Mystical rituals for the feast of Ivan Kupala
Ivan Kupala is celebrated on the night of July 6-7. It is a pagan holiday — the day of the summer solstice in the old style, with the longest day and the shortest night of the year. However, in recent years it has been considered more of a folk date — it is an occasion to remember the traditions of our ancestors, to plunge into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
The inhabitants of Russia celebrated Ivan Kupala on a grand scale. We gathered in nature, jumped over a campfire, and searched for the color of a fern. The girls were guessing at their betrothed. It was believed that evil spirits were walking around that night, which could drag them to the bottom of the reservoir, so it was forbidden to swim after dark.
People didn't lend money to Ivan Kupala. According to the legend, it was possible to "take out" wealth from home in this way. It was also forbidden to sleep — it was prescribed to keep vigil and ward off evil spirits.
Nowadays, similar folk festivals also take place. People wear white shirts, women and girls weave wreaths on their heads. All this allows you to travel back several centuries, as if on a time machine.
It is forbidden to hold such holidays without permission, or rather, to light an open fire in the forest. Hot weather and high fire risk will continue to persist in Russia this week.
On Monday, July 7, on the Orthodox calendar, the Nativity of John the Baptist, who predicted the coming of Jesus Christ, and after years baptized him in the waters of the Jordan.
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