When Ivan Kupala in 2019 - holiday falls on July 7. This is one of the most mystical events of the year, which in terms of significance can only be compared with Halloween or Anti-Easter. Ivana Kupala was originally a pagan holiday with which many folk traditions are associated, for example, jumping over bonfires to purify or searching for treasure with the help of a magical fern flower.
Summer comes and the sun is gaining its strength, it's time for long days and short nights. June, filled with warmth and juices, will show its strength on the days of the solstice and scorch the earth with the first summer heat. Then comes July - the month in which the celebration of the day of Ivan Kupala (Kupalo) falls on the new style.
The ancient Slavs celebrated the onset of summer with the beginning of the flowering of wild rose, in early June. Until the eighteenth century, summer was marked on the calendar from the celebration of the birth of John the Baptist (June 24), and it ended with the feast of the Conception of the same saint, approximately September 23. The month of June was earlier called cherven in Rus', because there were a lot of cherries at that time, as well as grain-growing and flint, i.e. fire.
This choice of holiday symbols may seem strange to you. Indeed, what can fire and water have in common? It turns out there is something. Both elements bring purification, only water cleanses the body, and fire cleanses the soul.
On Ivan Kupala, people really swam en masse in rivers and other bodies of water. But, it should be noted that there were certain. In particular, it was strictly forbidden to approach the reservoirs after sunset - so that the evil spirits would not drown. While jumping over the fire, everyone tried to jump as high as possible. It was believed that the one who jumps the highest will be the happiest during the year.
At one time, the day of Ivan Kupala was an ancient one. The event was timed to coincide with the Solstice (summer solstice).
Are you wondering why there is such a discrepancy in dates? To answer this question, we need to turn to the pagan traditions of our ancestors. Initially, Ivan Kupala was a purely mystical holiday. On this day (or rather, on the night before), rituals were performed, conspiracies were pronounced, fortune-telling was performed.
On Ivan Kupala, nature is transformed
Wreaths were lowered into the water,
to guess the groom
At the Solstice, the earth returned its power to the sun. On this day, rituals were performed to cleanse children from diseases with dew and fire. In the early morning, the kids ran through the dew, gaining strength from the earth and plants. Mothers put their children on a wide wooden shovel and placed it in the oven for a moment so that diseases and spoilage would go away. This ceremony was called "baking a child", it was believed that it helps from "dog old age" (rickets). Do not rush to be amazed at the "barbaric" customs of their ancestors - the children were placed for a very short time, and not in a red-hot, but in a warm cooling oven.
The week preceding the Solstice is called Mermaid. At this time, farewell ceremonies were held with the mermaids, people brought gifts for, leaving them in the forest or near a pond next to birches.
A wonderful and fabulous atmosphere reigned during the days of the celebration of the Solstice, the people sang songs, wondered and had fun, bonfires were lit. They burned old clothes to renew and cleanse themselves. Jumping over the sacred fire, they cleansed their spirit, renewed their connection with their ancestors.
According to old folk beliefs, on Kupala night, one should look for the color of a fern, or, as it was also called, “pappy”. People believed that the one who finds and brings the mystical flower to his home will soon know where the treasures are buried.
finding the treasured flower is not easy...
However, to get at your disposal untold wealth, you need to be a desperate daredevil. On the night of Kupala, all evil spirits come to the defense of fern flowers. So the lover of quick profit will have a hard time - when meeting with him for a short time and disappear forever! In addition, as the legend says, the fern flower is given only to selected people with a pure soul.
But what if you really want to gain wealth? In this case, you will need to find a wild fern on the night of Ivan Kupala. Your own flower in a room pot or in a summer cottage will not work, so you have to go out of town, to a wooded area. You need to grab it with you, without which it will not be possible to get the coveted flower.
Only the most stubborn will find the color of ferns!
Near the found fern, you should outline a protective circle that will protect you from evil spirits. Wait patiently until a flower appears, which may be fiery or silver. Pluck off the color as soon as it shows! This moment should not be missed, because the fern blooms for just one moment.
It will be very difficult to return home, the evil spirit will call you, try to scare you with terrible visions, and “confuse” the road. The obstacles to be overcome are described in great detail in Gogol's May Night. Anyone who looks back, responds to the call of evil spirits or goes astray, most likely will not be able to get out of the forest alive.
There is another version of the legend about the fern plucked on the feast of Ivan Kupala. Here is what the ancient text says:
Find a dead place in the forest, and go there on a Kupala night. Wait until the moon appears from behind the clouds, and then look around - the moon will show you the bloodflower! Do not hesitate for a second - cut off the treasured flower as soon as possible. Sprinkle it with fresh blood, and you will be happy...
At first glance, the task does not seem too difficult. Finding a dead (i.e., deaf, neglected) place in the forest will not be difficult. The evil spirit itself will tell the one who wishes where to look for the blood flower, but there will be no happiness from this! The devil's flower will open a treasure to a person and make him rich. But in return, the bloodflower will drive a person crazy and force him to kill someone who is dear to him...
holiday Ivan Kupala for over two thousand years. Traditionally, the holiday is celebrated on the night of July 6-7. This is perhaps the only pagan holiday that has survived to this day, which was almost not influenced by Christianity. This holiday was celebrated throughout Ukraine, as evidenced by the Kupala songs.
