Ivan's holiday has bathed traditions. Holiday of Ivan Kupala. Folk traditions, signs and customs
Every year on July 7, one of the most beloved folk holidays is celebrated - Ivan Kupala, whose history goes back to pagan times. There are many myths and beliefs associated with this holiday. The celebration is dedicated to the flowering of nature and the summer solstice. With the advent of Christianity, the holiday received a new meaning, but even today the customs and traditions of the ancient Slavs are visible in it.
The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala
One of the main deities of the ancient Slavs was the Sun God. It was worshiped on the day of the summer solstice, which fell on July 24 according to the old style, or on July 7 according to the new style. Our ancestors believed that on this day water enters into union with fire. That is why many of the rituals of the holiday are associated with these two elements.
In the holiday of Ivan Kupala, two elements are combined: Christian and pagan. Already with the advent of Christianity, the celebration was named Ivan Kupala, which was a Slavic version of the name John the Baptist.
On the day of the summer solstice, the ancient Slavs praised the longest day of the year and rejoiced in the victory of light over darkness. The first written records of the holiday were found in the Laurentian Chronicle (1068).
Active preparation for the Kupala night was going on on the eve of the holiday - July 6, according to the new style. This day in the calendar of the ancient Slavs was named Agrafena Kupalnitsa. On Agrafena, they always washed and steamed in the bath, and prepared bath brooms for the whole year. After dinner, girls and women harnessed horses and went to the forest, where they broke young branches of birch, linden, alder, bird cherry, currant, viburnum, mountain ash and other deciduous plants and trees.
The guys collected muddy water from the river in buckets and walked around the village, pouring dirty water on everyone they met. Especially the girls who, wishing to take revenge, also collected dirty water in buckets and poured it over the guys. After that, the youth went to the river to swim.
On the night of Ivan Kupala, it was customary to burn fires. According to legend, water at this time acquires healing power. In order to be healthy all year long and not get sick, you had to swim in the river, then burn your old clothes in a fire and jump high over the flame to recharge with the energy of the fire.
In the morning on Ivan Kupala, it was customary to collect herbs and weave wreaths. It is believed that at this time the plants are gaining full strength. The girls collected wild grasses and flowers, wove wreaths from them, which they put on their heads and walked like that all day. If in the evening the wreath remained on the girl's head and was not stolen during the games, then it was sent to swim along the river along with a lit torch or candle, making a cherished wish. The faster and further the wreath floats away, the sooner the wish will come true.
Sorcerers and healers on this day collected medicinal herbs and dried them for the winter. At night, they collected dew, which was also considered healing. It was used in many ceremonies and rituals. For example, the girls washed their faces with it so that the skin was smooth and beautiful, they also washed the sick with dew so that they would soon get better.
At night, it was customary to collect "moon plants", the most popular of which is the fern. The youth went in search of a fern flower. According to legend, the fern blooms literally for an instant on the night of Ivan Kupala. It is very difficult to tear it down, since it is guarded by an evil spirit. But whoever can do this will acquire unusual opportunities. A person will begin to possess the gift of clairvoyance, will be able to understand the language of animals and easily find treasures buried deep in the ground. With the help of a flower, you can open any locks and locks, just attach it to them.
To pick a fern, you need to send a sacred tablecloth near the plant, draw a circle around yourself with a sacred knife and, reading a special conspiracy, wait for midnight. Uncleanness tries in every possible way to distract a person, calls out to him with the voices of loved ones. If you turn around and respond to the response, you can lose your life. Having picked a flower, you need to hide it in your bosom and run home without looking back.
Ivana Kupala - Christian or pagan holiday?
In the church calendar on July 7, there is a celebration of the birth of John the Baptist - the baptist of the Lord. There is nothing in common between Ivan Kupala and John the Baptist. In pagan Russia, the day of the summer solstice was called Kupala, but with the advent of Christianity, the holiday was named Ivan (from John) Kupala. Despite the fact that the church separates these two holidays and recognizes only the Christian - the birth of John the Baptist, Ivan Kupala is still very popular today. On July 7, people continue to worship the forces of nature and ask them for a good harvest. In many parts of our country, it is customary to burn fires and jump over them, weave wreaths and collect medicinal herbs.
Coal from the Kupala fires used to be taken home. It was believed that he would protect the home from everything bad. Healers in the Kupala fires, in addition to firewood, threw a collection of various herbs, and then mixed the ashes and coal, using the resulting mixture in different rituals.
Video: documentary "On the Night of Ivan Kupala"
The day of Ivan Kupala begins to be celebrated on the night of June 7, it is considered special: at this time you can tell fortunes on your betrothed and go through bathing rituals, as well as find a fern flower that will bring good luck and wealth. Read about what you can and cannot do on this holiday in our “Question-Answer” section.
What shouldn't be done?
It is believed that swimming in water is prohibited until July 7. And only with the arrival of Ivan Kupala, this ban is lifted. It remains relevant only for pregnant women, the elderly and children. According to legend, evil spirits come out of the water, which can harm them.
On the day of Ivan Kupala, you cannot sleep, it is believed that at any moment you can be picked up by goblin, brownies and mermaids.
You should not give, sell or borrow anything on Ivan Kupala, as the family may become impoverished. And if a person finds money on the road, even a large sum, in no case should he take it.
What can you do on this day?
On this day, you can jump over bonfires, play with burners, run a race, dance, sing songs, communicate. You can pour water on those you meet on Midsummer's Day. At sunrise, July 7, you should wash or swim in the river. According to our ancestors, the procedure will wash away all diseases and strengthen the immune system.
What rituals and traditions exist on this day?
There are a lot of rituals and traditions on this day, but the most important of them is mass bathing. It is believed that the night of July 6-7 should be spent with friends, and not alone. And if you go swimming, do not dry yourself with a towel when leaving.
Previously, ritual bathing fires were held on the banks of the rivers to drive away evil spirits. The fire burned the clothes of sick people in order to protect themselves from any bad weather.
Another ritual on Ivan Kupala is a real bathhouse with brooms of medicinal herbs collected in the evening on the eve of the holiday. Such brooms are called Ivanovsky and are attributed to them with medicinal properties.
Boys and girls weaved bathing wreaths, hung them over the door to protect their home from evil spirits.
Holiday traditions
Ivan's holiday is celebrated on the night of July 6-7, 2018. Longtime Slavs believed that this was a special and even magical night. Ivana Kupala is celebrated very loudly, organizing festivities and reproducing old authentic rituals. There are a number of unspoken rules and customs of the celebration. Therefore, on this day, it is also customary to congratulate each other on the holiday. The editors WANT to prepare original congratulations in verse, in prose and SMS from Ivan Kupala, which you can send to family and friends.
