebration, everyone was allowed to swim, except for the old, the sick, small children and pregnant women. The ancestors believed that the water evil spirits could spread to weakened people and therefore protected them in every possible way from possible misfortune;
• If, at dawn after Ivan Kupala, the available money is counted several times and then hidden, then their nominal amount will increase;
• It was forbidden to pick up things found on the road, otherwise you could fall into the clutches of a mythical peregrine, luring into the thicket in the form of a loved one;
• It is undesirable to sleep on Kupala night, since various evil spirits (mermaids, goblin, brownies) do not sleep, which can take away livestock and cause various misfortunes;
• The weaker sex had to come to the Kupala fire, otherwise the woman could be recognized as a witch;
• The dishes prepared for the holiday were also endowed with magical powers. If a girl shared pancakes with her companion, then this strengthened their relationship. At the end of the dinner, you had to touch the biggest loaf and make a wish. It was believed that it would definitely come true.

In 2016, Ivan Kupala falls on the day of the growing moon and, according to the lunar calendar, favors the collection of medicinal herbs. Their healing powers on the eve of the holiday increase many times over. You should also prepare hay for the hayloft and feeding animals, as well as mulch for fertilizer.

• Preparation of greens for the winter - drying, freezing;
• Dig up bulbs of faded plants;
• Start planting drought-resistant crops in open ground;
• The day before, harvest the finished crop for storage;
• This day is considered unfavorable for watering and feeding.

Outcome

Despite the fact that Ivan Kupala is considered a pagan holiday, it is still popular among the people. On this day, spend the evening in a non-trivial and interesting way: tell fortunes, jump over the fire, dance.

On July 7, one of the most poetic events of the Ukrainian ritual calendar is celebrated. The Kupala lights inspired not only the great Nikolai Gogol, but also many other writers and poets. The Church on this day celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. Kupala holidays were celebrated during pagan times in honor of the Sun God Kupail, whose wife was the luminiferous Charge, a red maiden. By merging Christian and pagan traditions, the feast of Ivan Kupala was formed.

In the middle of June, the midday sun reaches its highest point in the sky and remains in this position for a while, which is called the summer solstice. Then, having reached the full manifestation of its creative powers, it turns onto the winter path, having lost its royal power over nature, its life-giving power, and begins to slowly descend lower and lower along the heavenly mountain; the days start to slip away. All nature, as if anticipating its close old age, is in a hurry to live a full life.

For the last month the cuckoo has been chirping, the nightingale sings its last marvelous song with its ringing voice, and soon, soon the other songbirds will quiet down.

No one should sleep tonight. On the enchanted Kupala Night, the trees move from place to place and talk to each other through the rustle of leaves; Animals and even herbs talk among themselves, which are filled with a special, miraculous power that night. All earthly potion-existence on this night receives supernatural power: both evil and good.

The night grasses bloom with fire. Such are the black fern, the king-king, the lion, the dove and others. Another color burns with a fixed, strong flame, another has the appearance of lightning, a flying, ghostly fire. “Lion grass,” it is said about one of them in the oldest of the “Zaleinikov”, “it grows small, but it looks like a lion. You won’t even notice it during the day, it shines at night. It has two colors, one is yellow, and the other at night like a candle burning. There is no grass near her, but there is, and she bowed before her. And here is what is said about the marvelous grass of the film screen: "Although what a storm, it bows to the east with all its trunks; the same if there is no wind." A fern that opens with a strong fiery red (crimson from a distance) slightly shimmering color only for a few moments on Kupala Night allows the finder to guess the future

As you know, and this custom is now well preserved, the main entertainment of the evening on Ivan Kupala is jumping over the fire. However, single girls have something to do on holiday.

Unhappy in love, in order to bewitch the chosen one, it is recommended to run around the rye field three times at midnight on Ivan Kupala. Preferably nude. While the naked beauty is worn in circles, the beloved will see her in a dream, and in the morning he will understand that she is the one and only that he has been looking for all his life.

At the end of the fun activities, you can go to rest. This does not apply, only the most courageous and pure of heart, who have a chance to find a magical fern flower and get all earthly treasures. But remember: the path to the flower is protected by evil spirits, and the earthly riches that it opens have not yet brought good to anyone.

According to the beliefs of the peasants, on the Kupala, the shortest night, you can’t sleep, as all evil spirits come to life and become especially active - witches, werewolves, mermaids, snakes, sorcerers, brownies, water spirits, goblin.