Night on Ivan Kupala considered magical. Only on Kupala night were young people allowed to play pranks, flirt with each other, kiss, hug (have intimate relationships), after Ivan Kupala the guy had to marry the girl he was flirting with.
According to legend, that night they played the wedding of Kupala and Marena - this symbolized the union of male and female principles, two elements (Kupalo - the embodiment of fire, Marena - water).
Ivan Kupala it is desirable to celebrate near the river - flowing water. Preparations for the holiday began at dawn. The guys mowed the grass in the clearing, where all the actions were supposed to take place, prepared firewood for a huge night fire, brought straw, which had to be stolen (it was used to make a stuffed Kupala).
The girls wove wreaths from flowering medicinal herbs, including wormwood, which, according to popular belief, drives away evil spirits. They wove several wreaths for themselves, and one was special, magical: creating it, the girl dreamed of a guy she likes and made a wish to marry him. During the holiday, she tried to put it on her chosen one, and in the evening she launched it.
In the evening, girls only Ivan Kupala it was allowed to take off skirts and plakhta and remain in the bottom shirt. On this day, it was very important to pour water over: from the mouth, from a handful, from a ladle (if someone stocked it).
This meant that the participant of the holiday was cleansed not only by fire, but also by water - a symbol of power, energy, health. It also symbolized the call for rain so that there would be no drought. It is clear that girls in wet shirts doused with water became even more attractive. In addition, they were cold, which served as another reason for the guys to hug them, warming them.
During the holiday, everyone had fun, sang, danced round dances, arranged a feast: they brought bread, pies, cooked porridge from cereals (barley or wheat), fried eggs. Most likely on Ivana Kupala they used weak alcohol - beer or mash (there is no mention of vodka in historical sources).
The climax of the holiday came in the evening.From the grass mowed in the morning and dried during the day, the girls made two stuffed animals - Kupala and Marena. After sunset, they were burned at the stake, which symbolized the wedding. Then couples - guys and girls, holding hands, jumped over the fire, and it was necessary to jump not over smoke or coals, but over flames.
People believed that fire had a powerful healing power - in this way they underwent a rite of purification from the past and together they were ready for a new life. Now everyone is jumping over the Kupala bonfire: both children and people alone, and adults who are not close to each other.
Meanwhile, according to tradition Ivan Kupala, only couples who decided to tie their fates, or already married couples, could jump over the fire.Continuing the theme of the struggle between fire and water, the burnt-out fire was poured with water from the river, and everyone brought water by typing in their mouths.Having had their fill of fun, singing and dancing, the couples wandered through the forest to look for the mystical fern flower.
According to popular beliefs, the fern blossoms exactly at midnight. In nature, this plant does not bloom, but legends and fairy tales have survived to this day that it was on this magical night of birth sincere love, merging fire and water, a miracle happens - a flower of happiness, good luck and prosperity appears. Everyone is looking for a flower, but they find it only in pairs, and only truly in love can see it.On Ivan Kupala in the struggle between fire and water, water wins.
The holiday ended with wreaths on the water. Girls lowered wreaths (a symbol of a wedding ring) with a candle inserted into it into the water, making a wish - as a rule, to marry a loved one. The water carried away the wish, and the girl believed that it would come true. If the wreath sank, it was a bad sign.
After the celebration Ivan Kupala the guys began to woo their chosen ones, and it was time to prepare for the weddings.
Slavic Holiday Kupala (Kupailo, Kupalo) - the day of the summer solstice. The longest day and shortest night of the year. This is one of the four main holidays of the ancient Slavs, timed to coincide with the positions of the Sun (, Kupala,). The last day of the Rusal Week or Mermaids. Kupala is one of the oldest holidays that has preserved many of the traditions and customs of our ancestors to this day, for example: seeing off Yarila, who is replaced by the God of the summer sun Kupala, collecting healing herbs, searching for a fern flower, etc. Kupala is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.
Let's try to unbiasedly figure out what kind of day this is, bearing the name of Kupala, which was revered and celebrated by the ancestors of the Rus strictly at the same time of the year, long before our times, the main customs and traditions of which, which are in the Soul and now (precisely according to Soul, and not according to some canons), have come down to us from time immemorial.
The very date of the celebration is not accidental and is associated with an astronomical event, like many other celebrated days, which may indicate the advanced knowledge of the ancestors of the Rus in astronomy. Kupala Day is an astronomical event called the summer solstice. Now it is absolutely known that the trajectory of our planet around the Yarila-Sun is far from a perfect circle. During one revolution of our planet around the Yarila-Sun, the distance between them changes from the minimum close to the maximum remote, which is repeated from year to year and from century to century. On the day of the summer solstice, our planet occupies the most distant position from the Yarila-Sun, and in our hemisphere at this time there is the longest day and the shortest night of the year - the triumph of light over darkness. This astronomical event does not depend on any religions, beliefs, political views and, in general, people. The sun shines the same for everyone, and this event occurs at the same time from year to year, regardless of any calendars and their styles, and it cannot be canceled or rescheduled to please anyone, but it is quite possible to change concepts.
Thus, the day of the summer solstice, according to the widely used calendar today, falls on June 19-25.
