Belief in the magical power of herbs has existed from time immemorial and continues to live in the hearts of people to this day - a myriad of books, all kinds of herbalists and encyclopedias have been written on this topic, a large number of medicines and dietary supplements have been created on the basis of herbs, whole cosmetic lines and individual perfumery products …
Tinctures and balms, herbal teas and health-improving drinks are created according to ancient herbalists' recipes. And a special place in this kingdom of useful plants is undoubtedly occupied by Kupala (Ivanovo) herbs.
LEGENDS ABOUT FERRY
Of course, the most important plant of the magical night on the eve of Ivan Kupapa was considered the famous fern - Perunov fire flower, heat-color, cupirode or devil's beard, as the people called it. He inspired people, on the one hand, delight with his unheard-of magical power, on the other, a superstitious fear of everything unknown and dangerous. And the fern, indeed, was known as a dangerous, mysterious and incomprehensible phenomenon of nature, especially when it bloomed on the night of the summer solstice.
And not everyone dared to go in search of him in the depths of the dark impenetrable forests. This fantastic plant blooms for only a few moments, and you need to catch that very short moment to pick a bright fiery bud and become omnipotent - to understand the language of animals, become invisible, bewitch your loved ones and find any treasures.
At the moment of waiting for the fern to bloom, in order to protect oneself from the evil spirits guarding the flower, it was necessary to outline a circle around yourself with a Vasiliev stub - the remnant of a candle or torch lit on Vasiliev's (New Year's) night, or an Easter candle, a mountain ash stick, a knife or an ax. Then take wormwood in your hands and read a prayer, going around the fern backwards three times.
Promotional video:
They say that exactly at midnight a ripe bud-bud opens with a crash and explodes with golden, and sometimes bloody, blinding flame. The plucked flower is supposed to be wrapped in a tablecloth so that an invisible hand cannot carry it away, otherwise the luminous bud will begin to move throughout the forest, and you will no longer catch it. So tore it off - hide it in your bosom and run away without looking back, otherwise trouble will happen. After all, not only the human tribe hunts for the fern, but also all kinds of Navi entities: the terrible and dangerous spirits of the forest, night and the afterlife.
Another legend claims that the owner of the flower, returning from the forest to the village, must immediately go to church and hide the flower under the altar. And you can take it from there only for Epiphany, when the people go to Jordan. A demon will come to the river for a flower - and ask him for a flower whatever you wish.
There is another Slavic legend. It says that the god Yarilo gave people a magic fire. And every year on the night of June 23-24, he sends him to the ground, where he flares up in the form of a fern flower.
In fact, the fern has not bloomed even once during its entire existence on Earth, but it appeared on our planet more than three hundred million years ago! In Ireland, they claim that it does not bloom because the plant was cursed by St. Patrick, and in some areas of Great Britain the fern is generally called the "devil's brush".
Although in other counties of Foggy Albion, the plant fern, or male fern, on the contrary, is considered magically powerful and is called the "lucky hand", as it has the property of protecting, healing and arousing love. If, on the eve of Ivan's night, you cut off all the undeveloped leaves, except for five, from the shtitnik, you get an amulet in the form of a human hand - "Kupala's hand", or "Ivan's hand", capable of protecting the house and family from the evil eye and damage.
In general, the fern is not only an excellent talisman, but also a talisman of the highest standard: it protects a person from witchcraft (if worn on a naked body), a house from lightning, and a field from hail. Opens all locks, doors and vaults, discovers buried treasures throughout the earth, endows a person with the ability to know the past, present and future, read minds, talk with animals, predict events and generate love in the heart of another.
THE TRAGEDY OF IVAN DA MARIA
On the magical Ivanovo night, herbalists were one of the first to collect the ivan-da-marya plant, which had special qualities, fanned by ancient legends and traditions. Brother Ivan and sister Marya (Kostroma and Kupala) fell in love with each other, unaware of their relationship. But, when they found out about this, they did not want to live in this world anymore. Out of despair and pain, Ivan (yellow flower) threw himself into the fire, and Marya (blue flower) drowned in the river. Therefore, in memory of brother and sister on the night of Ivan Kupala, bonfires are burning everywhere in honor of Ivan, and at dawn people wash themselves with transparent healing dew in honor of his beloved sister Marya.
Maryannik, Adam and Eve, brother and sister, yellowhead, Kupala flowers (yellow and purple) - as soon as the people did not call the flower Ivan-da-Marya, praising its magical properties. Firstly, keeping the flower with you will help you avoid any chase. Secondly, the freshly squeezed juice of the plant heals hearing and memory. Thirdly, the flowers of the mariannik protect the house from evil spirits, and the owners from damage and the evil eye. In addition, they establish marital relations.
THE SOUL WREATH OF THE KUPALA
Kupala herbs were picked not only for medicinal needs, but also for fortune telling, divination and witchcraft. I really wanted young unmarried girls to find out about their future lover and what fate awaits her with her sweetheart. And those who suffered from unrequited love dreamed of bewitching a loved one with the help of a magic herb, conquering his heart, endowing themselves not only with an attractive female power, but also with longevity and unprecedented beauty. To find out about your fiancé, you were supposed to pick 12 or 24 kinds of herbs at midnight!
So, our ancestors believed that clover carries the great power of love, happiness, beauty and youth. His leaves were collected, dried and then always carried with them in a clean rag or in a handkerchief. And in the morning they went out into the clearing and collected the dew from the clover. They poured it into a small vessel, then put three branches of clover in it for the whole day. At night, they washed their face with this water, using it instead of an anti-wrinkle cream.
According to legends and traditions, the plakun-herb, which was called the mother of all herbs, also possessed tremendous magical power: if, holding it in your hands, collect other herbs, then the magical and healing power automatically goes to these plants. They say that this herb grew from the tears of the Mother of God shed during the torment of the cross of Jesus Christ. She subdues the demoniacs of evil spirits, destroys the spells of sorcerers and witches.
A huge number of legends and myths surround another Kupala plant - marsh rosemary (marsh stupor, forest rosemary, hemlock). They say that the Swamp Lord was in love with a forest nymph, but no matter how he tried to attract her to him, he failed. Once, in great anger, he began to smash everything around, which caused a spark that ignited the swamp. The smoke from the burnt wild rosemary stupefied the nymph's head and, remembering nothing, she herself came to the Swamp Lord.
Since then, it has been considered: the mist on the bolt lets the lord let the nymph, who has recovered, get lost and cannot escape from him. But if the swamps are burning, it means that the nymph managed to get away from the hateful kidnapper, and he tries to lure his beloved back with fire. The medicinal properties of wild rosemary have always been revered among the people since the time of Hippocrates - with the help of it they got rid of unnecessary pregnancy and even cured cancer.
The chaffinch herb helped against the crying of children and insomnia. Shepherd's bag was used as a hemostatic agent. Chernobyl protected the house, yard and people from libel, evil eye and dark forces, he was added to fires. The plantain was tied in bunches and hung out in the yard to protect it from all kinds of reptiles. Nettles were treated for rheumatism, and calamus was used for various rituals to cleanse the house from evil spirits, he also helped from cholera and typhoid, from flu, wounds and abscesses.
St. John's wort protected from ghosts, improved the sleep of babies and saved them from fear, and was also used as a diuretic and wound healing agent - it was generally called one of the most powerful and magical bathing herbs for its amazing healing properties.
Valeria BRAVO