What is the holiday of Ivan Kupala timed to. Magic night on Ivan Kupala
Midsummer Night is a very important and revered day for Eastern Slavs. For centuries, the Kupala holiday had a pagan character, was celebrated in honor of the God of the Sun and his wife Dawn-lightning.
Before switching to new style, Kupala day was celebrated in the days summer solstice, which fell on June 20-26. A single cycle of celebrations included Ivan's Day, the day of Agrafena Kupalnitsa, which was celebrated on July 6, and Peter's Day, which fell on July 12. The significance of the Kupala holiday was in the date - this is the boundary separating the two periods of the solar cycle. At this time, the peak of the flowering of nature was observed, the sun was at its zenith, and therefore it was distinguished by the highest activity. After that day, the sun “shifted” into the winter. At the same time, the night became longer, the day, on the contrary, became shorter.
Kupala holiday in the countries of the world and in Russia is celebrated in different days. For example, in Europe, namely in Finland, it is celebrated according to the old style - from June 21 to 22.
The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala. Rites of the holiday of Ivan Kupala. Signs of the holiday of Ivan Kupala. Bathing songs. Traditions of the holiday of Ivan Kupala.
July 7 - Ivan Kupala. Ivan color. The day of Ivan
The Nativity of John the Baptist, popularly known as the day of Ivan Kupala, is one of the most revered, most important, most wild holidays in a year. The whole population took part in it, and the tradition required the active inclusion of everyone in rituals, actions, demanded special behavior, mandatory implementation and observance of a number of rules, prohibitions, customs.
Let's start, as always, with sayings and signs that belong to the Kupala day:
Ivan Kupala divides the year in half.
Midsummer night is starry - there will be a lot of mushrooms.
If there is a thunderstorm on Midsummer Day, then few nuts will be born and they will be empty.
Strong dew on Ivan - to the harvest of cucumbers.
Ivanovo rains are better than the golden mountain.
Ivanovo rains cause an ambiguous assessment by the farmer - they are very necessary for bread, but dangerous for grass that has already been mowed or awaiting haymaking. Many Ivanovo proverbs, it is easy to see, repeat Sampsoniev's (July 10 / June 27) or vary the same theme of necessary and harmful rain in their own way.
Before Ivan's day, rain in the notch (that is, by the harvest of bread), after Ivan's day, rain from the notch.
During haymaking rains - hay is bad, grain is good.
When the hay is rotten, then it's nice in the barrel.
The hay is black, so the porridge is white.
Grasses are black - horses are fodder(the hay is dead, but the oats are good).
In a number of places on Kupala, a large mowing was opened. It is rather a symbolic, ritual beginning of the hay harvest. The real haymaking began immediately after the holiday.
Walk two swaths before the sun - you will not walk barefoot.
Walk three swaths before the sun, you will walk in boots, not barefoot.
On Ivan-day, the live should be eared out, and not eared, so this is a bad omen.
On Ivan-day a spikelet, so on Ilyin-day (August 2 / July 20) a bun in good year(pinezh.).
If Ivan has millet in a spoon, then it will be in a spoon (southern).
On Ivanov's day, color, on Ilyin's day - bread (Karel.).
Two or three days before Ivan Kupala, honey appears or after in the same period (Voronezh.).
Feed me to Ivan, I will make a pan out of you (says the bee).
Midsummer Day is filled with rituals related to water.
Ivan Kupala was called "clean" because at the dawn of this day it was customary to bathe, and this kind of bathing was attributed to magical and healing powers. In the morning on Ivanov's day, swimming is a nationwide custom, and only in some districts of the Yaroslavl province, the peasants were afraid to swim, because, according to their ideas, at that time the water man himself was considered a birthday man, who cannot stand it when people climb into his kingdom, and take revenge on them that drowns every careless.
In the early morning, the Vologda women "scooped the dew"; for this they took a clean tablecloth and beetroot, with which they went to the meadow. Here, the tablecloth was dragged along the wet grass, and then squeezed into beetroot and washed with this dew on the face and hands in order to drive away any “pain” and so that there were no blackheads or pimples on the face. In the same way, dew was scooped up in the Penza province, although here it served not only for health, but also for cleanliness in the house: Kupala dew they sprinkled the beds and walls of the house so that bedbugs and cockroaches would not be found.