We figured out the date, now let's try to understand what meaning was put into the name of the Kupala Day holiday. If in the case of the date everything is clear, the conditions there are determined by an astronomical event, then the name will have to be left open, since we do not currently have reliable information, and the Ancestors' Legacy, passed from mouth to mouth, has come down to us very distorted. There are many versions of the origin of this name, but not all of them are accepted by the Soul quite unambiguously, which can be perceived as true. At the end of the article is a legend dedicated to the origin of the name of the festival of the summer solstice. Take courage and, after reading it, make your own opinion whether your Soul accepts such an interpretation, whether it is a version close to reality, and do not blindly follow any beliefs.
Today, the holiday is better known as Ivan Kupala or Ivan's Day, named after the Christian Saint John the Baptist. Ivan Kupala, unlike the real Feast of Kupail or Kupala, is not timed to coincide with the solstice, but is celebrated on the date of the birth of John the Baptist on July 7th. Celebrating Kupala on July 7 according to pagan traditions with bonfires, wreaths, searching for ferns does not make any sense, since the solstice has long been left behind. In fact, this holiday does not belong at all to John the Baptist or some incomprehensible Ivan Kupala, but to the pagan God Kupala (Kupailo).
Once this holiday was celebrated not only in Rus', but throughout Europe. Hills, fields, meadows, valleys were covered with the lights of Kupala bonfires. In our time, of course, this is no longer the case, but many people, pagan communities continue to support the tradition, and anyone can visit the Kupala Festival, as it really is. It is believed that at the dawn of the Kupala day, the sun rejoices, shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, dances and bathes. The day of the solstice itself is always hot, this is explained by the fact that the sun on its last day fries the earth with all its might, but, defeated, leaves for the winter. At Kupala, the sun reaches its climax, fries with incredible force, and according to tradition, people should ask him to moderate his ardor.
To this day, the summer solstice is widely celebrated in different parts of our planet, and in many places on its true astronomical date. This holiday is common among peoples whose roots are closely connected with the roots of the Rus. Having different names for different nationalities, its essence is the same: all rituals are associated with fire, which usually acts in two forms - earthly and heavenly (the Sun), and water.
The celebration of Kupala Day was preceded by the Mermaid Week. These days are dedicated to the Goddesses of rivers, lakes and reservoirs. During the Mermaid Week, they did not swim without special need, so as not to disturb the water deities preparing for the summer festival, and from that day they began to swim in the rivers every day. It was customary to guard the meeting of the month with the sun on the night of the solstice, they did not go to bed and watched the Sun play. Kupala night is the time when the magical power of fire, water, earth, plants reaches its highest strength, and the water in rivers and lakes acquires special life-giving and cleansing properties. The belief about the color of the fern, blooming with a fiery color on the Kupala night, is in all Slavic peoples, in search of which the most courageous went.
The idea of the holiday is cleansing, affecting the three bodies of human essence - a three-dimensional shell, soul and spirit. Fundamental natural elements - water and fire - are used as cleansing elements. That is why the famous bathing fires are always bred on the banks of rivers.
The celebration begins with a round dance. The round dance is built from three circles of people holding hands and moving in different directions. The outer circle is made up of people of mature and old age, the middle circle is young and full of strength guys and girls, and the smallest circle, which is closest to the fire, is made up of small children .
During the celebration, our Ancestors jumped over the fires, and then, with a run, plunged into the arms of the river. The important point is that it should be exactly a river with moving water, when you can draw an analogy with the river of time, during which everything is once washed away, changes are constantly taking place. And if water purifies the body, then fire purifies the Soul.
It is believed that the bonfires lit on the Kupala Festival have a unique, cleansing power. On the bathing night, these bonfires, according to the beliefs of our Ancestors, burned in three worlds at once - in Reveal, Navi and Rule. Therefore, any fire on this night is a conductor, powerful and irresistible. Conductor of human and divine, dark and light, earthly and heavenly.
Walking on coals is the next part of the holiday. This is a moment of purification or, rather, even hardening of the spirit. Through heat, a powerful thermal energy flow and small painful sparks, false thoughts, unfair aspirations, demons and larvae, pushing him to a dark path, leave a person.
Also, the Slavic Holiday Day of Kupala includes weaving wreaths and firelights. As for wreaths, in tradition, wreaths are woven by girls for guys. Of course, if we are talking about an established couple, then the girl weaves a wreath for her man or husband, another option is simply unacceptable. In all other cases, single girls give their wreaths to those guys who cause them the most sympathy. Wreaths are woven from field herbs and flowers. Ognevitsy are small "boats", most often made of wooden planks. A candle is placed in the center of such a boat, and a “fence” is made around the grass and leaves so that the wind does not accidentally extinguish the flame. Fireboxes with lit candles are launched into the river. If a person does not have a pair, he can start the firelighter on his own, but more often this moment is not individual. After all, a harmonious state is achieved only in the unity of opposites, therefore, ideally, the flame should be launched by a couple - the bride and groom or husband and wife. At that moment, when a guy and a girl put a fire on the water, they make wishes.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the Feast of Kupala, which Christians gave us, is that during the festival, fornication and all sorts of outrages are happening. Our Slavic ancestors were the purest, both spiritually and materially.