In the calendar of church holidays in July, this date is not in red (but there is the Nativity of John the Baptist). But for a long time the Slavs celebrated July 6 and 7 on a grand scale. We have previously published the traditions of Ivan Kupala, as well as the main prohibitions of the day. Many people used to believe that on the Kupala night all the forest evil wakes up - witches, snakes, water, mermaids, werewolves. But it is on the night of Ivan Kupala that you can guess at your betrothed, jump over a fire, collect medicinal herbs, look for the color of a fern. This is truly one of the most interesting and mysterious holidays on the calendar.
Now we publish original congratulations on the holiday of Ivan Kupala. Save yourself beautiful congratulations in verses on the holiday of Ivan Kupala.
Congratulations to Ivan Kupala in verse
***
Magic night on Ivan Kupala
Contains a lot of mysteries!
Water is said to add health
Fire cleanses from filth, slander!
May grace descend on this night
It will take away sorrow and need!
Live, love, appreciate each other,
Through the years, boldly bear your love!
***
Long-awaited holiday
Comes to us in the summer
Ivan Kupala Day
I wish to meet.
Let the Kupala wreath
The river is carried away in the distance,
To joy, to luck
And to meet the fate.
Let the fires burn
All your sorrows
Let Ivan Kupala
Cleans the soul.
I wish everyone a holiday
Magic and wonder
Joyful, happy
Let your life be.
According to the ancient Slavic precepts,
Coming from ancestors for centuries,
A mysterious holiday, sung
Got legends to us!
The answer to the former greatness
Or maybe opening yourself?
We see our appearance in the water,
Waking up from dreams and loving!
Kupala comes like a fairy tale.
… And there are so few fairy tales already.
Romance, tenderness and affection
We all have it in our souls!
This holiday is like a secret
He comes to us in the middle of summer.
This holiday is Ivan Kupala,
Day of bonfires, wreaths, laughter.
I wish you this day
All wishes come true.
Celebrate it with your friends
And in a great mood.
Let, like a flame, very bright
Life will shine with success
Like smoke, deceptions will go away
And fate will become a friend.
Midsummer - Ivan Kupala:
Solstice is already towards winter.
The holiday is in full swing -
The place is small
Wreaths are thrown over the water.
A whirlwind is spinning in a round dance,
Fun place, games - an hour.
Congratulations to all the Slavs,
We wish you happiness every hour!
Ivan Kupala, bring good things,
May there be peace and tranquility for us.
Let the summer be not enough for us
May they meet with winter together!
***
Untwist, bride, braids,
Come out simple haired
Yes, decorate yourself with a wreath,
Have fun tonight.
Leave, groom, sorrows,
Near the river, at the pier
Loneliness has no place.
Fate-bride awaits you.
You are spinning, bewitching,
Cherish every moment.
Let wreaths promise on the river
Wedding rings.
Let the fires crackle, blaze
Your senses are hot
Cleanse from adversity.
Let the round dance go round.
On this night of miracles and reality
The fern will show its color.
There will be a lot of wonderful things
On Ivan on Kupala.
Short congratulations from Ivan Kupala in SMS
You can send these short congratulations from Ivan Kupala to your family and friends in SMS without spending a lot of time typing.
During the day we will be drenched
And the fun to indulge in.
We will weave wreaths of flowers
To let them go by the river.
Let's make a fire by night
We will jump on a bet.
Ask: "What kind of fun?"
This is the day of Ivan Kupala!
I congratulate you
Summer and warmth!
With hot bathing
From night to morning.
Let everything on Kupala
Dreams will come true.
Fern in color
Find it at midnight.
I want to believe
In miracles, as in a fairy tale.
The main thing is that in life
It all worked out so clearly
It's time to swim in the ponds
Ivan Kupala came to us,
Let's sing and have fun
We will lay a huge table
And we wish everyone in the neighborhood
Love, health, kindness,
All bad things will go away
And dreams will come true soon!
Round dances, cherished herbs.
There are bonfires in the clearing, vanity.
And the mermaids on the leaves of the kupava
Like shadows, they sit by the pond.
The stars are like shards of crystal.
And the girls weave wreaths.
Congratulations on Ivan Kupala
May these days bring happiness!
On Ivan, on Kupala,
We wish from the bottom of our hearts
Pure, righteous destiny.
Let the water carry a wreath
Will bring her husband to the bride.
Original congratulations with Ivan Kupala in prose
Congratulations in prose from Ivan Kupala will help you beautifully express an idea if you have to congratulate someone in your own words.
On the holiday of Ivan Kupala, let me wish you to find a blooming fern, albeit in a figurative sense: let everything in your life return to normal, joy and happiness will settle in your house, a smile will bloom in your soul, and everything will turn out in the best way at work.
***
Today our ancestors celebrated Ivan Kupala, this is the night when all evil remains on the other side of the fire. May it be so in the life of each of us, may the fern flower be found by everyone who needs a miracle. And may only happiness and joy lie ahead, and sorrows will be burned in a bright flame.
On a dark Kupala night, bonfires are burning and wreaths twisted by girls' hands float on the water. So let the beautiful Slavic traditions and cultural heritage, which gave us an unusual holiday on Ivan Kupala, will not be forgotten in the future, and be carefully preserved for many years by our descendants.
On the glorious summer holiday of Ivan Kupala, we wish you to strengthen your health with vigorous bathing, protect your house from troubles with a fragrant wreath of collected herbs and be in abundance and well-being, even if you cannot find a blooming fern! Let the day delight you with fun and carelessness!
Congratulations on Ivan Kupala and I sincerely wish to light in my soul that very bright light of hope and may it lead you to your cherished dream, to great love, to good happiness, to a real miracle.
Slavic Holiday Kupala (Kupailo, Kupalo) - the day of the summer solstice. Longest day and shortest night of the year. This is one of the four main holidays of the ancient Slavs, timed to coincide with the positions of the Sun (, Kupala,). The last day of the Merry Week or Rusal. Kupala is one of the oldest holidays, which has kept many traditions and customs of our ancestors unchanged to this day, for example: seeing off Yarila, who is replaced by the God of the summer sun Kupala, collecting medicinal herbs, searching for a fern flower, etc. Kupala is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.
Let's try to unbiasedly figure out what kind of day it is, bearing the name of Kupala, which was revered and celebrated by the ancestors of the Rus strictly at the same time of the year, long before our times, the main customs and traditions of which, which are to our liking now (precisely by Soul, and not according to any canons), have come down to us from time immemorial.
What day is Kupala celebrated?
