What does Ivan Kupala look like? Ivan Kupala holiday

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; some call this holiday “Ivanov Kupala”, “Feast of Ivan Kupala” or simply “Kupala Night”. In the understanding of the common man, you just need to swim more on such a night. This is all that remains in the ancestral memory.

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

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

From year to year, for 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 are looking for Fern flower, is going to seriously turn to God Kupala.

When saying “Kupalo Day”, they do not mean 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, so everyone is happy to celebrate it. If they say “Kupalo night,” they mean the night time itself, which is the shortest of the year. In this dark time, the Summer Sun is just coming, emerging, 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 2019 Kupala Night - from 21 to 22 June, and the new day June 22 is already the first day under the rule of Kupala - the God of the summer Sun. The mass public festival is held for three days; nowadays it can be timed to coincide with the weekend.

The night before Ivan Kupala holiday

Our ancestors considered the night before Kupala night to be “terrible.” This is reflected in Gogol’s work “The Night on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”. It is no coincidence that the day before was sometimes called Witch's day. As the collector stated folk proverbs and V. Dahl will accept, on this day all the witches flocked to the Sabbath on Bald Mountain, committing many pranks and atrocities. According to other myths, it is on this night that the Skipper-Snake, the messenger of Chaos, penetrates Reality. Girls remember Kupala songs, boys 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 its entirety dark power. On the day before the bright Slavic holiday Kupala, on the day of the heyday of the Sun, the summer solstice, the summer solstice, the Russian dark army, the monstrous creation of Navi, rises on Earth, led by the Skipper-Snake, greedy for human souls.

It’s not dust that’s being sprayed into the field,

It is not fogs that rise from the sea,

That's from the eastern land, from the high mountains

A herd of animals ran out,

That the herd of animals is a snake.

The fierce Skipper-Beast was running ahead!

(“Vedas of Perun”)

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

Other evidence of folk observations - these days, when the Skipper-Snake is approaching with his army, hordes of mice are often seen, clouds of crows fly in. Memory preserves observations of ghosts, heavenly signs of death and troubles. It was believed that if you bow your ear to the ground on this day, you can hear Mother Earth moaning.

The day before Kupala night

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

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

During the day - prepared healing herbs yes brooms. Slavic girls-women went into the forest after lunch, preparing young birch brooms with songs. A broom collected on this day is magical. Not only does it give you special powers when you steam it in a bathhouse, but you can use it to treat a calving cow - and both the calf and the owners will have enough milk. You can tell fortunes. Throw it on the roof of the bathhouse: if the broom falls with its tip towards the thrower, life will be red and cheerful!

We prepared magical herbs for the whole year! Be sure to prepare herbs for the evening bath on this day. We collected special brooms "radiant herbs"-thyme and thyme, fern, fireweed, buttercup, mint, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, celandine, chamomile and wormwood. Many say that for this Slavic holiday, radiant herbs come into force, and fierce herbs still gather strength in their roots. " Radiant herbs– certainly healing, pure herbs.

"Fierce" herbs- those that contain poison, medicine, and witchcraft. Most “fierce” herbs are not always dangerous, but only at certain moments. So on this day, the poison of the “fierce herbs” remained in the roots - “column”, “ash”, “vekh”, “hemlock”, “datura” and “henbane”.

While the girls were playing with flowers and herbs for fortune telling, adult women were collecting Bogorodsk herb thyme for the household. It lies until the holiday of Yarilo, and on this day they burn this Kupala grass on an iron plate and make a round. And on the new Kupalo, new grass is collected.

More it is important on this day - to whisper conspiracies, to teach knowledge.

The great day has a sacred meaning - it is the peak of summer, the day opposite the winter Solstice. The day when the planets and the Sun rise in a way they have never done before throughout the year. This is day and night, when the boundaries between worlds, between the real and the magical, are erased, everything around - Nature, people, Gods - are united in a great song glorifying this land.

Just like before Kolyada, in this time is anyone's guess and guess make and receive wishes fulfilled.

Nauz, this well-known method of white magic of the Slavs, protects, heals, consolidates what is planned, bewitches, helps overcome obstacles, stops evil spirits, establishes a magical connection at a distance and maintains spiritual strength. That's how much useful properties at nauz in general, and at nauz with Kupala grass in particular! Magic powers has a knot tied with grass collected on this day! The power of summer witchcraft and the magic of the ancient Slavs rages in it all year round!

