Day of Ivan Kupala: traditions of celebration among the Slavic peoples

The day of Ivan Kupala is one of the most beloved Christian-Slavic holidays. On the eve, on the night before the day of Ivanov, there were festivities with many rituals, ritual actions and games.

What date is Ivan Kupala's Day celebrated, and where did this name come from? Earlier, in pre-Christian times, the holiday was arranged on the day of the summer solstice - June 22nd, and had a different name. Belarusians, for example, called it Sobotkov. Then, with the advent of Christianity, it began to be celebrated on the birthday of John the Baptist, 22.06 according to the old style. In connection with the refusal of the transition of the Russian Orthodox Church to a new style, this date was transferred to July 7, thus losing its astronomical significance.

And on what day of Ivan Kupala the celebration takes place in other countries? Previously, on this date, the holiday was arranged almost throughout Europe. Today the tradition has been preserved in Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, where it also takes place on July 7. But the Finns, for example, the day of Ivan Kupala celebrated on June 22, as our ancestors.

Where did the name come from, it's not hard to guess, if you remember how John the Forerunner baptized people. He dipped them three times in the waters of the Jordan River. "Bathed", in other words. There is another version that there was such a Slavic god Kupala, but she has no confirmation, because until the XVII century there were no references to him. In addition, the name reflects one of the main rituals associated with this holiday - bathing in the pond and dew.

So how was this day celebrated-Ivan Kupala? The central place in the rituals was given to water, fire and plants: flowers, grasses, berries, trees.

It began all the evening of the previous day. Before sunset, peasants bathed in a nearby pond (river, lake, pond) or in a bath, if the water temperature was too low. Then they girded with herbs, and wreaths were woven with flowers and roots, after which, before the sunset, on the banks of the rivers, huge bonfires were bred. The details of the festivities differed from country to country, but the general outline remained the same. In addition, everywhere before this day, it was forbidden to swim and eat cherries.

Girls and boys, holding hands, jumped through the fire. If, at the same time, their hands remained fastened, and even after the sparks from the fire, there was no doubt that the couple would live happily ever after. Jumping over a fire with a "strange" guy or girl was equated with treason.

There were many more rituals held on the Day of Ivan Kupala. Among them - the search for a flower fern, which, according to legend, blooms only one night a year. Those who find it, learn to see all the underground treasures, understand the language of animals and birds and discover the locks of any treasuries of the world.

On this unusual night, the herbs were collected, allowed to sprinkle with dew, then dried and used for a year for healing and magical purposes. In the morning dew they tried to "swim" themselves, they collected it and then used it to guard against evil forces.

As for the evil spirit, this night it was especially strong (our ancestors thought so). Therefore, they arranged "bathers' riots": stealing from neighbors from their yards different utensils, carts, barrels, then dragged on the road or piled on the roof, something was stoked, something was burned. Initially, this was done in "protective" purposes, in order to protect themselves from impure forces, to deceive them and knock them off the trail, then they no longer remembered this meaning, but simply "made kings" in their own pleasure.

After the dawn came, the festivities ended in round dance around the bathing tree and its subsequent burning. After sunrise, observed with great attention, because there was a belief that it "plays" in the days of Ivan: changes its location, color. To see this could only be a true righteous person or someone who is facing an imminent death or some epoch-making event in life.