Preachers and missionaries who came to our country from afar saw an incomprehensible festivity with fun, games, dances. It seemed to them that it was simply disgusting, and instead of sitting on their knees and begging for eternal forgiveness, people rejoice in life.
The fact is that on Kupala, as a holiday of the maximum sun, when the unusually powerful magical forces of heaven and earth are activated, it was considered a good sign to conceive a child. According to legend, those conceived on the day of the sun on Kupala absorbed all its energy and became either the best warriors or wise women. It was also considered unlikely that a child conceived on Kupala would have supernatural powers.
The baptists probably witnessed how on a holiday, when the forces of nature were at their peak, many young people, secluded in quiet groves and meadows, tried to conceive new offspring. As a result, in order to try to take one of the most significant holidays from the Slavs, a post was imposed on him (Petrov post). In pre-Christian times, of course, there was no fasting, and the festivities were not a holiday of the stomach and spirit before a long abstinence, but the celebration of the Day of the Sun of Kupala and the end of the Mermaid Week.
In the meantime, in the kingdom of Rule, everything continued to move in its turn. Everything moved in its turn in our earthly kingdom of Reveal. In the Iry garden, the fire god Semargl was going to go again to protect the world from dark forces. He sharpened his fiery sword, turned into a winged dog and rushed across the night sky to disperse the Chernobog great-grandchildren.
That night turned out to be difficult - time was the reason for this. The time of the summer solstice has come, the time of the holiday of many dark forces, when the sun turns to the winter. Khors is still shining brightly, full of strength, but Veles's hands are already on the great Svarog wheel, on the great wheel of time.
Very soon the sun will wane - little by little, by the minute, and then, as it is now, it will not shine: then the cold Moraine will become the mistress of the forest-fields. Even Khorsa will be covered with cold: on the day of the autumn equinox, when day and night are equal, he will extinguish his life-giving rays.
That is why the dark forces rejoice, but as yet they cannot defeat the sun. These days, Khors shines with all its might, and Dazhbog brings a bright light to the whole earth, but at night Semargl protects the world - he taught people to kindle fires, and now on the nights of the summer solstice they burn like eyes of light, dispersing away the darkness of the night. And the earth then, like a mirror, reflects the starry sky.
At this time, the wonderful Bathing Room-Night, an assistant of fertile forces, shines with such amazing beauty that the fire god Semargl finally decided - he approached, flew up to the Bathing Room and spoke of his ardent love. He told how he longs for her in heaven. And then the Beautiful Goddess answered Semargl's love, and their love was hotter than a flame and more tender than the night air.
And, as it was appointed by fate, woven as it was by the wise Makosh, as it was tied to Nedoley with Share, twins were born to Semargl with the Bathing Suit - two, a boy and a girl.
The boy was given the name Kupala, he was bright and white, his eyes, like water, were transparent and gentle. The girl's name was Kostroma, and she was bright as fire, with a warm soul and heart. Brother and sister were inseparable, they ran together through the fields and meadows and marveled at the earthly world, and the fields, and meadows, and groves. Together they marveled at the beasts of the earth and watched the flight of heavenly birds.
Kupala and Kostroma were equal in their beauty and skills, only the difference was that Kostroma loved to look at the fire, she had fun, jumping over the fire, and Kupala loved lake water more, loved river waves and swam every day.
Once Kostroma said to Kupala:
Light-winged birds told me yesterday that far, far away, by the Smorodina River, magical songs, world wonderful birds sing. Let's go with you tomorrow morning to that cherished place to hear unprecedented songs.
Kupala immediately agreed to this, he also liked bird singing.
They didn’t say anything to their father and mother, and in the morning they went to the Smorodina River, to the huge World Oak, where the Alkonost bird sat on the right and sang about life and joy, and on the left Sirin sat with a sweet voice and sang songs about the kingdom of the dead.
And Kupala listened to the sad songs of the bird Sirin, which flowed like a murmuring stream. Kupala forgot about everything in the world, closed his eyes, and then the Sirin bird took him to the dark, dead kingdom, and hid it there for years to come. And Kostroma listened to Alkonost the bird, as if flashes of bright flame were her charming songs. Kostroma did not notice how brother Kupala disappeared, and when she looked around, no one was already around. She began to call her dear brother, but Kupala did not respond to her, he was in a dark, distant side under the wing of the Sirin bird.
Since then, many years have passed, and more than once white, fierce blizzards covered a pure field of snow with snow, and more than once then lush grasses sprouted through the winter's malice. Many times since then, the red sun has passed its annual cycle. Troubles often gave way to joy.
Since then, Kostroma has grown up, become a girl - a written beauty. Grooms to Kostroma often wooed, even Veles, the wisest God, often looked at her, but none of them was loved by Kostroma.
There is none of them to match me, - she often said to mother, - among them for me there is no equal. I'm a girl, born of the Gods, not immortal, but beautiful. Who can compare with me in skills? I will not go for God for everyone! Hairy old men are no match for me. Hairy and married...
And Night Bathing Suit sighed in response. "Quiet!" - she said to her daughter. Fear, they say, troubles, they say, your beauty is equal to pride, no matter how angry the Gods are. But the lively mother Kostroma did not listen, she kept laughing, braiding her red curls into a braid. Together with other girls, she wove wreaths, but one day the wind-driven Stribog suddenly plucked a wreath from her head. He blew harder, threw it into the water, and the wreath floated downstream. And then the proud Kostroma wished to find a wreath of a groom equal to her. Let a wreath float, looking for a betrothed, so that he is exactly like her in everything!