On the eve of Ivan Kupala, Vologda peasant women always washed “kvashenka” at the well or on the river - tubs in which they prepared dough for rye bread.
In the villages along the Yenisei, on the night of Ivan Kupala, housewives carried out krinki into the yard. “In order for a cow to give more milk, so that there is more shot (cream) from milk, and so that more sour cream comes out of it”, you need to “let the krinki be covered with Ivanovo dew” [Vlasova, 66].
One of the fairly common Kupala rituals is pouring water on everyone you meet. “Village boys,” wrote an Oryol correspondent in the middle of the 19th century, “dress up in old, dirty linen and go with buckets and jugs to the river, where they fill them with the most dirty, muddy water, or even just liquid mud, and go through the village, dousing everyone and everyone and making an exception only for old people and youngsters” [Maksimov, 390]. But most of all, of course, they poured water on the girls: the guys even broke into houses, dragged them out by force and carried the girls out into the street, and here they tried to douse them from head to toe with water and mud. In turn, the girls did not remain in debt. Trying to take revenge on the guys, they also ran to the river for water. As a result, a general dump began, full of fun, laughter, screams, jokes. The matter ended with the fact that the youth, soiled, wet, in clothes stuck to the body, rushed to the river in a crowd and here, choosing a secluded place, away from the strict eyes of the elders, bathed together, and both the guys and the girls remained in clothes (in shirts) .
In many places it was customary to arrange a bath not on Agrafena Kupalnitsa, but on Midsummer's Day, just like knitting brooms. For example, in Verkhokamye, it was on the day of Ivan Kupala that “sick Old Believers definitely tried to wash and take a steam bath” [Chagin, 117]. In the Vologda region, brooms made from various herbs and branches of various trees were used to decorate the horns of recently calving cows.
The belief was quite widespread that women should not eat any berries before Ivan's Day, otherwise the children of the one who was not afraid of the temptation would die.
In the Poshekhonsky district of the Yaroslavl province, they believed that if on Ivan's day they climbed over 12 vegetable gardens, tynov (i.e. fences), any wish would come true.
The exclusivity, singularity, fatefulness of the Kupala day was expressed in different ways. For example, among the Russian-Ukrainian population of Kyrgyzstan, girls sewed and embroidered a special Kupala shirt, which they put on only once a year when they went to church on the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist. In the evening, the shirt was burned or hidden until next year[Maslova, 120].
Such a combination, more precisely, non-separation of beliefs and customs, rooted in pre-Christian culture and generated by Christianity, is generally characteristic of large calendar holidays. Another “talking” example: the inhabitants of Transbaikalia tried to take some land from under the monastery of St. Varlaam during the day or on the night of Ivan Kupala, being sure that this land, dissolved in water, helps well with spring fever [Vlasova, 74, 75].
But the main feature Kupala night there were cleansing fires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever is more successful and taller will be happier. Bonfires were arranged outside the village, usually on a high place, or on the border, on the border. Birch bark was thrown into the fire so that it burned more cheerfully and brighter. They tied the old wheels with straw, set them on fire and lowered them from the hillocks.
In Staraya Ladoga, Ivanovo bonfires were kindled from time immemorial on Mount Pobedishche, located at the confluence of the local river with the Volkhov. “There is this fire,” wrote I. P. Sakharov, “obtained by friction from wood, known under the name of the living, forest, king of fire,” magic power[Sakharov, 282].
“The fire cleanses from all filth of the flesh and spirit,” wrote one of the ethnographers of the 19th century, “and all the Russian peasantry jumps over Ivan Kupala.”
In some places, livestock was driven through the Kupala fire to protect it from pestilence. In Kupala bonfires, mothers burned shirts taken from sick children so that the diseases themselves would burn along with this linen.