It was believed that witches celebrate their holiday on Ivan Kupala, which consists in causing harm to people. Like, the witches keep water boiled with the ashes of the Kupala fire, and on Ivan Kupala, having splashed herself with this water, the witch could easily fly wherever she pleases.

On the day of Ivan Kupala, they tried to be healed with dew. To do this, you need to get up as early as possible and walk barefoot through the healing Kupala dew. On this day, a massive collection of medicinal herbs took place. Kupala grass gains special healing power by sunrise, and so, as they say, "Who gets up early, God gives it to him!"

In the rituals and games of the spring-summer cycle, the girls always decorated themselves with wreaths. So, in the East Slavic rite of "seeing off a mermaid" for a costumed "mermaid" they wove a special wreath with the addition of nettles or made many wreaths, falling on the mummers' head, neck, hands, hanging them all over with wreaths. The subsequent destruction of these wreaths (throwing them into the cemetery, into the water, into the fire, etc.) symbolized the act of expelling the "mermaid".

In Russia, Ivan Kupala belonged to the most revered and important holidays of the year, the entire population took part in it, and the tradition required the active inclusion of each participant in the celebration in all rituals and the obligatory implementation of a number of rules, prohibitions and customs.

How Ivan Kupala is celebrated

In Ukraine, the following rite has survived to this day: girls, whose heads are adorned with wreaths of fragrant herbs, in festive attire, and the guys, famously wringing their hats, also adorned with flowers, gather on the eve of Kupala Day in a predetermined place to a madder or black maple tree hung with wreaths and ribbons; under this tree they put a tiny, and sometimes a big god made of straw - Kupala, dressed in a women's shirt and plakhta, with a monistochka around his neck and a wreath on his head. Tables with appetizers and the inevitable vodka were set up right there. falling water. Bathed in Ivan!

In Belarus, on the eve of Ivanov's Day, a stake is driven into the ground at sunset; they surround it with straw and hemp, and on the very top they also put a bundle of straw, called Kupala; as soon as it gets dark, they light straw, throw birch branches into this fire, and the fun begins. In some places of Belarus, at the dawn of Midsummer Day, having chosen the most beautiful girl from their midst, her friends strip her naked, entangle her from head to toe with wreaths and flowers, blindfold her and lead her into the forest, where she, who this time received the nickname "dzevko- kupalo", distributes wreaths prepared in advance, while the udder, like a cheerful round dance, moves around it. Whoever got a fresh wreath, she will live a rich and happy life, married, and who got a wilted wreath, "do not waste that happiness-share, live at a shortage."

Since ancient times, Kupala was celebrated in Moscow on three mountains, and in St. Petersburg on Petrovsky Island on the Kullerberg, where our aristocracy also visited. A few years ago, Kupala fires were lit on the latter, round dances were arranged and feasted. In the old days, 10 versts from Petersburg, along the Riga road, there was a linden tree, the branches of which were intertwined with the branches of other trees, forming, as it were, a natural arbor, in which Peter the Great often rested. They also gathered here on the eve of Kupala, made fires, on which, by the way, they burned a white rooster. It should be noted that in later times the Kupala fire was replaced by a bunch of nettles, due to the prohibition of Ivanovo fires by spiritual and secular authorities.

The pagan holiday Ligo (June 24) in Latvia is the oldest and most beloved. It is celebrated at the state level for three whole days. This is a kind of New Year - only in the summer. Only the role of Christmas trees is performed by birch trees. There is a kind of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden - these are those who bear the names - Janis and the League. Only they do not give gifts, but to them, because they have a name day. Ligo is celebrated on one of the shortest nights of the year. The birthday boy Janis should certainly be presented with an oak wreath. And the League - a wreath of wildflowers. That is how they can be distinguished from the rest. Therefore, this product is in great demand in the city. Fairs in Riga at every step. Indispensable attributes of Ligo are beer and cheese. They must be on the festive table. And the cheese should be with cumin. According to popular beliefs, it is best to chew cumin in slices well - then all misfortunes will disappear. On Ligovu night, you must definitely swim - and jump over the fire. In order to make it brighter, barrels on poles are lit at night. The barrels are raised high and lit so that it can be seen on the neighboring farm that Ligo is already being celebrated here. Dancing and singing should go on all night. During this time, the young must find a flowering fern in the forest. If they find it, they will be happy. According to legend, it blooms on Janov's night. Over the centuries-old history of the holiday, it’s true that they haven’t been found, but experts say that this custom improves the demographic situation in the country.