And June, the month of the earth, was ending on earth, and July, the month of lime, was replacing it. And the day of the solstice was getting closer: until sunset, the sun shines for a long time, brighter than bright, and then a short night comes - a strange, bad time.
At this time, the world freezes in anticipation: something will be ahead, how will everything work out? Water spirits and mermaids, subjects of the mistress of Makosh, a week before the solstice loudly celebrate their wild holiday. Mavkas, vodynitsy, rags and other aquatic women put wreaths on their heads from water lilies, and then they get out of lakes and rivers and let's have fun along the banks. Unbelted, in white shirts, Slavic mermaids frolic, sing, laugh, sway in the trees, or even just sit on the grass and comb their long hair.
Slavic mermaids never had tails, but they have frisky legs, and therefore they like to dance round dances, but not salting, from left to right, towards the Rule, as live guys and girls do in honor of the Horse round, and salting, against the arrow sentry, from right to left, from world to world Navi.
Water is an amazing element, it gives life to the whole world, but water can also destroy. Through the rivers and lakes there is a path to the kingdom of the underworld, and therefore many spirits of the waters obey, except for Makosh, Veles the wise, especially those that came from the dead, from the drowned. Water spirits, moist, can help the crop grow, or they can flood everything in the bud, and if a person offended them with something or met them at an unkind hour, they will tickle them to death and drag them to their underwater world.
More than others, rags love to tickle all the people they meet, and in order to protect themselves from them in Rusalia, the holiday of all mermaids, people alone in coastal forests and flood meadows tried not to appear, and if they walked, they took garlic and wormwood with them - scare away the rags.
Patchwork from the wormwood used to run away, but the Mavkas did not care. They are not even afraid to step over the circle, over the protective iron chain! The main thing is not to anger the Mavoks, to laugh them off, the living have all hope for this. They will ask for a comb to comb their hair - give it, otherwise it will be worse. True, then the comb will have to be thrown away, otherwise you will go bald yourself, but if you don’t give it, you are greedy - the mavki will be tortured to death.
In appearance, they are such beauties that the world has never seen before: a sweet face, slender legs - everything is like that of the living. Only the beauty of the Mavok is not alive, it is dead. From the back you can see the unbeatable heart, lungs, turned green without air, and the insides soaked in the water. The beauty of their face was rewarded for their unrequited love on earth. After all, drowned women usually become mavkas, ugly, offended by life, that they rushed into the water from unhappy love.
The most vicious among the mermaids are lobsters, they like to hide in the coastal reeds. Older than the lobasta of young Mawks, smarter, stronger, more experienced. Undead they crawl out of the water, their faces are terrible, old women. Whom the lobasts attack, death will be a deliverance.
And Vodyanoy is in charge of all the mermaids - on the days of the summer solstice he does feel like a birthday boy. He is the master of the waters, he grazes his herds of fish in silence at the bottom of rivers and lakes - carps, catfish, bream - like a shepherd of cows in the field. He himself is entangled in mud, with a big belly, with a tail. Instead of hands - goose paws, bug-eyed, like a fish, with a rich beard and green mustache. All the girls are watery, transparent, obey him strictly. Only his daughters, the water maidens, play pranks on the sly from their father: they confuse fishing gear and invite the fishermen under the water with sweet songs.
During the day, Vodyanoy sleeps in the silence of deep pools or under a water mill, and at night he commands the drowned. In fact, Vodyanoy is a kind grandfather, but if he gets angry, gets excited, he can break the nets, flood the houses, or even completely destroy the dam. Most of all, he loves to indulge out of boredom - he will drag some gaping boy from the shore to the bottom and leave him to live to entertain him in the underwater silence.
And the most cheerful and nimble mermen live in springs with clean spring water - “rattling springs” that arose on earth from the lightning strikes of the Perunovs.
At such an unkind time, when Light and Darkness are measuring their strength, a wreath fell into the water of Kostroma and swam to look for her betrothed - beauty and skills like her. Exactly the same. On the waves swayed a wreath of blue, like water, flowers and red flowers, like fire.
What good fellow will catch him, to be the groom of Kostroma. Only a wreath is not given to anyone, it floats along the river, along the river, to unexplored lands.
Mermaids follow him along the water, mavkas with waterworts whisper softly. Like, it would be necessary for our Water Master to talk about that wreath, and even Bishop Veles himself should have known about the girl’s wreath. But in vain the water maidens are worried, Veles the lord has long found out about everything. For a girlish whim, for pride, for words offensive to the Gods, he decided to punish the maiden Kostroma.
By order of the underground Veles, in the gloomy kingdom, the Sirin bird released Kupapa from under its wing, put Kupapa in a boat and sent it to swim along the river-lake. He was carried out of the underworld by water, carried along the rivers to his native side, and then, with an unprecedented current, he was dragged up the Volga River - straight towards his fate.
While Kupala was with the Sirin bird, he grew up, matured, became a fine fellow, a handsome hand-written - with blue eyes, like two lakes, and blond, boiled hair.