Girls used to love to tell fortunes about rich women. Bogatynki, bagavochki, puffs - that’s what these dandelion flowers were called. Should I have picked the flowers that had not yet bloomed and put them in Churam’s corner for the night, then see what happened to them? It will bloom, it will not wither - that dear person will live and prosper. Telling fortunes for the groom is the sweetest thing! Cover the flower under your pillow and wait until morning, you’ll find out everything. If the flower blooms, you will get married this year!

The safest thing to do is to collect twelve different flowers, put them under the pillow - that’s what the betrothed-mummer will see in a dream:

Eleven flowers

The twelfth is the ear,

With whom would you see in a dream,

With that, we would be married forever.

And you can also worry in advance, curl a wreath on a birch tree or from rye ears in the field, and on the eve of the Solstice run to see whose braid will unravel? If it unravels, you’ll get married this year!

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

This is how preparations for the Slavic holiday Kupalo were carried out, carefully and slowly. And this day needs to end with another Slavic holiday!

Put yours on best jewelry and go smile at the guys and look for a fern flower together with the cutest of them! Ancient Slavic begins holiday of Kupala night!

On Kupala night

The fire of the Kupala bonfire, the wind that picks up maiden wreaths, clean water, the gift of the earth - the color of ferns - all the elements were called upon by the Slavs so that the best, brightest feelings would lift everyone up 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. The best rituals Kupala holiday associated with fortune telling by the water and the Kupala bonfire. Even ordinary people, during the shortest night, burned fires on the banks of rivers, bathed in the night dew and morning river water, danced around a tree and immersed it in water, looked for healing and magical herbs, for example, a fern flower (like Gogol’s story), and protected themselves from evil, from aliens from the world of spirits.

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

Pranks in Slavic holiday Solstice was a legal matter. For example, boys and girls doused each other with water, ran through the forest, and played pranks on the street with their neighbors. The youth kept quiet and played pranks. They covered the chimneys with glass or tubs, secured doors from the outside, carried woodpiles, laid firewood on the road, or rolled out carts.

No one sleeps on this magical night of the Slavic holiday of Solstice. The young people are running around until the morning, it’s light, the cuckoo is already crowing, everything is numb!

Two powerful elements converge this night to give birth to the miracle of Love. Fire will cleanse, water will wash, if you do everything right. It’s joyful and fun to celebrate the Sun with Kupala lights! Having collected nettles, rose hips, and all sorts of burning plants, they covered the prepared piles of dry twigs and brushwood. Having waited until the sun disappeared behind the edge of the sky and the evening dawn began to fade, they kindled a living fire, made by hand, to the glory of the Solstice. A round hole was cut in a dry birch board and a log was driven into the hole. The fire was wiped out by friction.

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

Quiet, despite the crowd of people. People stand silently. In the already dark silence, only the rustling of dry wood, the whispering of quiet incantations and the sighs of old women can be heard.

Now it started smoking, now it blazed. The girl carefully brings a torch to the fire. The God King has appeared! Descended to earth! The great gift of the life-giving God caught fire! The old people are brought water with which they douse themselves. Screams, joy, fun.

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

And if you jump over the Kupala bonfire without opening your arms, you’ll definitely be having a wedding party in the fall!

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

Of course, you can’t do without looking for a fern flower either! It doesn’t matter that the magic lights in the forest are lit by fireflies, who are also somehow excitingly awake that night.

The fun doesn't stop until the morning. And at dawn, when the forest is completely free of unclean spirits, they disperse through the copses and ravines. Children conceived on Kupala night will be healthy, beautiful and have the gift of witchcraft. And this Slavic holiday of the Solstice ends quietly, overshadowing the lovers with scarlet flowers and ripe ears.

The morning after Kupala night

And in the morning dew, they collected medicinal herbs for the whole year. They believed that all herbs would tell with a voice what disease they were curing, and in order to pick them, you need to draw a circle around yourself with a “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 gain extensive knowledge about the properties of medicinal plants.

This is an ancient pagan rite. It falls in the middle of summer - July 7th. In Rus' that night they swam in lakes and rivers, jumped over fires, collected medicinal herbs, wove wreaths, told fortunes... Almost nothing has changed since then.