Holiday rituals

kindling a fire
- jumping over a fire (or nettles)
- wheel rolling cult of fire
- in ancient times, prayers for rain - Rusalia
- bathing, bathing
- "scooping dew" cult of water
- in ancient times "Green Christmas time";
- a legend about a fern flower blooming that night;
- belief that the trees on this night say that the herbs collected on Ivan Kupala have miraculous powers;
- fortune-telling on bouquets about weddings cult of vegetation

Rituals and divination

Fire jumping

On Kupala, our ancestors performed fiery rites and rituals. The fire ritual consisted of burning large bonfires on the Kupala night. The fires were accompanied by games, chants and round dances. To protect and purify themselves from evil spirits, people jumped over these fires. A jump is considered successful, if the flame does not touch the jumper and there are no sparks, it means marriage or good luck.

Those who were going to get married, while jumping, held their hands tightly, because, according to the sign, if the hands do not open, there will be a wedding.

Bonfire on the day of Ivan Kupala. Jumping over the fire - the brightest tradition of the holiday of Ivan Kupala

We tried to jump higher - whoever jumps the highest will be the happiest in the coming year.

In Kupala bonfires, mothers burned shirts taken from sick children so that the diseases themselves would burn along with this linen. And the smoke from the fires drove away the dark forces from the villages and fields.

throwing a wreath

On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls lower birch wreaths with lit splinter or candles on the river waves, weave wreaths from Ivan da Marya, burdock, virgin grass and a bear's ear.

If the wreath sinks immediately, it means that the betrothed has fallen out of love and cannot be married to him, he will beat him to the shore - to be unmarried. Whoever's wreath floats the longest, she will be happier, and whoever's splinter burns longer, she will live a long, long life!

Divination on wax

To perform this divination, they take a wax candle and, having broken it into small pieces, put it in a metal spoon. The spoon is heated on a candle until the pieces turn into a molten liquid. When the wax grows, pour the contents of the spoon into the water in one go. According to the resulting figure, they guess. Guessing is necessary by candlelight.

A characteristic feature of Ivan Kupala is the numerous customs and legends associated with the plant world.

Herbs and flowers collected on Ivan's Day are placed under Ivan's dew, dried and preserved, considering them more healing than those collected at other times. They fumigate the sick, fight evil spirits, they are thrown into a flooded oven during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike, they are also used to kindle love or to "dry".

Of the miraculous herbs collected at this time, it is worth mentioning "plakun-grass", the special power of which, according to the peasants, lies in its root, which has the property of driving away an evil spirit; the owner of the root will inspire fear in himself; "terlych-grass" is used to charm guys with girls: they wear it in their bosoms and say: "Terlich, terlich, call the lads!" Chernobyl grass, according to popular belief, is disgusting to witches and protects the house and yard from them. She is also plaited into a whip and placed under Ivan's dew with the verdict: "Mother Earth, Father Heaven, give your slaves health from this herb!" The herb "finch" helps with childish crying and insomnia; dried "spreader" is sprinkled on sore spots on the body - cuts, abscesses, tumors; "shepherd's purse" has long been harvested as a good hemostatic agent for various bleeding; those suffering from rheumatism collected large quantities of stinging nettles; for the treatment of wounds, burns, they stocked up on hare cabbage; in case of colds, coughs, it was necessary to have a stepmother, oregano, rosemary at home.

On Midsummer Night, on ant heaps, oil is collected in a vessel, which is recognized as a healing agent against various ailments.

If twelve gardens are climbed on Midsummer's Day, any wish will come true.

If on this night you pick the flower of Ivan da Marya and put it in the corners of the hut, the thief will not come to the house: brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of the plant) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owner is talking to the mistress.

On Midsummer's Day, we went to the bathhouse and for the first time steamed with fresh birch brooms. Ivan da Marya flowers, fern leaves, or made from twelve herbs collected on the Kupala night were added to the "Ivan broom", which had magical powers. From such a broom they said, "health is getting stronger." With the first new broom, the girls guessed at marriage: leaving the bath, they threw it behind their backs - where the butt falls, you will go there and get married.