The date of the celebration itself is not accidental and is associated with an astronomical event, like many other celebrated days, which may indicate the advanced knowledge of the ancestors of the Rus in matters of astronomy. On the Day of Kupala, there is an astronomical event called the day of the summer solstice. It is now absolutely known that the trajectory of our planet around the Yarila-Sun is far from an ideal circle. During one revolution of our planet around the Yarila-Sun, the distance between them changes from the minimum close to the maximum distance, which repeats from year to year and from century to century. On the day of the summer solstice, our planet occupies the most distant position from the Yarila-Sun, and in our hemisphere at this time there is the longest day and the shortest night of the year - the triumph of light over darkness. This astronomical event does not depend on any religions, beliefs, political views and, in general, people. The sun shines for everyone equally, and this event occurs at the same time from year to year, regardless of any calendars and their styles, and it cannot be canceled or moved to please anyone, but it is quite possible to change concepts.
In 2019, the Slavic Festival of Kupala falls on June 21
Thus, the day of the summer solstice, according to the widely used calendar, falls on June 19-25.
Where did the names of the holiday Kupala, Kupailo, Kupalo or Ivan-Kupala come from?
We figured out the date, now let's try to understand what meaning was put into the name of the Kupala Day holiday. If in the case of the date everything is clear, the conditions are determined by an astronomical event, then the name will have to be left open, since we do not have reliable information today, and the Legacy of the Ancestors, passed from mouth to mouth, has come down to us very distorted. There are many versions of the origin of this name, however, not all are accepted by the Soul quite unambiguously, which can be perceived as truth. At the end of the article, there is a legend dedicated to the origin of the name of the summer solstice festival. Take courage and, after reading it, make your own opinion whether your Soul accepts such an interpretation, whether it is a version close to reality, and do not blindly follow any beliefs.
Today the holiday is better known as Ivan Kupala or Ivanov's Day, named after the Christian Saint John the Baptist. Ivan Kupala, unlike the real Feast of Kupaila or Kupala, is not timed to coincide with the solstice, but is celebrated on the date of birth of John the Baptist on July 7th. It makes no sense to celebrate Kupala on July 7 according to pagan traditions with bonfires, wreaths, search for a fern, since the solstice has long been left behind. In fact, this holiday does not belong at all to John the Baptist or some incomprehensible Ivan Kupala, but to the pagan God Kupala (Kupailo).
This holiday was once celebrated not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. Hills, fields, meadows, valleys were covered with the fires of the Kupala fires. In our time, of course, you will not find this anymore, but many people, pagan communities continue to maintain the tradition, and anyone can visit the Kupala Festival, as it really is. It is believed that at the dawn of the Kupala day, the sun rejoices, shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, dances and bathes. The solstice itself is always hot, this is explained by the fact that the sun on its last day fries the earth with all its might, but, defeated, leaves for the winter. On Kupala, the sun reaches its climax, it roasts with incredible power and, according to tradition, people should ask him to moderate their ardor.
Folk rituals and traditions for the Kupala holiday
The day of the summer solstice is still widely celebrated in different parts of our planet, and in many places precisely on its true astronomical date. This holiday is common among peoples whose roots are closely connected with the roots of the Rus. Having different names for different nationalities, its essence is the same: all rituals are associated with fire, which usually appears in two hypostases - earthly and heavenly (the Sun), and water.
The celebration of Kupala Day was preceded by the Rusal Week. These days are dedicated to the Goddesses of rivers, lakes and reservoirs. During the Rusal week, they did not swim unnecessarily, so as not to disturb the water deities preparing for the summer festival, and from that day they began to swim in the rivers every day. It was customary to watch over the meeting of the month with the sun on the night of the solstice, did not go to bed and watched the sun play. Kupala night is the time when the magical power of fire, water, earth, plants reaches its highest power, and the water in rivers and lakes acquires special life-giving and purifying properties. The belief about the color of the fern, blooming with a fiery color on the Kupala night, is in all Slavic peoples, in search of which the most courageous went.
The idea of the holiday is purification, affecting the three bodies of the human essence - a three-dimensional shell, soul and spirit. Fundamental natural elements - water and fire - are used as purifying elements. That is why the famous bathing fires are always made on the banks of rivers.
The celebration begins with a round dance. A round dance is built of three circles of people holding hands and moving in different directions. The outer circle is made up of people of mature and old age, the middle circle is young and full of strength boys and girls, and the smallest circle, which is closest to the fire, is made up of small children. ...
In the process of celebration, our Ancestors jumped over fires, and then at a run plunged into the arms of the river. An important point is that it should be exactly a river with moving water, when you can draw an analogy with a river of time, through which everything is once washed away, changes are constantly taking place. And if water cleanses the body, then fire cleanses the Soul.
It is believed that the bonfires made for the Kupala Festival have a unique, cleansing power. On the bathing night, these bonfires, according to the beliefs of our Ancestors, burned in three worlds at once - in Yavi, Navi and Prav. Therefore, any fire on this night is a powerful and irresistible guide. The guide of the human and the divine, the dark and the light, the earthly and the heavenly.
Walking on coals is the next part of the holiday. This is the moment of purification or, rather, even hardening of the spirit. Through heat, a powerful heat flow and small painful sparks of a person, false thoughts, unjust aspirations, demons and larvae, pushing him to the dark path, leave.
Also, the Slavic Holiday Kupala Day includes weaving of wreaths and firecrackers. As for wreaths, traditionally wreaths are woven by girls for boys. Of course, if we are talking about an established couple, then the girl weaves a wreath for her man or husband, another option is simply unacceptable. In all other cases, single girls give their wreaths to those guys who make them the most sympathetic. Wreaths are woven of wild grasses and flowers. Ognevitsa are small "boats" made most often from wooden planks. A candle is placed in the center of such a boat, and a "fence" is made around the grass and leaves so that the wind does not accidentally extinguish the flame. Fireballs with lighted candles are launched into the river. If a person does not have a pair, he can start the fireball on his own, but more often this moment is not individual. After all, a harmonious state is achieved only in the unity of opposites, therefore, ideally, the fireball should be launched by a couple - the groom and the bride or the husband and wife. At that moment, when a guy and a girl put the fireball on the water, they make wishes.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the Kupala Holiday that Christians have given us is that fornication and all sorts of disgrace are happening during the holiday. Our Slavic ancestors were the purest both spiritually and materially.
Preachers and missionaries who came to our country from afar saw an incomprehensible celebration with fun, games, dancing. They thought it was just disgusting, and instead of sitting on their knees and begging for eternal forgiveness, people rejoice in life.
The fact is that on Kupala, as a holiday of the maximum sun, when the unusually powerful magical powers of heaven and earth are activated, it was considered a good sign - to conceive a child. or by wise women. It was also considered not unlikely that a child conceived on Kupala would have supernatural powers.
The baptists probably witnessed how, on a holiday, when the forces of nature were at their peak, many young people, retiring in quiet groves and meadows, tried to conceive new offspring. As a result, in order to try to take away from the Slavs one of the most significant holidays. a fast was imposed on him (Petrov fast). In pre-Christian times, of course, there was no fasting, and the festivities were not a celebration of the belly and spirit before prolonged abstinence, but the celebration of the Day of the Sun of Kupala and the end of the Rusal Week.