How did the holiday of Ivan Kupala appear?

Paganism

All holidays of the ancient Slavs were oriented towards the sun: two days of the solstices and two were at that time the starting points for all kinds of agricultural activities. The fact is that even before the baptism of Rus', the day was called Solstice (or Kupalo), which meant the “turn” of the sun to decline. But what does Kupalo mean? More on this later.

The Legend of Kupalo

The legend of this holiday has some erotic overtones. The fact is that Kupalo was separated from his sister. He subsequently married her, knowing nothing about their relationship. It all ended tragically. They committed suicide: they drowned themselves in the lake.

Solstice Festival

It was a holiday of summer and green fields. The Slavs girded themselves with green vegetation (flower bands, herbs), put herbal and flower wreaths on their heads, twirled in round dances and sang songs. It was customary to make a fire, in the middle of which to attach a pole with a flaming wheel - Since it was pagan holiday, then it was performed in honor of the Sun God. Interestingly, in honor of the incestuous legend about brother and sister, homosexual games were also allowed among pagans on this day.

Feast of John the Baptist

When Christianity was adopted in Rus', this holiday was timed to coincide with the birthday of the person who baptized Jesus on John the Baptist, who was born on July 7. Since then, the holidays of Ivan Kupala and John the Baptist have been united as associated with water. The date of celebration no longer coincides with the astronomical solstice, that is, it does not fluctuate. That is why today every schoolchild knows what date the Ivan Kupala holiday is.

Rituals and traditions performed on the eve of the holiday

On the shortest summer night of the holiday, rituals associated with fire, herbs and, of course, water are held. There is an opinion that the holiday of Ivan Kupala is also the holiday of all witches! That is why it is not recommended to sleep on Kupala night, since all evil spirits (witches, mermaids, goblin, mermen) come to life.

From the Carpathians to the north of Rus' this mysterious, mystical and rather riotous holiday was celebrated! It is still believed that on the mysterious Kupala night, trees come to life and move from place to place, talking to each other with the rustling of their leaves... On this night, the grasses are filled with special miraculous power!

Nowadays

Today this holiday has a special cultural character. For example, in Moscow, the Ivan Kupala holiday 2013 took place at the Guslitsa art residence, where theaters performed, concerts and exhibitions took place, and rare films were shown. And, of course, there were traditional games, round dances, and jumping over the fire.

The Slavic holiday Ivan Kupala is an ancient tradition of the Western and Eastern Slavs, which has not been forgotten to this day. The holiday is celebrated in almost all countries of modern Europe. In some of them it is not only religious, but also national. It was originally part of pagan rituals of cleansing and washing, and later received its name in honor of John the Baptist. His name means "bathman" in Greek.

It is interesting that many of the customs of this holiday known to us originally came from the pagans. According to the old style of the calendar, it was celebrated on June 24, and now on July 7.

Ivan Kupala holiday: history of origin

Pagans always celebrated Ivan Kupala, because they believed that it was on this day that, thanks to ablution, the body could be rid of diseases. The celebration itself was dedicated to the Sun God and the deity Kupala, who was also worshiped at that time.

Before Christianity was adopted in Rus', the holiday of Kupala was celebrated on the day of the summer solstice (June 22). But after this day was dedicated to John the Baptist, the celebration was moved to June 24, and many peasants began to call it Ivan's Day.

We celebrate Ivan Kupala on July 7, which is due to the transition to the Gregorian calendar. That is why we can say that the primary meaning of the holiday has been almost completely lost, because it no longer falls on the summer solstice. Although in some European countries Ivan Kupala is celebrated precisely from June 20 to June 24.

The mystical holiday of Ivan Kupala is considered best time for fortune telling and beliefs, it is at this time that herbalists collect medicinal plants for treatment various diseases. There is a legend that the herbs collected on this night have miraculous properties and with their help you can cure even the most serious illness.

In many villages to this day the holiday is called “cheerful”, “loving”, “clean”, because there are many signs and traditions that are obligatory on this evening. It is already known that the celebration itself is dedicated to the pagan deity Kupala, in whose honor they jumped over the fire, sang songs and performed various rituals.