Kupala began to look around, standing in a boat, and suddenly he saw a girlish wreath floating towards him, sparkling on the water with bright colors - blue and blue, yellow and scarlet. “It can be seen that the clever beauty was weaving that wreath,” Kupala thinks, “and let it run along the river in order to find her betrothed as soon as possible. If the girl is as beautiful as these flowers, I would like to marry her immediately!
Kupala bent down, picked up a wreath - those flowers smelled of an unearthly smell, they smelled of a forest, a fire and mermaids. And water lilies, and spicy herbs.
At the same moment, the boat carried Kupap right to the one that threw the wonderful wreath. Here Kupala floats, floats in a boat, looks and recognizes his native places - those fields and meadows, groves and forests where he and Kostroma ran together. And then Kupala looks, the girl stands on the shore, looks at him joyfully with all her eyes.
Right to that girl, his boat carried him out, went to the bank of Kupala, holding a wreath in his hands.
Is this your wreath, dear beauty?
Mine, - Kostroma answered quietly.
So they stood, looking at each other. And they fell in love with each other without memory, fell in love as soon as they saw each other. They were matched to each other, like fire and water, which cannot be without each other, but which cannot be together forever ...
Kupala and Kostroma did not recognize each other - to know that Veles was a secret idea. On the same night, without asking anyone about anything, Kupala and Kostroma got married, and the water bears were witnesses to that wedding of an unprecedented wedding. They had fun, rejoicing in the happiness of the young, and bathed with them together with Kupala and Kostroma, and then on the shore they jumped over a bright fire.
Only in the morning did the Bathing Lady find out that a great misfortune had happened to her beloved children. After all, it is impossible for twins, a brother and sister, to love each other in a conjugal way! So the Svarogov Law tells people, so the human law commands.
Bathing suit came to the children with tears, told them the bitter truth. And, as soon as the truth was revealed, in a terrible moment that their happiness ended. Now there was no more place for them on earth. They could not live in marriage, but they could not live separately either.
Out of grief, Kupala jumped into the burning fire and disappeared, as if he had never existed, and Kostroma rushed into the forest lake, and the blue-green waters closed over her head. Joyful Kostroma has become a mavka.
And the Night Bather has since become even blacker and has been dropping her bitter tears-dew on the grass since then in the morning. He doesn’t want to see anyone else, even Semargl doesn’t let his beloved on the threshold anymore. Since then, one has been walking around the world Night-Kupapnitsa, everything is yearning, sad and sad.
The Gods of Iria were also saddened, Veles's revenge was cruel. Yes, and Veles himself spun, he did not feel joy from revenge. But it is no longer possible to correct what has been done, not to reverse the Svarogov circle. And then the cunning Veles decided with his wisdom to breathe life into past suffering: he decided to turn the twins into a flower, so much so that they were inseparable forever. So that they are born again, grow together, so that they intertwine in a single flower. So that both shine in a single flower in blue and yellow-orange.
And by the will of Veles, a wondrous miracle happened in the forest clearing: yellow-blue flowers grew, flowers are bright and mysterious. “Kupala-da-mavka” - people began to call them. And since then, in the meadows and in the forests, those flowers have grown with a red flame, blue water. To this day, they grow in the forests.
You, of course, saw them, dear girls and boys, they are called Ivan da Marya now - according to Orthodox customs. But the flowers are the same, the flowers are ancient, born by Veles - in memory of the twins. And people began to revere Kupapa himself as the God of summer, wild flowers and forest fruits, the God of purification and redemption.
You, of course, have heard about the night on Kupapa - a magical, incomprehensible night on the day of the summer solstice. She is still not forgotten. Since the misfortune happened to the twins, since they died and were reborn in a flower, our distant ancestors began to celebrate the holiday in honor of Kupap and the immortal Gods of Iri - a holiday of life and death, dying and rebirth. Since then, people and Gods began to celebrate the holiday of the sun, water and fire. Since then, this night of the summer solstice has become known among the Slavs as Kupala.
Strange things happen on Kupalskaya night! Even the trees move from place to place, rustle their leaves, talk among themselves. Animals, birds and even herbs talk to each other that night, and forest flowers are filled with unprecedented power - miraculous, magical power. On this night, people gather cherished herbs, which help in divination, and heal, and become love spells, and protect from misfortunes and troubles.
Only on this night of timelessness, a fern flower blooms in the forests, a plant dedicated to the thunderer Perun - “Perun's Colors”. The witches told our ancestors that, if you go to the forest that night, take a white tablecloth, canvas and a knife with you. With a knife or a burnt torch, draw a circle around the fern bush, spread a tablecloth and sit in a circle, not taking your eyes off the fern bush. Like, various monsters and spirits, subjects of Morena, will terrify and sleep on you, and if you get scared, step out of the circle, tear you apart at the same moment.
Exactly at midnight, a flower bud will appear on the fern, burst with a bang, and an unusually bright, fiery red flower will open. It is necessary to tear it as soon as possible, before another invisible hand grabs the flower. Evil spirits will scream with a terrible voice, the earth will shake, thunder will rumble, and lightning will flash, the wind will rustle, and a terrible roar will be heard, enveloping you with flame and a suffocating smell. But if you are lucky and you take possession of the flower, cover yourself with a tablecloth and run to the village without looking back. If you look back, the flower will disappear, and if not, if you endure all the trials, then the flower will open the past, present and future for you, teach you to look for treasures, introduce you to the secrets of the Gods, teach people to guess and understand the language of birds, animals and plants.