The legend of how the Kupala Festival appeared
How the twins Kupala and Kostroma were born to the Goddess of the Bather
Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Prav, everything moved on in its own way. Everything moved in its own way in our earthly kingdom of Reveal. In the Irian garden, the fire god Semargl was going to go again to protect the world from dark forces. He sharpened his fiery sword, turned into a winged dog and rushed across the night sky to disperse the Chernobog great-grandchildren.
That night was not easy - there was a time for that. The time has come for the summer solstice, the time for the holiday of many dark forces, when the sun turns for the winter. Khors still shines brightly, full of strength, but Veles's hands are already on the great Svarog wheel, on the great wheel of time.
Very soon the sun will wane - little by little, minute by minute, and then, like now, it will not shine: then the cold Morena will become the mistress over the forests-fields. Even Horsa will be covered with cold: on the day of the autumnal equinox, when day and night are equal, he will extinguish his life-giving rays.
That is why the dark forces rejoice, but as yet they cannot defeat the sun. These days, Khors shines with all its might, and Dazhbog brings a bright light to the whole earth, but at night Semargl protects the world - he taught people to kindle fires, and now on the night of the summer solstice they burn like eyes of light, scattering away the night mist. And the earth then, like a mirror, reflects the starry sky.
At this time, the wonderful Night Bath, an assistant of fertile powers, shines with such amazing beauty that the fire god Semargl finally decided - he approached, flew up to the Bathing Lady and spoke of his ardent love. He told me how he longs for her in heaven. And then the beautiful Goddess answered Semargla's love, and their love was hotter than the flame and softer than the night air.
And, as it was appointed by fate, weaved as it was wise Makosh, as Nedolya and Dolya are tied, twins were born to Semargl and the Bathing Lady - two, a boy and a girl.
The boy was named Kupala, he was light and white, his gaze, like water, was transparent and gentle. The girl was called Kostroma, and she was bright as fire, with a warm soul and heart. Brother and sister were inseparable, they ran through the fields and meadows together and marveled at the earthly world, and fields, and meadows, and groves. Together they marveled at the beasts of the earth and watched the flight of the heavenly birds.
Kupala and Kostroma were equal in their beauty and skills, only the difference between them was that Kostroma loved to look at the fire, she had fun jumping over the fire, and Kupala loved lake water more, he loved river waves and swam every day.
Kostroma once said to Kupala:
The light-winged birds told me yesterday that they were far, far away, near the Currant River, they were singing magical songs, the world's wonderful birds. Let's go with you tomorrow morning to that cherished place to hear unprecedented songs.
Kupala immediately agreed to this, he also liked the bird song.
They did not say anything to their father and mother and in the morning they went to the river Smorodina, to the huge World Oak, where the Alkonost bird sat on the right and sang about life and joy, and on the left Sirin sat sweet-voiced and sang songs about the kingdom of the dead.
And Kupala listened to the sad songs of the Sirin bird that gurgled like a stream. Kupala forgot about everything in the world, closed his eyes, and then the bird Sirin took him to the dark, dead kingdom, and hid him there for many years. And Kostroma Alkonost-bird listened, as if flashes of bright flame were her charming songs. Kostroma did not notice how brother Kupala disappeared, and when she looked around, no one was there. She began to call her dear brother, but Kupala did not respond to her, he was in a dark, distant corner under the wing of the Sirin bird.
Since then, many years have passed, and more than once white, fierce blizzards covered the pure pole with snow, and more than once then violent grasses sprouted through winter anger. Many times since then the red sun has passed its annual circle. Trouble gave way to joy many times.
Since then, Kostroma has grown up, has become a maiden - a beauty written. Grooms often wooed Kostroma, even Veles, the wisest God, often looked at her, but none of them liked Kostroma.
There is no one of them to match me, - she often said to mother, - among them for me there is no equal. I'm a girl, born by Gods, not immortal, but beautiful. Who can compare with me in skills? I will not go for God for everyone! I'm no match for old hairy men. Hairy and married ...
And the Night Swimsuit sighed in response. "Quiet!" - she said to her daughter. Fear, they say, trouble, they say, your beauty is equal to pride, lest the Gods get angry at that. But the lively mother Kostroma did not listen, she kept laughing, braiding her red curls in a braid. Together with other girls, she weaved wreaths, but once the carminative Stribog suddenly tore the wreath from her head. He blew harder, threw it into the water, and the wreath floated downstream. And then the proud Kostroma made a wish to find a wreath of her equal groom. Let the wreath float, looking for a betrothed, so that he is exactly like her in everything!
And June ended on the ground, the month of worm, and it was replaced by July, the month of linden. And the day of the solstice was getting closer: before sunset the sun shines for a long time, brighter than a bright one, and then a short night comes - a strange, bad time.
At this time, the world freezes in anticipation: something will be ahead, how will everything go well? Water spirits and mermaids, the subjects of the mistress of Mokosh, loudly celebrate their riotous holiday a week before the solstice. Mavka, water lilies, scraps and other aquatic women put wreaths on their heads from water lilies, and then get out of lakes and rivers and let's have fun along the banks. Belted in white shirts, Slavic mermaids are frolicking, singing, laughing, swaying in the trees, or even just sitting on the grass and combing their long hair.
Slavic mermaids never had tails, but they have frisky legs, and therefore they like to drive round dances, but not salting, from left to right, towards the Right, as live guys and girls do in honor of Horse round, and salmon, against the arrow sentry, from right to left, from world to world Navi.
Water is an amazing element, it gives life to the whole world, but it can also destroy water. Through rivers and lakes there is a way to the underground kingdom, and therefore many spirits of the waters obey, except for Mokosh, Veles the wise, especially those that came from the dead, from the drowned. Water spirits, moist, can help the crop grow, or they can fill everything in the bud, and if they offended them with something or met at a bad hour, they will tickle to death and take them to their underwater world.
More than others, they love to tickle all the oncoming-transverse patches, and in order to protect themselves from them in Rusalia - the holiday of all mermaids, alone people in the coastal forests and in the flooded meadows tried not to appear, but if they walked, they took garlic and wormwood with them - scare away scraps.
Wormwood scraps sometimes fled, but the Mavkas did not care. They are not even afraid to step over the circle, through the protective iron chain! The main thing is not to make the Mavok angry, to laugh it off, the living have all the hope for this. They will ask for a comb to comb their hair, - give it, otherwise it will be worse. True, then the scallop will have to be thrown away, otherwise you will go bald yourself, but if you don’t give it, you’re greedy - the Mavki will torture you to death.
They look such beauties that the world has never seen before: a cute face, slender legs - everything, like those of the living. Only the beauty is not alive at the Mavoks, dead. From the back you can see an unbeating heart, light, green without air, and entrails in the water. The beauty of the face was rewarded to them for unrequited love on earth. After all, drowned women usually become Mavks, ugly, offended by life, that they rushed into the water from unhappy love.