Youth, teenagers, children, jumping over the fires, made noisy funny Games, brawls, racing. Be sure to play in the burners. The participants lined up in pairs one after another, the driver walked in front of them and shouted (or sang, shouted all in unison):
Burn, burn bright
To not go out.
Look at the sky
The birds are flying
The bells are ringing:
Digi don, digi don
Run away quickly!
At last words the first couple, without separating their hands, ran forward, and the driver tried to catch up. The one who was caught stood with the one leading to the end, forming the last pair, and the remaining one had to “burn”, that is, to catch one of the next escaping pair.
Each locality had its own choruses in this game, and it was not called “burners” everywhere: somewhere - “smoking room is alive”, somewhere “garnet”, etc.
Here are a few choruses recorded in the Vladimir province:
Burn, burn hot.
Zakharka is coming
Himself on a mare
wife on a cow
Children on carts
Servants on dogs.
Look up -
There is a pestle!
Burn, burn bright
To not go out.
Stay at the bottom
Look at the field
There are trumpeters
Yes, they eat kalachi.
Look at the sky
The stars are burning
Cranes cry:
Huh, I'll run away.
One, two, do not crow,
And run like fire!
If the "burning" did not separate the fleeing couple, he was teased:
Bright, not bright
Sheep, not a sheep
The gray sheep does not marry
Give me a senza - he will wrap himself up.
Almost all European peoples firmly believed that the night of Ivan Kupala is a mysterious time, full of miracles and extraordinary events, a time when all sorts of metamorphoses happen, the world appears in a special light and quality: the trees move from place to place and talk to each other rustling leaves; animals and even herbs talk to each other, the spirits of the forest, water, air become visible, and their language can be understood by a person; the earth itself behaves almost like a fairy tale: it reveals the secret of its depths (lights are lit in the place of treasures, crevices with gemstones appear in the mountains, gold nuggets come to the surface or deposits of other metals, diamonds, etc. are discovered), makes bloom magic flower fern, brings a person to the unknown, hidden in common days from human eyes a clearing where magical herbs grow, etc., etc.
According to the beliefs of the peasants, in the Kupala short night one cannot sleep, first of all, because it is necessary to meet the sunrise. All sorts of misfortunes await those who were not present at the same time, moreover, he can bring misfortunes to others (family, village).
As already mentioned, Kupala night - dangerous time, as all evil spirits become extremely active - witches, werewolves, mermaids, the dead.
Midsummer Day - beware of the pranks of the undead (brownies, water, goblin, mermaids).
It is no coincidence that in Transbaikalia the day of Ivan Kupala was called "Ivan the Sorcerer".
According to popular belief, witches gather on Bald Mountain near Kyiv and celebrate their night there. Those who remained on the ground take away milk from cows, spoil bread; mermen seek to drag a person under water; the goblin frightens those who enter the forest, leads them into the thicket, etc. There are a lot of beliefs, statements on this topic throughout Russia. We restrict ourselves to just a few examples.
On the day of Ivan Kupala, a blind snake (copperhead) gets sight for the whole day and therefore becomes very dangerous: rushing at a person like an arrow, it can pierce him through, although on all other days of the year it is absolutely harmless [Zavoyko, 1914; 130].
Voronezh residents were afraid of mermaids on the day of Ivan Kupala, when they tried with special diligence to lure a person and, tickling, “carry them away to their water dwelling” [Vlasova, 456].
According to the beliefs of the inhabitants of the Arkhangelsk villages, it is difficult to see the goblin, but on this day you can not only see him, but also conclude an agreement with him. To do this, on the night of Ivan Kupala, you need to go into the forest, cut down an aspen there so that it falls with its top to the east, and, standing on its stump, bend over and look between your legs also to the east, then say: “Uncle Goblin, show yourself not gray wolf, not a black crow, not a fir-tree; show yourself like me!” And the goblin will appear in the guise of a man. If a person is ready to conclude an agreement with him in exchange for his soul, the goblin undertakes to help him in everything, but warns that it is impossible to tell a single living soul about this [Vlasova, 305].