Traditions of Ivan Kupala: pagan and modern

On the day of Ivan Kupala, all people wove wreaths and capes from flowers, danced in circles, sang funny songs and burned bonfires. Of course, each ritual had its own secret meaning and was carried out for a specific purpose. A burning wheel mounted on a pole in the middle of the fire symbolized the sun and fertility.

During the day, unmarried girls wove various wreaths of wild flowers to release them on the water in the evening. To this day, many believe that a wreath floating on the water will show where he lives future husband. The sinking wreath symbolized that the betrothed no longer loved the girl and would marry another.

It was also previously customary to pour water on everyone you met to help cleanse his soul. It was believed that the more often you wash on this day, the easier it will be to get rid of all sins. Of course, now this tradition has been preserved only in some villages, so not everyone will accept such an action with understanding.

On this night, everyone sought to cleanse their body from diseases and their soul from sins. To do this, people not only poured water on each other, they often bathed and danced in circles. An equally important part of the celebration was the lighting of bonfires. They believed that by jumping over a fire you could get rid of any disease. Therefore, young and old, mothers with children in their arms, as well as all those who wanted to become happier and luckier, jumped over the fires.

The night of Ivan Kupala is the time when all evil spirits came to life. No one slept until morning to protect themselves from the spell. The owners also carefully looked after their horses, since there was a belief that on Kupala night witches would steal them for a trip to Bald Mountain.

Modern holiday Ivan Kupala

To this day, many of us continue the tradition of celebrating Ivan Kupala. Most customs have remained unchanged since the times of the pagans. People still dance in circles, jump over fires and collect herbs to treat serious illnesses. Of course, for most, this is an opportunity to have fun and enjoy communication. Although the girls continue to guess and float flower crowns in the hope of quickly finding out who will become her betrothed.

Ivan Kupala can be a great occasion to get the whole family together and have fun together, but everyone decides for themselves whether to celebrate it or not.

At the height of summer, Belarus celebrates Kupala, one of the oldest folk holidays dedicated to the sun and the flowering of the earth.

Summer Solstice Holidays Many peoples of Europe have it: Jan’s Day in Bulgaria, Saint John in Hungary, San Juan in Spain, Ligo in Latvia... The Eastern Slavs have it Ivan Kupala, but, perhaps, exactly in Belarus most fully preserved Kupala traditions, which is celebrated on a special scale.

Folklorists and historians are unanimous in their opinion: it was the Belarusians who preserved Kupala in its most archaic form - that is, the celebration of Ivan Kupala on the Belarusian lands is most similar to how our distant ancestors celebrated this day.

Kupala was also simply called Ivanam or Ioan - it was always a ritual celebration dedicated to the highest flowering of the forces of nature and the growth of a new harvest. Later, after Christianity came to our lands, Ivan Kupala was “united” with the Nativity of John the Baptist - so this day began to be celebrated on July 7, although many still prefer to celebrate on the night of June 23-24.

It is considered one of the most ancient holidays and has pagan roots. It is believed that its celebration was associated with the summer solstice. Our ancestors associated the holiday of Kupala with the cult of the sun. And the word itself - "baptized"- denoted a being hot, angry, furious, seething with anger. In those days, all these definitions referred to the sun. On Kupala night people thanked Fire, Water and Earth. On this day, according to legend, there was purification by fire and water.

Pagan beliefs after the adoption of Christianity were closely intertwined with Christian ones. On this day they began to honor John the Baptist. It was believed that it was on the day of the summer solstice that John the Baptist was born. In addition, people noticed the consonance of the words “bathe” and “bathe”, “immerse in water,” but baptism took place with the help of water, so they easily accepted the church version of the holiday.

Probably, no other holiday is associated with so many romantic and fascinating legends and traditions. People believed that only on Kupala night the rivers are filled with a special light, because the souls of the dead bathe in them. These souls - mermaids that wake up once a year from a long sleep.

According to folk legends, on Kupala night the doors open to all kinds of evil spirits: witches and sorcerers walk the earth, spirits do not know peace from a large number of worries - they need to take milk from cows and harm crops. Everything starts to move: trees move, animals talk to each other. And even the sun cannot stand still - it “plays”. Some claim to have seen the sun “playing.” It is divided into countless multi-colored circles that move, creating an amazing play of light.

