Since ancient times, all the nations of the world celebrated the end of June the top of the summer holiday. In Russia, such a holiday is Ivan Kupala. In the night from 23 to 24 June, all celebrated this mystical, mysterious, but at the same time, a loose and fun holiday full of ritual actions, rules and bans, songs, all kinds of signs, fortune-telling, legends, popular beliefs.
Even at the time of paganism the ancient Rus, there Kupalo deity embodying summer fertility. In his honor in the evening and they sang songs and jumped over the fire. This action has become a ritual in the annual celebration of the summer solstice, a blending of pagan and Christian tradition. Ivan Kupala deity came to be called after the baptism of Rus', when he was replaced by none other than John the Baptist (or rather - his people's way), who baptized Christ himself, and whose Christmas was celebrated on June 24.
Kupala rites
Ivan Kupala. On this day people girded bands of flowers on his head wore wreaths of herbs. Drove round dances, sang songs, make fires, which are set in the middle of a pole with a fortified it burning wheel - the symbol of the sun.
In the songs that are sung in the villages, called Kupala love, clean, fun. On the day of Ivan Kupala girl curled wreaths of grass, and in the evening let them into the water, watching how and where they sail. If the wreath is sinking, so out of love and betrothed to marry him not out.
On Midsummer Day was taken to pour dirty water every comer. It was believed, the more often a person runs to bathe, the cleaner is his soul. Bathe it was prescribed at the dawn: while swimming to have healing powers.
In a bathing the night clearing fires stoked. Around them danced, jumped over them, who are more successfully and higher - that will be happier. In the Kupala bonfires burned mother shot with ailing childrenshirt that together with this linen and burned most of the disease. Youth, jump over bonfires, organized noisy fun games, fights, running a race. Be sure to play into the burners.
The people believed that all the miraculous and healing plants bloom just in the night of Ivan Kupala. So knowledgeable and experienced people, and especially the village healers and witch doctors, under no circumstances did not miss midsummer and collected medicinal roots and herbs for the whole year.
Rumor has it that at midnight on Kupala fern blooms. Wonderful fire flower can specify the location of the lucky treasure, no matter how deep they were buried. Around midnight on the broad leaves of a fern bud appears, which rises higher and higher, then staggers, turns and starts to "jump". At midnight ripe bud opens with a bang, and it appears from the flame-red flower. Man can not tear it, but if he sees all his wishes come true.
Happy of Ivan Kupala people linked representations of miracles. On the night of Kupala it was impossible to sleep, as revived and becomes active all evil: witches, werewolves, vampires, mermaids ... I think that Ivan Kupala witches also celebrate the holiday, trying to cause as much harm to people.
And so it passed a holiday of Ivan Kupala - dissipated in the ceremonies, riddles, and other fun and cute pranks of ...
And so it passed a holiday of Ivan Kupala - dissipated in the ceremonies, riddles, and other fun and cute pranks of ...