The peasants of the Varnavinsky district of the Kostroma province believed that each village had its own witchcraft - a striga, which at midnight at Kupala, taking the form of a woman dressed all in white, goes into the field to cut ears on foreign fields, depriving the owners of these fields of harvest. Catching a striga can be very difficult, because it is able to turn into animals and birds.
Sorcerers and witches attacked cattle that night. To protect themselves from their insidious actions, the owners “removed the collars and bindings from the calves (a rope or belt for tying the calf at the milking place), hid the pail and the milking chair, and walked around the yard with Sunday prayer. The gates were also closed with prayer” [Vlasova, 258]. In some villages of the south and southwest In Russia, on the Kupala night, they performed the symbolic burning of a horse skull or an effigy depicting a witch.
A characteristic sign of Ivan Kupala- numerous customs and legends associated with the plant world, which during this period acquires (or manifests with special force) miraculous qualities.
Midsummer Day came - he went to collect grass.
Ivan Kupala - good herbs.
Because it is on Kupala knowledgeable people go for herbs and flowers. Certain plants are harvested during the day, some at night, and some only by the morning dew. When the herbs are torn, they say: “Mother Earth, bless me, take the herbs, and the grass is my mother!” In the Nizhny Novgorod and Vyatka regions, poetic appeals to the earth and the herbs nourished by it are already recorded in our time: “Grass from God, a root from the earth, a flower from the sun. Whatever you're good for, whatever you're good for, that's what I'll take you for. Mother Earth, bless the brother grass” [Nizhny Novgorod. zag., 52; Vyat. dr NK, 112]. If they collect plants used for spoilage, then they say: “Father-heaven, Earth-mother, bless your fruit to tear! Your fruit is suitable for everything: from sorrows, from diseases and from all ailments - daytime and noon, night and midnight, from a sorcerer and a sorceress, a heretic and a heretic! Go, you sorcerer and sorceress, heretic and heretic, on the blue sea! On the blue sea lies a white-combustible stone. Whoever lifts this stone, who drinks the ocean-sea, and who counts all the sand in the ocean-sea, he can do witchcraft and art on every slave and on every work, always, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen". This or similar conspiracies were well known in different places Russia and more than once recorded by folklorists and ethnographers [see, for example, Maykov, 101-102].
Herbs and flowers collected on Ivan's Day are placed under Ivan's dew, dried and preserved, considering them more healing than those collected at other times. They fumigate the sick with them, fight evil spirits, they are thrown into a flooded oven during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike, they are used to “ignite love” or to “dry out”.
The girls of the Onega district of the Arkhangelsk province went out to look for "Ivanovsky borscht" - a plant that, in their opinion, has great healing power. The girls went in whole companies, accompanied by guys, so that the search for grass turned into courtship with hugs, kisses, running around, etc. [Kalinin, 302].
At night, before sunrise, Ivan-da-Marya flowers were torn. They believed that if they were put in the corners of the hut, then the thief would not enter the house: brother and sister (yellow and purple colors plants) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owner is talking to the mistress.
On the night from Agrafena to Ivan, knowledgeable old people in the Achinsk district of the Yenisei province advised, “before sunrise, so that no one sees you, tear the Chernobyl; under the root you will find coal; it brings relief from many diseases - from the belly, nausea, etc. If they see you doing this, the coal will go into the ground ”[Makarenko, 65].
Of the wonderful herbs collected at this time, it is worth mentioning the plakun-grass, the power of which, according to the peasants, lies in its root, which has the ability to drive away evil spirit; the owner of the root will inspire fear [Stepanov, IZ]. Terlich-grass is used to bewitch guys by girls: they wear it in their bosoms and say: “Terlich, terlich, call Khlogschev!” Chernobyl grass, according to popular belief, is disgusting to witches and protects the house and yard from them. She is plaited into a whip and placed under Ivanov's dew with a sentence: " Mother Earth Heavenly father, give your slaves health from this herb!” Finch herb helps with baby crying and insomnia; dried raspers sprinkle sore spots on the body - cuts, abscesses, tumors. Shepherd's purse has long been harvested as a good hemostatic agent; those suffering from rheumatism collected large quantities of stinging nettles; for the treatment of wounds, burns stocked up hare cabbage. In case of colds, coughs, it was necessary to have a coltsfoot, oregano, rosemary at home. Can't list everything...
