by Marina Stein

Created on: May 05, 2010

Kupala day is a pagan holiday still celebrated in some Slavic countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and to some extent, Poland. That day is celebrated on the 7th of July though celebration starts a night before. However, some people celebrate the same holiday on the 24th of June - on the summer solstice day.

With Christianity taking over pagan traditions of Slavic people Kupala day became associated with the birth of John (Ivan in Russian) the Baptist. Since then the name of the holiday became Ivan Kupala.

Ivan Kupala day is the day of cleansing and celebrating fertility and Sun. The main activities involve water and fire. Usual customs are jumping over the fire - the one who jumps the highest will be the happiest person for the whole year. Very often a girl and a boy will jump together holding hands - if they manage to still hold hands after the jump they will get married that year.  Besides jumping over fire, people get in rivers and streams to get cleansed. The morning dew on that day was supposed to cure a lot of ailments, acne, in particular.

Also, during that night people were looking for magic flowers and herbs, especially fern flower. That flower was believed to bloom only once a year during the night before Kupala day and just for few moments, and it was supposed to bring wealth and happiness to the one who finds it. Besides fern flower, other flowers and plants were gathered and girls were making wreaths out of them. The wreaths were put in the water and girls believed that the way their wreaths behave in the water (sink or swim) predicts a possibility of getting married.

Night before Kupala day is a night when all dark forces are coming forward. Witches, mermaids, werewolves, warlocks, leshys were out to hunt people and make harm. That is why people usually don't go to sleep at all - the night being the shortest in the year definitely help in that quest. In the old times when Kupala day was still a pagan holiday that night was also considered the night to have intimate relationships with each other.

Nowadays the old traditions are revived to some extent. People in Russia, Ukraine and especially Belarus young people follow the rites of celebrating Kupala day (and night) by swimming in the water, burning fires, and walking in the woods looking for herbs - and happiness.

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