When is Kupala celebrated?

In rituals Belarusian Kupala Ancient pagan and later Christian traditions were closely intertwined. And today, according to the Orthodox calendar, the holiday is celebrated on the night of July 6-7, according to Catholic - June 24.

Kupala "miracles", traditions and rituals

There are many amazing things associated with legends and traditions. The people believed that on this night the rivers glow with a special ghostly light, and in their waters the souls of the dead bathe in the form mermaids. They walk on the ground witches, wizards and spirits who seek to harm a person, plants and animals talk, A the sun plays at dawn.

The Kupala ritual includes collecting herbs and flowers for wreaths in the evening, as well as preparing a large fire. In addition, they usually choose Kupalinka and Kupalezha- a kind of “king and queen” of the Ivan Kupala holiday.

Already at night on Ivan Kupala, it is customary to light a fire, dance around it, dance by the fire and sing ritual songs. Of course, Kupala is inextricably linked with fortune telling: many people know fortune telling using a wreath, which must be thrown into the river.

You can see these wonders and understand the language of animals and birds with the help of fern flower, according to legend, blooms just for a moment once a year. He gave supernatural ability see the future and find hidden treasures of the world, but only a very brave person could get it. Search "paparats-kvetki"- one of the most mysterious rituals of the Kupala night, It was believed that an inflorescence found in the forest would bring great happiness and good luck.

In addition, the happy owner of a wonderful flower could see all the treasures on earth. According to legend, only very brave people found the fern flower. To do this, it was necessary to go into a deep thicket before sunset, where the crow of a rooster does not penetrate. Then choose a place where there are a lot of ferns, light a loud candle and wait until midnight until the flower blooms. The evil spirits will try to scare the daredevil and force him to leave.

Kupala flower- not the only plant that our ancestors worshiped. They believed that on this day all plants have incredible healing powers. Therefore, during the day, women and girls went to the meadow or field to collect flowers and herbs, which were blessed in the church. These plants were then treated throughout the year.

Not a single Kupala night was complete without a fire - purification by fire was the most important ritual of Kupala. The boys were always involved in preparing the fire: they collected old and unnecessary things from all over the village, and piled them on the river bank. A mandatory attribute was a lit wheel, which was raised up on a pole. It symbolized the sun.

Not coming to the Kupala bonfire was considered a sin. It was unfolding here wide party : a ritual dinner was being prepared, round dances were held. Young people jumped in pairs over the fire. There was a belief that if during this jump the hands of the young couple do not separate, there will be a wedding, but if they separate, they will not be together.

There was another belief related to fire: it was believed that if you throw the shirt of a sick child into the fire, then all diseases will burn along with the clothes. They threw everything old and unnecessary into the fire, and at the same time asked for new bread, flax, and fertility for domestic animals.

Another ritual was also important - cleansing with water. People believed that water on Kupala night had the same cleansing power as fire. Therefore, everyone tried to swim that night. In addition, young girls told fortunes about their betrothed on the river bank. They floated their wreaths into the water and watched. If the wreath drowns, then the girl will not get married, and her betrothed has stopped loving her. If the wreath floats very far, then such a girl is destined for a lot of happiness. Sometimes girls wove two wreaths - for themselves and for the groom. If they were united in the water, it was a wedding; if they swam in different directions, then the young people went in different directions.

In the morning after Kupala everything swayed in the dew. It was believed that this dew would give strength and health for the whole year. They also washed themselves with Kupala dew, which protected against skin diseases and headaches.

Kupala has always been one of the most fun and riotous holidays. According to tradition, the whole village had to celebrate, since such unity during the performance of rituals guaranteed the well-being of each resident. Sleeping on Kupala night was considered a terrible sin.

At Kupala, Belarusians performed many more symbolic rituals:

collection medicinal herbs and flowers, acquiring special power on this night;

ritual purification by fire(people jumped over the Kupala fire, the “sun” wheel, the clothes of the sick, old things were burned in it);

fortune telling(the girls floated Kupala wreaths across the water);

ritual dinner;

rituals for protecting houses and fields from evil spirits;

petition rich harvest and prosperity;

ritual songs and round dances, noisy funny Games;

ritual cleansing with water at dawn, washing with dew.