The most vicious among mermaids are lobasts, they like to hide in coastal reeds. Older lobasta of young Mavoks, more cunning, stronger, more experienced. Undead they crawl out of the water, their faces are terrible, old women. On whom the lobsters attack, death will become deliverance.
And the leader of all the mermaids is the Water One - on the days of the summer solstice, he does feel like a birthday man. He is the master of the waters, grazing for himself in silence at the bottom of rivers and lakes, herds of fish - carp, catfish, bream - like a shepherd of cows in a field. Himself entangled in mud, with a large belly, with a tail. Instead of hands - goose paws, goggle-eyed, like a fish, with a thick beard and green mustache. All the girls are watery, transparent, obey him rigorously. Only his daughters, water girls, are playing pranks on the sly from their father: they confuse fishing tackle and call fishermen under the water with sweet songs.
During the day, the Water Man sleeps in the silence of deep pools or under a water mill, and at night he commands the drowned. In fact, Vodyanoy is a kind grandfather, but if he gets angry, gets agitated, he can break the nets, flood the houses, or even destroy the dam completely. Most of all, he loves to indulge in boredom - he will drag some gaping boy from the shore to the bottom and leave him to live in order to entertain him in the underwater silence.
And the most cheerful and nimble aquatic ones live in springs with clean spring water - "rattlesnakes" that arose on the ground from the lightning strikes of the Perunovs.
It was at such and such a bad time, when Light and Darkness were measured against each other, a wreath fell into the water of Kostroma and swam to look for her betrothed - with beauty and skills like her. Exactly the same. On the waves swayed a wreath of blue, like water, flowers and red flowers, like fire.
What a fine fellow will catch him, that will be Kostroma's fiancé. Only no one is given a wreath in their hands, it floats along the river, along the river, to unknown lands.
Mermaids follow him on the water, Mavki with watercreepers quietly whisper. Like, our Water Master should have said about that wreath, and Vladyka Veles himself should have known about the girl's wreath. But in vain the water maidens are worried, for a long time Veles the lord has seen about everything. He decided to punish the girl Kostroma for a girl's whim, for pride, for words that are offensive to Gods.
By order of the underground Veles in the gloomy kingdom, the bird Sirin from under its wing released Kupapa, put Kupapa in a boat and sent him to swim along the river-lake. He was carried out of the underworld by water, carried along the rivers to his native side, and then by an unprecedented current dragged him up the Volga River - right towards his fate.
While Kupala was with the Sirin bird, he grew up, matured, became a fine fellow, a handsome man - with blue eyes, like two lakes, and blond, boiling hair.
He began to look around Kupala, standing in the boat, and suddenly saw a girlish wreath floating towards him, sparkling with bright flowers on the water - blue and blue, yellow and scarlet. “Apparently, the clever beauty weaved that wreath, - Kupala thinks, - and let it along the river in order to find her betrothed as soon as possible. If the girl is as beautiful as these flowers, I would like to marry her immediately! "
Kupala bent down, grabbed the wreath - those flowers smelled like an unearthly smell, smelled of a forest, a fire and mermaids. And water lilies, and spicy herbs.
At the same moment the boat carried Kupapa straight to the one that threw the wonderful wreath. Here Kupala swims, swims in a boat, looks and recognizes the places of his family - those fields and meadows, groves and forests where he and Kostroma ran together. And then Kupala looks, the girl is standing on the shore, with all her eyes looking at him joyfully.
The boat carried him straight to the girl, went to the bank of the Kupala, holding a wreath in his hands.
Is this your wreath, dear beauty?
Mine, - Kostroma answered quietly.
So they stood, looking at each other. And they fell in love with each other without memory, fell in love as soon as they saw each other. They matched each other, like fire and water, which cannot be without each other, but which will never be together forever ...
Kupala and Kostroma did not recognize each other - to know that Veles was a secret idea. On the same night, without asking anyone, Kupala and Kostroma got married, and they were witnesses to that unprecedented wedding. They had fun, rejoicing in the happiness of the young, and swam with them together with Kupala and Kostroma, and then jumped over a bright fire on the shore.
Only the next morning the Bathing Lady learned that a great disaster had happened to her beloved children. After all, it is impossible for twins, brother and sister, to love each other in a matrimonial way! So people are ordered by Svarogov's Law, so does human law.
The Bather came to the children with tears, told them the bitter truth. And, as soon as the truth was revealed, in that terrible moment, their happiness ended. Now there was no longer a place for them on earth. They could not live in marriage, but they could not live separately either.
With grief, Kupala jumped into the dying fire and disappeared, as if it were not there, and Kostroma rushed into the forest lake, and blue-green waters closed over her head. The sad, merry Kostroma became Mavka.
And the Bathing Lady-Night has since become even blacker and since then has been dropping her bitter tears-dew on the grass in the morning. She doesn't want to see anyone anymore, even Semargla doesn't let her beloved come into the door anymore. Since then, one has been walking around the world of Night-Kupapnitsa, everything is yearning, sad and sad.
The Gods of Iry were also saddened, revenge at Veles was cruel. Yes, and Veles himself twisted, he did not feel joy from revenge. But it is no longer possible to correct the deed, not to turn back the circle of Svarogov. And then the cunning Veles decided to breathe life into the past sufferings with his wisdom: he decided to turn the twins into a flower, so that they would be inseparable forever. So that they are born again, they grow together, so that they are intertwined in a single flower. So that both shine in a single flower in blue and yellow-orange.
And it happened at the behest of Veles in the forest glade, a wondrous miracle: the flowers grew yellow-blue, the flowers are bright and mysterious. “Kupala-da-Mavka” - people began to call them. And since then, in the meadows and in the forests, those flowers have grown with a red flame, with a blue water. To this day, they grow in the forests.
You, of course, have seen them, dear girls and boys, Ivan da Marya is calling them now - according to Orthodox traditions. But the flowers are the same, the ancient flowers, born by Veles - in memory of the twins. And people began to venerate Kupapa himself as the God of summer, wild flowers and forest fruits, the God of purification and redemption.
You, of course, have heard about the night on Kupapa - a magical, incomprehensible night on the day of the summer solstice. She is still not forgotten. Since the misfortune happened to the twins, since they died and were reborn in a flower, our distant ancestors began to celebrate a holiday in honor of Kupapa and the immortal Gods of Irian - a holiday of life and death, dying and rebirth. Since then, people and Gods have become a holiday of the sun, water and fire. Since then, this night of the summer solstice among the Slavs began to be called Kupalskaya.
Strange things happen on Kupala night! Even trees move from place to place, rustle foliage, talk to each other. Animals, birds and even herbs talk to each other that night, and forest flowers are filled with unprecedented power - miraculous, magical power. On this night, people collect cherished herbs, which help in divination, and heal, and become love spells, and protect from misfortunes and troubles.