However, people also said that it’s all fiction, an illusion of unclean forces that want to destroy people, that in fact the fern never blooms in the forest, which means there’s nothing to go after it ...
On Kupapa, young men and women poured water over each other with mud mixed, and then they bathed together and sang songs to wash away everything unclean from the soul and body, they arranged baths. In the morning they collected life-giving dew and washed themselves with that dew in order to be healthy. The Slavs believed that at this time the heavens were able to open up for a short moment, and then every wish would come true.
On this night, the sun, after sunset, also bathes in the waters to bring fertility to the earth, and therefore, in honor of the mighty sun - in honor of the round Horse, and the bright Dazhbog, and the ardent Yarila - the wheels tied with straw were lit on Kupala night, an ancient solar symbol, with a dot - hub in the center and beams-knitting needles. And then they started up these burning wheels from the hills, so that they rolled, scattering fire, to the river to the very water. Until now, in some villages, the Kupala holiday is celebrated this way.
They also played burners - a fun game in honor of the sun with songs and catch-ups. It is from the burners that modern tags originated, which you still play with pleasure, dear girls and boys.
Views: 8 270
Tonight in Ukraine celebrated the summer holiday of Ivan Kupala. It was believed that on this special magical night it was impossible to sleep, because various evil spirits woke up that night - witches, mermen, mermaids, werewolves. This bright mystical holiday is rich in interesting traditions and colorful rituals. Ukrainian News will tell about Kupala traditions, rituals and prohibitions.
Traditions of the holiday of Ivan Kupala
On the night of Ivan Kupala, it is not customary to sleep. It is believed that by arranging noisy festivities and dancing, as well as fervently singing songs, young people scare away evil forces from their native places.
It was believed that it was not necessary to bathe, since the water one could be drawn into the water.
Traditionally, on this holiday, large bonfires were kindled, near which festivities unfolded, they had a common meal, danced round dances, sang songs and danced. At the same time, festivities at the "cleansing" fire begin in the evening.
After midnight and before dawn on July 7, the water in the reservoirs acquires a powerful healing power. Therefore, before sunrise, take a dip in the lake or river. It also adds health and cures all ailments.
Fire jumping
Jumping over the fire on Ivan Kupala was one of the most important rituals for the holiday - to lure good luck, success and health. Whoever jumps the highest will be the luckiest, healthiest and most beautiful.
To cleanse the body and soul from diseases and evil thoughts, you need to jump over the Kupala fire three times. For the ceremony to work, collect branches of male (beech, oak, maple) and female trees (rowan, alder and pine) and lay them out in the shape of a pyramid and set them on fire. Before jumping, ask the fire to take away illnesses and hardships.
Lovers can find out the future of their relationship with the help of a fire. Holding hands, the couple must jump over the Kupala fire. If the lovers do not let go of their hands in a jump, they will live together until the end of their lives, if they open their palms, there will be quarrels.
And women who have not had children for a long time jump in order to recover from infertility.
The Slavs believed that the Kupala fire destroys all evil - illness, misfortune, poverty. That is why they burned old clothes on it. There was a custom to throw a sick child's shirt into the Kupala fire. It was believed that his illness burned with her. Often livestock was driven through the Kupala fire to protect it from pestilence.
Whoever jumps the highest will be the luckiest, healthiest and most beautiful. Photo: vottak.net
Wreaths for Ivan Kupala
On Ivan Kupala, women and men who want to find a mate weave a Kupala wreath. Chamomile, St. John's wort, wormwood, nettle and other medicinal herbs must be woven into it. After Kupala, such a wreath serves as a talisman all year round. It is hung over the door so that no unkind glance can penetrate through it. If one of the household members falls ill, the hostess pinches off some grass from the wreath and throws it into the broth or tea. Often, by the next Kupala holiday, only the rim remains from the wreath, which is burned in the Kupala fire.
On that night, unmarried girls also wove wreaths of herbs and flowers and threw them into the water: if the wreath drowned, they would not be called to marry in the next year, the guy would fall out of love with her, even if he didn’t sail from the shore, the betrothed was somewhere very close, and if he sailed far away - then the guy from afar will woo.
Many traditions on Ivan Kupala are connected with water. Photo: imperia-lna.ru
How to guess on Ivan Kupala
For love. Before going to bed, you need to collect a few plantain leaves and put it under the pillow. When you go to bed, you should say: "Trip-traveller, you live by the road, you see the young and the old, tell me my betrothed!" That night, the girl should dream of her betrothed.
For the groom. Pick as many fern branches as you guess for how many people. Guess at midnight from 6 to 7 July. For each branch, think of the name of the guy you want to marry. Mark them with colored threads so as not to confuse. Dip into the water near the shore of the reservoir and press the branches to the bottom with your hand. Release abruptly. Which branch will pop up before everyone else - that guy conceived for it will become your destiny.
