People have long attached special importance to this holiday, and considered it mystical - filled with magic magic. What is the peculiarity of Ivan's Day (this is another name for the holiday of Ivan Kupala)? So, in this article we invite you to familiarize yourself with the history, traditions, customs, rituals, fortune-telling and signs of this holiday.
The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala
Ivan Kupala Day is originally a pagan holiday dedicated to the Sun and the Slavic deity Kupala. Even before the adoption of Christianity by Russia, this holiday was celebrated on June 22, the day of the summer solstice. However, already in Christian Russia, the holiday was timed to coincide with the birthday of John the Baptist, and now it was celebrated on June 24. In many villages, the holiday of Ivan Kupala began to be called Ivanov's Day.
After the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, the day of Ivan Kupala moved even further and to this day it is celebrated on July 7. Therefore, as we can see, the initial meaning of the holiday has already lost all meaning, since it no longer falls on the day of the summer solstice. However, in a number of European countries, Ivan Kupala Day is still celebrated from June 20 to 24.
Traditions on Ivan Kupala
Midsummer's Day, as it was also called in the old days, is quite rich in traditions, ceremonies and rituals. It should be noted, despite the specificity of customs, many of them can be found today.
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Special attention on this holiday was devoted to the forces of nature. So, the Sun was the symbol of Ivan Kupala. According to the peasants, this is the period of the highest level of activity of the Sun, after which it moved towards winter. After the adoption of Christianity by Russia, the sun began to symbolize John, and the holiday acquired its second name - Midsummer's Day.
From the very early morning, all the people could be found on the rivers and lakes. It was believed that this cleanses a person both physically, driving away all diseases, and spiritually. Those who did not have water bodies in the vicinity went to the bathhouse. However, not everyone was in a hurry to swim that day. After all, part of the people believed that there is a huge amount of evil spirits in the reservoirs, which can destroy.
The fire also had a special magic on this day, so the whole village lit bonfires and jumped over it. Be sure to make a fire near water bodies. It was believed that they have magical powers that can cleanse and give luck for the whole year. Therefore, there was a belief that the one who jumps over and does not touch the flame all year long will be lucky and, perhaps, can find real happiness. The tradition of jumping over the fire has survived to this day, today you can also find villages where this tradition is observed on this day.
Since nature on this day possessed special power and magic, many women tried to preserve this magical piece in case of illness or disaster. Therefore, after bathing, everyone went to get herbs. Some collected them for fortune telling, others for rituals, some in order to subsequently heal themselves and loved ones with these herbs. The fern was of particular importance on this holiday. It was believed that if you meet a fern flower, then this is a good sign, such a person has special kindness and with him you can find any treasure. The peculiarity of this plant was believed to be that it blooms for a few seconds that night, and then disappears, so it is not so easy to find it.
Long before the holiday, the whole village elected a so-called sergeant who was involved in the celebration. His main task was to prepare for the holiday and spend it. Of course, he had to know all the traditions and customs. On this day they sang songs, pronounced spells.
While the women were gathering herbs, the men had to cut down a tree, which was supposed to be about one and a half or two times the height of the average person. Then it is installed where it is agreed to hold the festivities. When the tree was in place, the girls decorated it with flowers and ribbons. The people called such a tree "madder" or "bath".
The whole celebration took place only around the fire. There they held a feast, played with burners, the young people chose a pair for themselves and many rituals were performed. With the advent of the Orthodox Church, all these rituals were condemned, as they are associated with paganism. However, the people could not refuse them and still continued to follow them. Thus, everything was mixed - popular beliefs with religion.
Also on this day, it was customary to tell stories and stories in which they described the special magic associated with plants. So, thanks to the plants, it was possible to find treasures, money, heal, and so on. According to an ancient legend, on the night of Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms and whoever finds this magic flower will be able to see the treasures hidden under the ground and learn to understand the language of animals.
Ceremonies and rituals on Ivan Kupala
In addition to the traditions that were observed on this day, Ivana Kupala is also literally saturated with various pagan rituals.
Many did not go to bed on the night of Ivan Kupala. All this in order to be the very first to wash with the morning dew. It was believed that it was she who could give health and beauty.
If on that day someone was poured with dirty water, then no one was angry, but on the contrary, they were happy. After all, the more often you swim on this day, the better. A person will live the next year happily, and thereby become more purified.
During the festivities, young people created a doll from hay, which was a symbol of the god Kupala. When they danced around and sang songs, according to the script, one of the participants had to hook the doll so that it fell. After that, everyone ran to see if Kupala had died. When it was announced that he was not breathing, the girls began to mourn him through songs. While the girls are singing, the guys take the doll and carry it to a prepared funeral pyre, where it is burned. After this ritual, a real feast began.
In order to literally burn all the illnesses and misfortunes of their children, women collected the things of their sons and daughters, in which they had been ill and thrown into the fire. So, according to their beliefs, children will be healthy and strong.
On Ivan Kupala, young people looked closely at each other and looked for a mate. When the choice was made, the girl and the guy jumped together over the fire, holding hands. Thus, they tried to test their feelings and look into the future. If a couple jumped over without unclenching their hands, then their marriage will be strong and happy, if on the contrary, then it is better not to converge for them.
Also on this holiday, the hostesses used to lay nettles on the threshold. In their opinion, in this way it was possible to escape from evil spirits and witches.
On this night, when the girls danced around the felled tree, the guys raided, thereby trying to steal Marena. The lucky one who succeeded ran away to the river, and everyone else followed him. Everyone plucked one branch at a time, which was considered to be fertile. Then the tree was launched along the river.
To protect the cattle from diseases, the owners took the animals between the Kupala fires.
Signs on Ivan Kupala
Our ancestors, like on any other holiday, closely followed the weather on this day. If it rains on Midsummer Day, it will be hot all summer and the weather will be dry.
But if at night the sky is generously strewn with stars, and in the morning nature will bestow abundant dew, then there will be a good harvest of cucumbers, mushrooms, and indeed all vegetables.
On this day, they tried to avoid meeting snakes, because if you see her on this holiday, then trouble cannot be avoided and heavy losses are expected soon.
After collecting the herbs, all the women carefully counted them. If there are twelve species of plants, then the family will definitely have a wedding in the coming year.
Many believed that horses were in danger, which the evil spirits could use for their own purposes. In this case, they will not get out alive. Therefore, they tried to lock them securely.
Fortune telling on Ivan Kupala
One of the most common fortune-telling on Midsummer's Day was divination on a wreath. The girls lit candles and inserted them into a wreath, after which they lowered them into the river. If the wreath has not sunk and the candle has not gone out, then this year the girl will definitely marry. If the wreath still drowned or floated far away, then this year she will not be a bride.
The girls also used daisies to guess. To do this, they took two flowers, one of them symbolized a certain guy, and the other her herself. The interpretation of this fortune-telling is quite simple - if flowers are drawn to each other, then this is her betrothed and soon they will get married, if not, then it is not her destiny to be with this young man and it is better to forget him.
On the night of July 6-7, go out to the reservoir, whisper your cherished desire over the water. Then throw a small pebble into the water. An even number of circles formed will mean that the desire will come true, and an odd number - that it is not destined to come true. If there is no body of water nearby, look for a white dandelion. Whisper your dream gently to him. Then blow on the crown. I managed to blow off the whole cap - the dream will certainly come true, flew away; only half - the conceived will not happen soon. And if most of the parachutes remained in place - think about it, isn't it wiser to dream of something more real?
To find out the answer to the question of interest, the girls asked it right in front of the ritual fire. Then they carefully watched the flame - if it is even, calm and bright, then the wish will come true, if it is intermittent, then no.