Only on this night of timelessness, a fern flower blooms in the forests, a plant dedicated to the thunderer Perun - "Perun's colors". The wizards told our ancestors that, they say, if you go to the forest that night, take with you a white tablecloth, canvas and a knife. Draw a circle around the fern bush with a knife or a burnt torch, spread the tablecloth and sit in the circle, not taking your eyes off the fern bush. They say that various monsters and spirits, subjects of Morena, will terrify you and dream, and if you get scared, step out of the circle, they will tear you apart at the same moment.
Exactly at midnight, a flower bud will appear on the fern, burst with a crash, and an unusually bright, fiery-red flower will open. It is necessary to tear it as soon as possible, until an invisible hand grabbed the flower. Evil spirits will scream in a terrible voice, the earth will shake, thunder will rumble, and lightning will flash, the wind will rustle, and an eerie roar will be heard, will shower you with flame and a suffocating smell. But if you are lucky and you take possession of the flower, cover yourself with a tablecloth and run to the village without looking back. If you look around, the flower will disappear, and if not, if you endure all the trials, then you will open the flower past, present and future, teach you to search for treasures, introduce you to the secrets of the Gods, teach people's thoughts to guess and understand the language of birds, animals and plants.
However, people also said that this was all a fiction, an obsession of unclean forces who wanted to destroy people, that in fact the fern never blooms in the forest, which means that there is nothing to go after it ...
Young men and women poured water on Kupapa, mixed with mud, and then they swam together and sang songs to wash away everything unclean from the soul and body, they arranged baths. In the morning they collected life-giving dew and washed themselves with that dew in order to be healthy. The Slavs believed that at this time the heavens were able to open up for a short moment, and then any wish made would come true.
On this night, the sun after sunset also bathes in the waters in order to bring fertility to the earth, and therefore in honor of the mighty sun - in honor of Khors round, and Dazhbog light, and Yarila the ardent - lit in the Kupala night straw-tied wheels, an ancient solar symbol, with a dot - a knot in the center and beams-knitting needles. And then they let these wheels burning from the hills, so that they rolled, scattering fire, to the river to the very water. Until now, in some villages, the Kupala holiday is celebrated in this way.
They also played burners - a fun game in honor of the sun with songs and catch-ups. It was from the burners that the modern traps came, which you still play with pleasure, dear girls and boys.
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Ivan Kupala - the day of the summer solstice, after which the day begins to shorten - an ancient folk holiday of pagan origin, so called among the Eastern and Western Slavs. Ivan Kupala (also Midsummer's Day) has an old tradition of celebrating under a close national name practically throughout Europe - in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain.
For the pagan Slavs, the sun had divine power over all living things, and the summer solstice meant the highest flowering of all the forces of nature, which is embodied in abundance with the ripening of the crop.
Initially, before the spread of Christianity, the holiday was associated with the summer solstice (June 20-22). With the adoption of Christianity, the ritual part of the holiday was timed to coincide with the birthday of John the Baptist - June 24, now celebrated 7 july.
At the beginning of the new millennium, the holiday in Russia began to revive. And now, in fact, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is a bizarre mixture of Christian and Pagan traditions - the Festival of Fire, Water, Love (see videos in the section "Celebrating Ivan Kupala in our time").
origin of name
The pre-Christian name of the holiday is unknown.
The name "Ivan Kupala" has a popular Christian origin, it is a Slavic version of the name John the Baptist (swimmer, plunger). In addition, the name of the holiday is linked to the ritual bathing in the rivers during this holiday.
Similarly, the name of John the Baptist was translated in Germany: German Johannes der taufer, and in Finland: fin. Johannes kastaja"One who immerses (in water, a font), sanctifying."
Kupala is not a deity
In pre-Christian times there was no pagan deity "Kupala", it appeared as a result of a misunderstanding: the chronicler, knowing about the "demonic games" on Ivan Kupala, took the name of the holiday for the name of a pagan god and mentioned it in the Gustynskaya Chronicle (and this, excuse me, is already the 17th century! ) the deity "Kupala".
Then this misunderstanding was repeated by scribes, then by early researchers of Slavic mythology, and then by popular science and all kinds of neo-pagan publications.
As a "deity", Kupala could appear in folk performances only as a folkloric personification of the holiday, reflected, for example, in songs.
Feast of Ivan Kupala and the church
The ROC disapproves of this holiday, and unequivocally condemns the pagan ("demonic") games on this day and this night. But sane clergy understand that pagan traditions cannot be broken with one word, and it was not customary in the Orthodox Christian experience to mow everything down. Indeed, in the Slavic world, despite the centuries-old prescription of Christianity, the Kupala festivities have not lost their original meaning among all peoples without exception.
But for all the time of Christianity in Russia, the church tried to fill some folk traditions with new semantic content, and they by themselves gradually came into line with Christian norms. But the pagan tradition among the people, associated with the licentiousness of morals, fortune-telling and worship of the elements of nature, the church is trying to get rid of.
Gradually, the folk faith associated with the Kupala festivities turned into a circle of popular superstitions, rituals - into customs, in most cases serving as fun for rural youth.
Celebration rites
Midsummer's day is filled with rituals associated with water , by fire and herbs ... The main part of the Kupala rituals is performed at night, hence the name "Night on Ivan Kupala". According to the modern calendar - from 6 to 7 July.
According to the peasants' beliefs, it’s impossible to sleep on the Kupala night, the shortest night. all evil spirits come to life and become especially active: witches, werewolves, mermaids, sorcerers, brownies, water, goblin.
Water
Mass bathing on Ivan Kupala is an obligatory custom: on this day, all the evil spirits came out of the rivers, so until Ilyin's day it was possible to swim without fear. In addition, the water of Midsummer's Day was endowed with life-giving and magical properties.
According to popular belief, on this day he can "be friends" with fire, and their union is considered a natural force. And bonfires along the banks of the rivers are a symbol of such a connection. In addition, on the night of Ivan Kupala, fortune-telling was made with the help of wreaths lowered into the river: if the wreath floats, it promised happiness and long life or marriage.
Fire
Cleansing fires were one of the main symbols of the holiday. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever jumps more successfully and higher will be happier. It was believed that the Kupala bonfire possesses magical powers that can drive away all evil spirits, especially witches, who were especially dangerous on the Kupala night and could steal milk from cows or spoil bread in the fields.
In the old days, in some places, between the Kupala bonfires, they drove livestock to protect it from the pestilence, in which mothers burned shirts taken from sick children, so that diseases would burn out along with this linen.
In addition to bonfires, on the Kupala night, wheels and tar barrels were set on fire, which were then rolled down from the mountains or carried on poles. Young people and children, jumping over the fires, arranged noisy fun games and races, played with burners.
