The summer solstice holiday is associated with eroticism and promiscuous sexual orgies for many. Was it really so? Did our ancient ancestors really love fornication as they say? What was the sex on Ivan Kupala?
Why is Ivana Kupala associated with eroticism?
Many are interested in the question, why actually this holiday was considered the most erotic among the ancient Slavs?
Our ancestors followed the arrangement of the heavenly bodies, in turn, the days of the solstice have always been a holiday for the pagans. Sex was not prohibited, it was possible to speak about it aloud, any postures and techniques were allowed, just as our ancients did not condemn human nudity. Ivana Kupala is the hottest holiday of the year, so why not swim with a cheerful company in the river on this day, arrange friendly gatherings around the fire, and then indulge in love pleasures under the summer sky?
Boys and girls gathered in companies, when the Sun went over the horizon, they broke up into pairs and had sex, all night until the morning, or until they had enough strength. At the same time, there were no orgies during the celebration of Ivan Kupala, there was no exchange of partners, and even more so sex with the first one that came across - these are all speculations. The ancient Slavs were very careful in choosing a couple, and treason was a rarity. But what they did "it" in front of each other - yes! As already written above, the pagans did not consider nudity something shameful, and they did not hesitate to have sex in front of each other, and not only on Ivan Kupala, but on other days, in the same way the Slavs went to the bath together: there were no separate male and female.
Speculation
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Where did these speculations about fornication, the exchange of partners and wild orgies come from then? Moreover, all these tales are necessarily supplemented by the presence of witches, evil spirits and even the fact that the Devil himself was present at this holiday.
Russia was baptized with a sword. But our ancestors were in no hurry to betray their gods and their traditions. The resistance against Christianity turned out to be too strong - you cannot punish everyone. Accordingly, a different path was chosen - as much as possible to denigrate all pagan traditions. So speculation was born that orgies were arranged on Ivan Kupala, that the ancient Slavs welcomed promiscuous sexual relations, up to incest. Of course, that was not without the stories of the clergy that the purpose of these orgies was to summon demons, and that this is the most favorite holiday of witches. Hundreds of years have passed, and these stories are still believed.
It is no secret that Christianity fought in every possible way against sexual relations. In medieval Europe, clergymen almost climbed into bed with their parishioners, but they, God forbid, would not engage in this sinful occupation for pleasure. Only the format was allowed in complete darkness, in a shirt and only for the sake of procreation, and not on any day. These rules were to be established in Russia as well, but either the Slavs turned out to be bolder than the Europeans, or the Orthodox clergy were not as cruel as the Catholic ones. Meanwhile, the fact remains that Orthodoxy, behind the scenes, of course, allowed the Slavs to honor their old traditions.
Ivana Kupala in our time
“This year I am going to celebrate Ivan Kupala for the fourth time. I like the good old traditions of my ancestors. Whatever the obscurantists say, paganism is the best that our people had. We swim naked in the river, collect fern leaves, sit by the fire and jump over it, and we have sex with our loved ones in the open air, and this fills our bodies with new, incredible strength. Such a unity with nature, with your like-minded people, turns the act of love into something more than a boring time in the bedroom at home. Is it bad? - Ekaterina, city of Nizhny Novgorod.