For the future. For it, it is necessary to break the church candle into several pieces and melt the wax. As soon as it melts, pour it into a container of water. What figure he will take is what he expects in the near future. For example, a ring or a candle for a wedding, a wallet for money, a star for good luck, a heart for love, a flag for the visit of an important guest, flowers for a new admirer, stripes for travel, waves for fulfillment of desires.
The girls were guessing at Ivan Kupala. Photo: vseodetyah.com
Water on Ivan Kupala
Many traditions on Ivan Kupala are connected with water. On July 7, Christians also celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan. Therefore, it is believed that it is from this day that swimming in open water becomes safe - all evil spirits are expelled from rivers and lakes.
The patronage of Kupala over lovers of swimming and frolic in the water lasts until Ilyin's day, which is celebrated on August 2. In addition to healing bathing, morning dew can heal the body and soul, and it will make young girls even more beautiful. After washing in the morning, in the evening, the girls float wreaths on the water, wondering about love.
Signs on Ivan Kupala
Our ancestors, as on any other holiday, closely followed the weather on this day. If it rains on Midsummer Day, then the whole summer will be hot and the weather will be dry.
But if at night the sky is generously dotted with stars, and in the morning nature gives abundant dew, then there will be a good harvest of cucumbers, mushrooms, and indeed all vegetables.
On this day, they tried to avoid meeting with snakes, because if you see her on this holiday, then trouble cannot be avoided and severe losses are expected soon.
After collecting the herbs, all the women carefully counted them. If there are twelve types of plants, then there will definitely be a wedding in the family next year.
Many believed that a special danger lies in wait for horses, which evil spirits can use for their own purposes. If so, they won't get out alive. Therefore, they tried to lock them securely.
Ivan Kupala falls on the hottest summer days, when the sun has already turned to winter. In ancient times, it was celebrated on the day of the summer solstice, June 22, glorifying the deity Kupalo, responsible for fertility, harvest, forest gifts. After the advent of the Gregorian calendar, it was associated with the birthday of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ, and since then they began to celebrate July 7th. Ivan Kupala 2017 - a set date, starting at midnight, people will gather on the banks of the river to swim, have fun and drive away the evil spirits that roam the area that night.
From time immemorial, the summer holiday has been very popular among the people. Over the decades, his rites have acquired details and have become the favorite pastimes of young people, who legitimately have fun all night long, lead round dances, and tell fortunes. Ivan Kupala is also expected in 2017 because absolutely incredible natural phenomena occur with his arrival - only once a summer a fern blooms at night, and whoever sees it has a gift - understanding the language of animals and clairvoyance. Forest herbs gain increased healing and life-giving power, some of them need to be collected at night, others at dawn, reading a prayer, then they should be dried in order to cook healing potions for a whole year. Love and lapel potions were also prepared from plants, they were used in divination, firmly believing in their magical power.
Water - a symbol of purification, at this time is considered especially valuable and is equated with Epiphany - you should swim at sunrise in order to ensure your health, cleanliness of the skin. In pre-Christian times, there was a belief that dangerous water monsters lived in the reservoirs, waiting for bathers, and they leave only after Ivan Kupala, and you can no longer be afraid of getting paws on them. Adults heartily begin to frolic in rivers and lakes, and very young children are allowed to pour all day - to splash in troughs and pools
The magic of fire on this holiday is in a special position. On the bank of the river they made a high mountain of rods, in the middle they fixed a stick with a horse's skull, a tar barrel and a large wheel. The fire burned all night until the morning, they danced around, sang songs, and before dawn they began to jump over the dying fire. The girls were supposed to participate in this entertainment without exception. Those who refused were called witches, since it was believed that the sorceress must certainly die over the fire. The rest jumped, clearing themselves of committed sins, they still burned the clothes of the sick in the fires, hoping thereby to save them from the disease. In the villages in the old days, cattle were driven between bonfires, subjecting them to the rite of purification, horses, on the contrary, were closed in stalls, hiding from evil spirits. Already before dawn, the burning wheel was rolled into the water, depicting the solstice.
Young people, especially unmarried girls, traditionally engaged in fortune-telling, the main theme was marriage. It is worth preparing for the action in advance by looking at the church calendar, what date is Ivan Kupala 2017. You need to collect 12 types of flowers and wild herbs, weave a wreath from them, fix a candle in the middle, set it on fire and put the weaving on the river surface. If the wreath immediately plunges into the water - do not wait for marriage this year, but if it floated down the river - the fate of the young woman will be decided in the next 12 months. And before dawn they chose the most beautiful girl, exposed her, entangled her with flowers, then blindfolded her and sent her into the forest, where young girls danced around her. "Dzevka-Kupalo", without looking, handed out wreaths, by which they learned about the fate of the girl. Fresh flowers promised a life of prosperity and health, a withered wreath - poverty and disease.
Jumping through the fire in pairs was also a subject of fortune-telling - if the guy and the girl, jumping through the fire, did not unhook their hands - they would be together all their lives. Looking at the fire, they made a wish, even burning - for realization, intermittent or fading - the dream will not come true. Candles were considered indicators of longevity - it is ideal that they burn out to the ground.
On the day of Ivan Kupala, you can check the following signs:
And yet, you should not be upset and discouraged if the signs did not come true, because by and large a person builds his own destiny, in which good luck and bad luck are closely intertwined.
(1 votes, average: 5,00 out of 5)