Herbs
Numerous customs of Ivan Kupala are associated with the flora.
Herbs and flowers, collected before dawn, were placed under Ivanov's dew, dried and preserved, because considered such herbs to be more healing. They fumigated the sick, fought against evil spirits, threw them into a flooded furnace during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike. In addition, they were used to kindle love or, conversely, to "suck".
One of the main symbols of Midsummer's Day was the Ivan da Marya flower, which symbolized the magical union of fire and water. Folk legends associate the origin of this flower with twins - brother and sister - who entered into a forbidden love relationship and because of this turned into a flower. This legend goes back to the ancient myth of twin incest and finds numerous parallels in Indo-European mythologies.
But the fern became the main hero of the plant world that day. According to legend, with a fern flower that appears for only a few moments at midnight on Midsummer's Day, you can see all the treasures, no matter how deep in the ground they are.
Folk beliefs and customs
* - On the Kupala night, witches become more dangerous, and therefore nettles should be placed on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attack. It is necessary to lock the horses so that the witches do not steal them and ride them to Bald Mountain: the horse will not return alive from there.
* - On Midsummer's night, 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 this night.
* - If you pick an ivan-da-marya flower that night and put it in the corners of the hut, the thief will not come to the house: the brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of the plant) will talk to each other, and the thief will think that the owner is talking with the mistress.
* - At midnight, you need to, without looking, pick flowers and put them under the pillow, and in the morning check if there are twelve different herbs. If you have enough, you will get married this year. A triputnik (plantain) is placed under the head, saying: "A tripwalker-companion, you live by the road, you see the small and the old, tell my betrothed!"
* - On Midsummer's night on ant heaps they collect oil in a vessel, which is considered a healing remedy against various ailments.
* - If you climb over the fences of twelve vegetable gardens on Midsummer's day, any wish will come true.
* - On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls put wreaths with lit splinters or candles on the river waves, weave wreaths of ivan-da-Marya, burdock, Bogorodsk grass and a bear's ear. If the wreath sinks immediately, it means that the betrothed has fallen out of love and will not marry him. Whoever has the wreath floats the longest, she will be happier than everyone, and whoever has the splinter burns longer, she will live a long, long life.
* - On Midsummer's night they jumped over the fire as a guarantee of health and good luck, the one who jumped gained good health and good luck for the current year. If a girl and a guy jumped over the fire without opening their hands, it was believed that they would soon get married, and their marriage would be happy. The ash from the fire was credited with a special power that brings light and warmth, cleansing from everything unkind.
Kupala bonfire, fire
Kupala bonfire (kupala) - a ritual fire, an indispensable component of the Kupala ritual, was the center of youth festivities on Midsummer's Eve. Bonfires were lit on the eve of the holiday, on the night of Ivan Kupala. They were laid out on the edge of the village, outside the settlement: on pastures, crossroads, near water bodies, on hills near fields.
In some places, the youth carried a pole with a torch burning at the top through the village, and then went out with it outside the settlement.
Each settlement organized its own bonfire, and sometimes several small bonfires. The most respected old people in the community were invited to light the fire, and they used the "living fire" obtained by friction for this. In a number of places, the old man could be replaced by a guy who differed from his peers in agility and daring.
For the Kupala fire, old rubbish was taken and brought from houses: unnecessary harrows, brooms, wheel rims, etc. The center of the fire was a tree with chopped off branches and a severed crown, or a pole, fortified in the ground. Then, like a New Year tree, wreaths, old brooms, flowers, old bast shoes were hung on it, and candles were attached to the top.
Festivities took place near the fires, which were sure to bring together young people and young couples who got married last winter. Swings were usually installed here, they had a common meal, danced in circles, sang songs and danced.
One of the important ritual actions of the merrymaking around the fire was jumping over the Kupala fire.
In a number of places it was customary to let burning wheels, wheel rims, and tar barrels down from hills and hills.
Celebration of Ivan Kupala in our time
The holiday of Ivan Kupala - the holiday of Fire, Water, Love
(song "Ederlezi" from the film "Time of the Gypsies" by Emir Kusturica, music by Goran Bregovich, translated by Valery). Duration 4:06
Slavic holiday in Saratov
The Koloslava Commonwealth held the Slavic holiday of Ivan Kupala on June 26, 2010 in Saratov. The song "How short the night is ..." is performed by the group "Kolokhod". Duration 3:05
Ivan Kupala Day is a Slavic folk holiday, known as the holiday of the summer solstice, the holiday of the Sun. Other names for the holiday are Midsummer's Day, Kupala, Yarilin's Day, Kolosok, Summer Solstice, Ivan the herbalist. This holiday is celebrated on July 7 (June 24, old style). In the calendar cycle, Ivan Kupala's day is symmetrical to Christmas (Kolyada).
The history of the holiday dates back to pre-Christian Russia. After the adoption of Christianity, Ivan Kupala was timed to coincide with the Orthodox holiday - the Day of John the Baptist (John the Baptist) - the prophet who predicted the appearance of Jesus Christ.
Of particular importance is not so much the holiday itself as the night before it. On this night, real miracles begin to happen. All the space around is permeated with magic and magic. On the night of Kupala, our ancestors forgot about sleep. They walked until dawn, had fun, swam, danced, sang songs. Traditionally, all the obligatory events on this day were associated with the elements of fire and water, as well as with nature and plants. It was allowed to guess, make wishes and even show signs of attention to the opposite sex.
What date is Midsummer's Day celebrated? The holiday of Ivan Kupala in 2018 falls on July 7. However, according to tradition, it is customary to celebrate it after sunset on 6 July until the evening of 7 July. The culmination of the holiday is the night of July 6-7. It is at night that the largest festivities take place and the Kupala rituals are performed.
But it was not always so. Initially, the holiday of Ivan Kupala was celebrated on the day of the summer solstice - June 21. Kupala night was at the same time the shortest night of the year. Later, with the establishment of Christianity, the celebration of Midsummer's Day was combined with the day of John the Baptist - June 24. And after the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the holiday of Ivan Kupala shifted to July 7 (that is, June 24 according to the old style).
The history of the holiday
It is believed that this holiday appeared at the junction of pagan and Christian cultures. Even before the baptism of Russia, the ancient Slavs had rituals closely related to the Kupala rituals known to us, for example, the ritual of ablution during the celebration of the summer solstice. Meanwhile, it is believed that the name of the holiday - Midsummer, Ivan Kupala - comes from the name of John the Baptist (John the Baptist), whose name is translated from Greek as "bather".
Nevertheless, the word "Kupala", according to most sources, comes from "bathing, ablution". However, some historians claim that Kupala is an ancient pagan deity - the god of fruits and wildflowers.