However, the fern became the main character of the plant world on Ivan's Day, with which legends about treasures and about endowing the one who was lucky enough to get a fern flower with magical, supernatural qualities and abilities were universally associated.
It was said that with a fern flower that opens for just a few moments at midnight in Ivano-Kupala, you can see all the treasures, no matter how deep they are in the ground. True, getting such a flower is almost more difficult than the treasure itself. According to stories, around midnight, a bud suddenly appears from the wide leaves of a fern, which, rising higher and higher, then sways, then stops - and suddenly staggers, rolls over and jumps. Exactly at 12 o'clock in the morning, a ripe kidney bursts with a bang, and a bright fire flower, so bright that it is impossible to look at it: an invisible hand tears it off, and a person almost never manages to do it. During the flowering of the fern, it is as if the voice and chirping of an evil spirit is heard, which does not want to allow a person to a wonderful, rare flower having precious properties". Whoever finds a blooming fern and manages to take possession of it, “he acquires the power to command everyone. Powerful rulers will be powerless before him, and unclean spirits will be at his complete disposal; he may know where the treasures are hidden; into any treasury, no matter what locks it may be locked, he will enter as a master, for the doors themselves will open before him - one has only to attach a wonderful flower to the lock; Invisibly, its owner makes his way to any beauty - and there is nothing that would be impossible for him. Such is the strength and power of this flower” [Stepanov, 111, 112].
In the settlement of Saguna, Ostrogozhsky district, Voronezh province, they told the following story: “A shepherd was tending bulls near the forest and fell asleep. Waking up at night and seeing that there were no bulls around him, he ran into the forest to look for them. Running through the forest, he accidentally ran into a fern that had just blossomed. The shepherd, not noticing the grass, ran right over it. At this time, he accidentally knocked down a flower with his foot, which fell into his shoe. Then he became happy, immediately found the bulls. Not knowing what was in his shoe, and without taking off his shoes for a whole week, the shepherd a short time saved a lot of money and learned the future. Meanwhile, earth was poured into the shoe during this time. The shepherd, having taken off his shoes, began to shake the earth out of his shoe, and together with it shook out the flower of the fern. From that time on, he lost his happiness: he lost his money and did not begin to recognize the future” [Yakovlev, 1905; 271].
In different places, it was customary on the day of Ivan Kupala to go out into the meadows and fields - to enjoy the grass, green bread and, in accordance with the tradition, express one's feelings and hope for a good mowing and harvest by walking “by the grass”.
In the village of Nimencha on the Pomeranian coast of the White Sea, on Midsummer Day, young people “led in circles”: “young women and girls walked across the meadow with“ oblique pillars ”and sang“ meadow songs ”, six ends of the village sang twelve songs. Here the teenagers arranged their game, which was called “plow the meadow” [Bernshtam, 1978; 54]. Something similar happened in Verkhokamye and Verkhoturye (in the Middle Urals), where, according to G.N. Chagin, “from Ivanov's day to Petrov's day, peasants went out into the field, checked crops, grasses.<...>young people in a large crowd with beer and songs walked around their fields, sometimes played in circles, rejoiced at the crops, if they were good. To get rid of evil spirits<...>shot in the fields” [Chagin, 117].
KUPAL SONGS
Girls, women -
To the Bath!
fret fret,
To the Bath!
Oh who won't come out
to the bathhouse,
fret fret,
To the Bath!
Oh he will
Stump-deck,
fret fret,
Stump deck!
And who will go
To the Bath
fret fret,
To the Bath!
And he will be Bel birch!
fret fret,
White birch! (Pskov province.)
Girls plucked flowers Dry, guys dry,
Yes, they tortured Ivan: Sitting behind the ridges,
“What are these flowers? - "Looking at the girl.
“These are the flowers of Kupala, That the girls are good,
The girls were washed, And the guys were naked:
And the guys - sigh! The spearmen don't talk about souls!