Since ancient times in Kupala all residents participated villages from small to large, because only the universal performance of rituals ensured well-being.

Ivan Kupala: fortune telling for the holiday

The most common fortune telling in Kupala - with wreath, collected from wild plants and flowers on this day. For example, you can tell fortunes about the fulfillment of a wish - for this you need to do it at sunset put the wreath in the water and watch him. If the wreath floats far away, the wish will come true, but if it floats to the shore, it means it will not come true.

In a similar way, you can tell fortunes about Ivan Kupala and for love. So, if the wreath immediately sinks in the water, it means that your lover will not be with you, or even worse, he will deceive or cheat. If the wreath unravels in the water or washes up on the shore, it means you won’t get married this year. But a wreath floating far away on Kupala means an imminent wedding.

In the old days, dreams on Ivan Kupala were also considered prophetic, and in addition to fortune telling with a wreath, many practiced fortune telling on wax, a piece of paper, and others.

Kupala today

Every year with the onset of the longest summer days and short nights in Belarus– on the banks of rivers and lakes – celebrate Kupala. Today, these festivities combine ancient traditions and rituals, theatrical concerts and fun games.

See Kupala possible in a variety of places in Belarus, but there are also the most famous, mass celebrations.

The largest holiday "Kupala" - "Alexandria gathers friends"– passes into Shklovsky districtMogilev region. Over the course of several years, it has become a real brand of the country: numerous guests come here not only from Belarus, but also from Russia, Ukraine, and other countries of the world.

Holiday "Kupala" originates in the agricultural town of Alexandria since 2011. All Kupala events take place on the river bank Dnieper, the bed of which served as the cradle of culture for many Slavic peoples, and the water artery was once an integral part of the large trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” Since ancient times, the Dnieper connected Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians; it remains the most important communication axis today. This promotes mutually beneficial trade, economic and socio-cultural cooperation of the Dnieper regions of the Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine, expanding interregional integration ties.

The holiday is based on the idea of ​​showing the development of Kupala traditions in global space and time, as well as cultural exchange between different states in the field of national identity of the participating countries. Thanks to this, the geography of the holiday is constantly expanding.

Everyone's favorite summer folk holiday Ivan Kupala takes its origins from paganism. It is believed that we owe the origin of the Ivan Kupala holiday to the Eastern and Western Slavs. According to the ancient tradition, as in our days, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated by almost all of Europe, including Russia (in Old Russian: Kolosok, Kres, Kupala), Belarus (Kupala, Ivan Vedmatsky, Ivan Koldunsky, the Holiday of the Sun and Love), Ukraine (Solntsekres , First mowing, Bartholomew and Varvara, Ivan the herbalist), the Baltics (Dew Festival - lit., Jan's Day, Voditsa Day, Spirits Day - Bulgarian), etc., even despite the fact that the holiday comes from paganism. Although currently in many countries the holiday of Ivan Kupala is church holiday, and nationwide. In the old days, even before the advent of Christianity, people associated the holiday of Ivan Kupala with the summer solstice, which, according to the old calendar style, fell on June 20-21. With the adoption of Christianity, people did not reject the holiday of Ivan Kupala, but, on the contrary, timed this day to coincide with the day of John the Baptist, which according to the old style falls on June 24. But according to the new calendar style, the day of John the Baptist falls on July 7th. Having undergone changes over the years, the holiday of Ivan Kupala has lost its true astronomical time, which originally falls on the summer solstice. The very origin of the Ivan Kupala holiday is still unknown; it is known that the holiday has a folk origin. Presumably, Ivan Kupala originated from pagan rituals of cleansing, washing, which took place in rivers and lakes on the day of the summer solstice. Later, with the advent of Christianity, the celebration of Ivan Kupala was symbolized with the day of John the Baptist (translated from Greek as immerser, bather) -.

Rituals for the holiday of Ivan Kupala

On the night of Ivan Kupala, in the old days people performed many different ceremonies and rituals. Kupala night to this day is one of the most “strong” nights, which is filled with healing and magical properties. The main forces on this night are: water, fire and herbs. Also on the night of Ivan Kupala, fortune telling with wreaths was common.