It was difficult to completely eradicate pagan customs and traditions after baptism in Russia. Therefore, the pagan holiday was combined with the Christian day of the prophet John the Baptist. At the same time, the ceremonies and rituals carried out on the night of Ivan Kupala are definitely of pagan origin.
The holiday of Ivan Kupala is successfully celebrated to this day - and not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. But in each country this holiday has its own name. In Belarus it is called Kupala, Lado, in Ukraine - Kupailo, Soncekres, in Latvia - Ligo, in Lithuania - Rasos and Jonines.
Traditions that they do for the holiday of Ivan Kupala
Night on Ivan Kupala is famous for its various rituals and mass festivities. This holiday allowed young people to escape from the traditional way of life, to have fun and make a good hooligan.
This night was considered special, filled with wonders and magic. Nature revived, water and fire were endowed with magical powers, plants acquired healing properties.
Kupala night is a good time for fortune telling. Mass bathing, round dances and dances around campfires, jumping over a bonfire, fortune telling on wreaths and much more were widespread. The wishes made on this night must be fulfilled.And most importantly, according to ancient legend, a fern blooms on the night of Ivan Kupala. Until now, many believe in this and are trying to find the cherished flower in the forest. According to legend, the one who finds it will acquire untold riches and all his desires will be fulfilled. In real life, the fern never blooms, as it reproduces by spores.
Bathing
Water in rivers and reservoirs on this day became special, acquired magical properties, could heal the human body from ailments.
Therefore, every person had to bathe before dawn. Bathing was both massive and single. The more often a person swam during the night, the better. If there was no opportunity to plunge into the reservoir, then they heated the bathhouse and steamed for a long time. Ritual bathing helped to cleanse from sins, bad thoughts, from the evil eye. Water acquired the ability to heal various diseases. Even dew possessed healing power on the night of Kupala. Girls usually washed their faces with it in order to preserve youth and beauty longer.
They bathed both in ordinary rivers and in holy springs.
It was believed that on this night the forces of water and fire unite, showing all the power of nature. Therefore, Kupala bonfires were kindled along the banks of rivers and lakes.
Jumping over the fire
The fire on the night of Ivan Kupala had cleansing properties. Round dances were performed around the fires, danced, and young boys and girls jumped over the fire. It was necessary to jump as high as possible so as not to touch the flame - this promised great happiness. The lovers jumped over the fire together so that their relationship was mutual and strong.
In such bonfires, they burned things that were carried by children during their illness. So, all the ailments burned in the fire, and the ailments no longer bother the children.
Livestock was brought between the fires to protect them from theft, illness or death.
According to legend, on that night, from all the hidden corners, evil spirits got out - brownies, water, mermaids, gobies, kikimors. In addition, witches became more active and began to do their dark deeds - to steal horses and cows, spoil crops in the fields. Kupala bonfires were designed to protect the people from evil spirits, witchcraft and witchcraft.
Kupala wreath
On the night of Ivan Kupala, the girls wove wreaths from a variety of herbs. Most often, wormwood was woven into the wreath, scaring away evil spirits. One wreath was special - his girlfriend weaved for her lover. This wreath had to be sure to be put on the head of the chosen one, and in the evening the wreath was lowered into the water.
Fortune telling with wreaths is another common Kupala tradition. Small candles or sprinkles were inserted into the wreaths and sent to sail on the water. After that, it was necessary to carefully observe the wreath.
If he began to quickly sail away from the coast, this meant that the fortuneteller's life would be long and happy, and the marriage would be successful.
If the wreath went under water, it promised the fortuneteller adversity. For a fortune-telling girl, this meant that she would not get married soon or that her husband would stop loving her.
The lucky ones were those whose wreath swam farther than the others. And the splinter on the wreath burned the longest among the centenarians.
Herbs and flower Ivan da Marya
The herbs collected on Ivan Kupala were considered healing and possessed magical powers. On this night, the herbs were collected and dried for the whole year. Amulets were made from plants for themselves and for the house. The herbs had to be harvested before sunrise, otherwise they would lose their magical power.
On the night of Kupala, the Ivan da Marya flower was collected. This plant had to be spread out in all corners of the hut so that no thief could get there. People believed that the robber would not be able to get into the house, because he would hear voices coming from there.
The main plant of this holiday was a flowering fern, which everyone tried to find in order to find unprecedented happiness, wealth and fulfillment of all desires. According to legend, the fern blooms exactly at midnight on Ivan Kupala and blooms for only a few seconds.
Kupala tree or kupala, kupailo, kupailitsa is one of the famous attributes of the celebration of Ivan Kupala. For its manufacture, they took a young birch, spruce, willow or maple. The tree was decorated with wreaths, flowers and ribbons. After that, the Kupala tree was carried outside the village or village and stuck it into the ground.
Round dances, danced, sang songs around the kupaila. Boys and girls staged a demonstrative fight for the kupaila: the guys deliberately tried to drag it off and set it on fire, and the girls defended the tree. At the end of the ceremony, the tree was drowned in the river or burned.
Signs and beliefs
It was believed that the night on Ivan Kupala was the only night of the year when animals and plants could talk to each other, and trees could move from one place to another.
It was impossible to go to bed that night. People believed that the holiday of Ivan Kupala was a revelry for all evil spirits and evil spirits. This evil spirits could spoil livestock, destroy crops or make a mess in the house.
On July 7, it was customary to prepare brooms for the bathhouse for the winter. Such brooms were considered the best and possessed healing powers.
To protect themselves from evil spirits and witch's evil, in the villages people laid out nettles on the doorstep of the house and under the windows.It was believed that on Midsummer's Day, witches could steal a horse to go to the Sabbath. Therefore, horses were always securely locked on Kupala night.
Fortune-telling and making wishes on the night of Ivan Kupala
It was customary to put a bouquet of fern and thistle collected on the Kupala night under the pillow in order to see the betrothed in a dream.
At midnight on Ivan Kupala, a girl of marriageable age asked the name of the first male person she met. Whatever name he calls, so they will call her husband.
To tell fortunes on their beloved, the girls threw two flowers without stems into a dish of water. If the flowers have dispersed in different directions, then the lovers are not destined to be together. If the flowers "nestled" to each other - the girl and the guy will have a strong happy union.Young girls tore off fern leaves and tied one thread of different colors to each leaf. Each thread personified the image of a young man who was suitable for a girl as a groom. All leaves were collected and lowered under water on a river or lake. Then the girl pulled her hand sharply. Which leaf came up first - that one pointed to her betrothed.
Looking at the horse, one had to make a wish and watch it closely. If the horse hits with the left hoof, then the wish will come true, if with the right, the wish will come true, but not immediately. If the horse whinnies - this is fortunate, if he lowers his head - to chagrin in matters of the heart.
Ivan Kupala Day is a special holiday with a long history. Fortunately, it has not lost its relevance at all. To this day, people celebrate this holiday and follow the Kupala customs and traditions.