(Tomsk Province)
Let's go girls
Let's go girls
living around,
Living around.
Our life
Our life
sacred,
Sacred!
In our life
In our life
The witch sits
The witch is sitting.
Go witch
Go witch
At Senkovo,
At Senkovo,
"Go, witch,
Go witch
From our life
From our life.
Tama zhito,
Tama zhito
Not sacred
Not holy!" (Smolensk Province)
Three witches were born
Traditions and rituals of Ivan KupalaIvan Kupala (or in Old Slavonic - Kupail, Ivanov's day) is considered by the people as a holiday of the Sun and green mowing. According to the old style, the celebration was celebrated on June 24 and coincided with the day of the summer solstice, to which the celebration was dedicated. After switching to new calendar the holiday had only a semantic meaning, and the binding to the solstice was lost.
Traditions of celebrating Ivan Kupala
traditional celebration Ivan Kupala is associated with pagan pre-Christian rites, which include three essential components: herbs, water and fire.
Cleansing by fire
The fire was given mystical meaning and believed in its cleansing power. On the bank of the river, a stuffed animal "madder" or "kupala" was installed - a tree one and a half human height, which was decorated with ribbons and wreaths.
Round dances were danced around it in the evening. A big bonfire was also lit, and the youth organized competitions by jumping over the bonfire and running round dances around it. The lovers jumped over the fire, holding hands, trying not to break them. It is believed that this strengthened the relationship.
In the fire on Ivan Kupala, old grievances and unwanted memories could be burned. To do this, it was necessary to find a thing that connected with a bad event, and throw it into the fire. When the thing burned down, the ashes were scattered along with bad feelings, illnesses and memories with wormwood bushes, Strong smell which helped oblivion.
Water rejuvenation
It was believed that water on this day acquires healing rejuvenating properties. On the eve of the morning, young girls washed themselves with morning dew, which, according to legend, made the skin cleaner and healthier. If a guy washed himself with dew, then his body became strong and strong.
After the obligatory ritual bathing, they did not dry themselves so that the body could be saturated with life-giving force. People believed that if the walls in the house were sprayed with such dew, then small insects would leave it.
It is very useful on this day to go to the bathhouse and take a steam bath with the so-called Ivankovsky wreaths, the grass for which was collected the day before. The ancient Slavs believed that such herbal preparations maintain and improve health.
The power of herbs on Ivan Kupala
The most popular "herbal" belief is the acquisition of magical power by the fern. It was believed that at night on Ivan Kupala, the fern begins to bloom and illuminates the entire forest with its light. It gives the finder the opportunity to understand the language of flowers and birds, to open any locks and gates without keys. And most importantly, a person will be able to see valuable treasures buried underground.
However, unfortunately, none of known species fern does not bloom. Therefore, the plausibility of the folk legend should not be counted on.
Girls wove wreaths of 12 medicinal herbs, and after sunset they let them go on the river with a lit candle in the middle. If the wreath was left by the shore, then the wedding this year is postponed, if it drowned, then the beloved fell out of love. If the candle does not go out for a long time, then life will be happy.
The same wreaths were used as a talisman for the house and barn, it was believed that herbs could protect people and animals from diseases. There is some truth in this, since the aroma of dried herbs repelled the carriers of the disease - insects and rodents.
According to the herbal plants blooming during this period, they were guessing for happiness. Flowers with unopened buds were plucked and placed in water. If it blooms quickly, in 2-3 days, and will be with even and beautiful petals That means everything will be fine.