Ivan Kupala rituals related to water

In the old days, people believed that starting from the day of Ivan Kupala, until the day of Ilyin, all evil spirits left the waters of lakes, rivers and reservoirs, so swimming was allowed during this period of time. The most important custom on Kupala night is mandatory swimming in the water. In addition, on this night it was water that was considered healing and had magical powers that helped to cleanse oneself of all evil, heal and gain good health. If there was no open reservoir near the village, then people built baths, in which they steamed heartily and washed off evil spirits, and used Kupala brooms until the next day of Ivan Kupala. Also very popular in ancient times was bathing in holy springs on the night of Ivan Kupala. According to popular belief, it was at this time that water entered into a sacred union with fire, and this was considered a huge natural force, symbolized by the Kupala bonfires, which to this day are kindled along the banks of lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Ivan Kupala rituals associated with fire

Fire on Kupala night, like water, also has great magical power. A fire lit on the night of Ivan Kupala has a cleansing property, and it is fire that has these magical powers. According to ancient tradition, bonfires were made on the banks of rivers and lakes, and the bonfires should not be small. People danced in circles, danced, and of course, the favorite pastime of young boys and girls on Kupala night was jumping over the fire of the fire. It was believed that whoever jumps higher and does not touch the flame will be happy. When the youth finished their festivities with bonfires, older generation conducted her livestock between the Kupala fires so that they would not suffer death and illness. Mothers burned underwear, shirts and clothes that were taken from sick children in bonfires so that illnesses would no longer bother the child. According to the beliefs of ancient people, one could not sleep on Kupala night, since it was on this night that all evil spirits come out of their “dark” places (werewolves, mermen, etc.). The most active on this night are the witches, who could steal milk from a cow and ruin the harvest in the fields. And only the Kupala bonfires that night could protect people from all evil spirits. It was also very popular to set fire to wooden wheels or tar barrels, which were subsequently rolled down the mountain or carried on long poles, symbolizing the solstice.

Rituals for Ivan Kupala associated with herbs

There are many rituals associated with collecting herbs and flowers on Ivan Kupala; it is on this night that the herbs and flowers are filled with magic, i.e. healing and healing power. Only herbs and flowers collected before dawn on Bathing Night can have magical powers. Herbs and flowers collected on Midsummer's Day were placed under Bathing dew, then dried and stored until necessary. Such dried herbs were used to fumigate rooms and sick people, helped fight evil spirits, were used in various magical rituals and simply household needs. But the main flower on Ivan Kupala was and remains to this day the Fern. According to legend, treasures were associated with this flower, which could be seen if on the night of Ivan Kupala a person could find a fern flower, which blooms for only a short time on Bathing Night.

One of the most common was and will remain fortune telling with the help of wreaths that curled from burdock, bear's ear, Bogorodsk grass or Ivan da Marya. Lighted small splinters or candles were inserted into woven wreaths of herbs, after which the wreaths were lowered into the water. Everyone carefully watches their wreath:

• if the wreath began to quickly float away from the shore, then this meant a happy and long life, or a good marriage;
• if the wreath floated further than others, then this meant that that person would be happier than others;
• if a candle or a splinter in a wreath burns out longer than others, it meant that the person will live a very long life;
• if the wreath sank, it meant that the girl would not get married this year, or the betrothed would stop loving her.

Popular beliefs on Ivan Kupala

On Bathing Night, witches became very active, and therefore caused a lot of harm to people, livestock, and crops in the fields. On the night of Midsummer, people protected themselves from witch attacks with nettles, which were laid out on the threshold of the house and on the windowsills.

Horses were especially vulnerable that night; the witches hunted for them in order to ride them to Bald Mountain, but to which the horses never returned alive. People always locked up their horses on Kupala night.

On Bathing Night, people looked for anthills and collected ant oil, which, according to legend, was endowed with great healing properties on this night.

The Ivan-da-Marya flowers, picked at night, had to be placed in all corners of the hut; it was believed that a thief would never break in, as he would hear voices in the house. According to legend, the Ivan da Marya flower is a brother and sister who fell in love with themselves and were punished for it and turned into a flower. Brother and sister will talk, and this will scare away the thieves.

On the night of Ivan Kupala, it is believed that trees can move from one place to another and talk to each other through the rustling of leaves. This also applied to grass and flowers. Even animals, according to legend, talk to each other on this night.