Folk omens and beliefs
Numerous beliefs and beliefs are also associated with Ivan Kupala:
- Until July 7, it was forbidden to swim in open water. For the celebration, everyone was allowed to swim, except for the old, the sick, small children and pregnant women. The ancestors believed that the water evil spirits could spread to weakened people and therefore protected them in every possible way from possible misfortune;
- If, at dawn after Ivan Kupala, the available money is counted several times and then hidden, then their nominal amount will increase;
- It was forbidden to pick up things found on the road, otherwise you could fall into the clutches of a mythical peregrine, luring into the thicket in the form of a loved one;
- It is undesirable to sleep on Kupala night, since various evil spirits (mermaids, goblin, brownies) do not sleep, which can take away livestock and cause various misfortunes;
- The weaker sex had to come to the Kupala fire, otherwise the woman could be recognized as a witch;
- The dishes prepared for the holiday were also endowed with magical powers. If a girl shared pancakes with her companion, then this strengthened their relationship. At the end of the dinner, you had to touch the biggest loaf and make a wish. It was believed that it would definitely come true.
In 2016, Ivan Kupala falls on the day of the growing moon and, according to lunar calendar, favors the collection medicinal herbs. Them healing powers on the eve of the holiday increase many times. You should also prepare hay for the hayloft and feeding animals, as well as mulch for fertilizer.
- Preparation of greens for the winter - drying, freezing;
- Dig up bulbs of faded plants;
- Start planting drought-resistant crops in open ground;
- The day before, harvest the finished crop for storage;
- This day is considered unfavorable for watering and feeding.
Outcome
Despite the fact that Ivan Kupala is considered a pagan holiday, it is still popular among the people. On this day, spend the evening in a non-trivial and interesting way: tell fortunes, jump over the fire, dance.
Ivan Kupala (Midsummer Day, Midsummer Night) - ancient pagan holiday, which is traditionally celebrated by the Slavs on the night of July 6-7. Many traditions are associated with this day. Its roots go very deep, up to the XII century. Before baptism, Ivanov's day was timed to coincide with the summer solstice. We will talk about how to celebrate Ivan Kupala, about traditions, rituals and entertainment on this holiday.
The summer holiday of Ivan's Day has a very long tradition and is closely associated with the elements of water, grass and fire. It is on this day that they all have strengths magical properties and activate natural principles. For our ancestors, this was a way to cleanse themselves of accumulated sins, illnesses and, of course, have fun.
It has long been customary on Ivanov's Day to swim in reservoirs while evil spirits walk around the earth, collect herbs, dance and jump over a fire. Unmarried girls are supposed to guess on wreaths. In our time on mass celebrations dedicated to the day of Ivan Kupala, required attribute it is considered to search for a fern flower at midnight. On this day, fun celebrations are held, which are accompanied by folk songs, mass round dances and dances.
Fire jumping
The most important tradition of the Kupala night is jumping over the fire. This rite symbolizes spiritual cleansing. It is also customary to dance round the fire. There was a belief: if you burn the patient's shirt in the fire of such a fire, then he will certainly recover.
On this day, young people and children have fun, sing songs and dance. It is on Ivan Kupala that the shortest of the year falls, and people believe in an old legend: on this mystical night you can’t go to bed. According to popular beliefs, it was on the night of July 6-7 that all unclean forces woke up and walked around the local environs.
Customs with herbs
Dried herbs. A large number of The customs and beliefs of this day are closely intertwined with herbs. Flowers collected on Ivan Kupala were considered healing, so they were dried and protected all year round. With the help of these herbs, the sick were treated, and they also fought the unclean. Having “Kupala” herbs in the house, it was possible to ward off all evil from your home.
Fern. One of the most important traditions of this holiday is to find a fern flower. Our ancestors believed: with a fern flower, you can find a treasure, even one that is deep underground. But legends say that the flower appears at midnight and only for a few seconds. Nowadays, the fern symbol means good luck, happiness, love and wealth.
habits with water
The main custom of the holiday is swimming in the water. On Midsummer Day, water was considered healing and had magical powers that could improve health and heal from long-standing ailments. It was at this time that water entered into a sacred union with fire and acquired a huge natural force. Hence the tradition to kindle a fire near water bodies.
Wreaths. Traditionally, wreaths woven by unmarried girls were considered the main feature of the celebration of Ivan Kupala. They were worn on the head, and closer to midnight they were allowed to float on the water. This ceremony symbolized the hope of a girl without a couple for a quick meeting with her betrothed. They let out a wreath and looked in which direction it would float - depending on this, they judged where to wait for a loved one. If the wreath quickly sailed away from the shore - the girl is destined to live a long time, happy life or good marriage; if the wreath turned out to be farther than others, the girl will be happier than others; if the wreath does not float anywhere, it means that this year the girl will not be married; if it sinks, this promises separation. How to celebrate Ivan Kupala with wreaths by the river is a classic. They also lit a candle and placed it in the center of the wreath. If the candle burned for a long time, it symbolized good luck in business for the whole year.
What to wear on Ivan Kupala
Shoes. It is believed that on Midsummer Night a girl should walk barefoot. But to us, modern people, you won’t like walking barefoot everywhere, so for Ivanovo festivities in a meadow or field, we choose as much as possible comfortable shoes. Light white sandals or ballet shoes will perfectly fit into your festive look.
Ornaments. As a rule, the custom on Ivan Kupala suggested that girls adorn themselves with various beads, necklaces, flowers and wreaths. In general, flowers and herbs are the most important decorations.
Cloth. On this day she must be white color which symbolizes purity and innocence. It's great if you have a national attire - a white embroidered shirt or linen dress in folk style. Ordinary white blouses made of chiffon or silk are also suitable. If there is no embroidery on the blouse, it does not matter: decorate your outfit with red beads, bracelets and flowers.
Wreath. Do not forget: in each unmarried girl at the celebration of Ivan Kupala there must be a wreath woven by her with her own hands. This is a symbol that will bring her good luck and true love and also protect against bad people. Wreaths, most often, weave from daisies, dandelions, cornflowers and clover.
Celebrating Ivan Kupala, be closer to nature, enjoy, have fun and be yourself! Merry festivities to you!
N.V. Gogol "Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala"
Ivan Kupala (Ivan's night, Ivan's day) is one of the main holidays of the Slavic calendar, coinciding with the Nativity of John the Baptist. The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, it was called Kupala, Kres (Old Russian), Ivan the Good, Lover, Ivan Kupala, Ivan the Herbalist, Yarilin Day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Sontsecres (Ukrainian), Spirits Day (Bulgarian) and etc.
The meaning of the word can be understood thanks to Sanskrit. So, the first part "kupala" - ku - means "land, edge". The second part - pala - "watchman, keeper, protector, lord." Hence the meaning of the name of the holiday - Defender of the Earth or Lord of the Earth. The similarity with Gopala (Veleskniga) is obvious - the Deity of the third month of the solar cycle (kola), the beginning of which fell on the vernal equinox. The Lord of the Earth and its Lord is one of the epithets of the Sun.
Kupala rites, performed on the eve of the holiday (“the night on the eve of Ivan Kupala”), constitute a complex ritual complex, including: collecting herbs and flowers, weaving wreaths, decorating buildings with greenery, kindling fires, destroying a scarecrow, jumping over a fire or over bouquets of greenery, dousing water, divination, witch tracking, nightly excesses.
The holiday of Ivan Kupala is mystical and mysterious, but at the same time cheerful and reckless, was celebrated by all the Slavs who lived from the Carpathians to the north of Rus'. Many customs and rituals are associated with the day of Ivan Kupala. For example, swimming on the day of Ivan Kupala is a nationwide custom, however, some ancient peoples believed that such bathing could be dangerous, because the birthday boy - Ivan Kupala - is a water man who does not like it when strangers climb into his kingdom and he is ready to drown anyone cautious. But the main element of the bathing night is the cleansing bonfires, which you need to jump over in order to be more successful and happier. It happened that a herd of livestock could be driven through the bathing fire, thereby people wanted to protect the cattle from pestilence and other diseases. Children and youth were sure to play burners.
In Rus', there was a belief that on the bathing night from July 6 to 7 - the shortest of the year - you can’t sleep. Indeed, on this night, all evil spirits come to life: witches and werewolves, mermaids and snakes, sorcerers and brownies, water and goblin. Many legends and traditions of the holiday of Ivan Kupala are connected with the plant world. The flowers and herbs collected on this day have special properties, they fumigate the sick, fight against evil spirit ignite love. Before the revolution, the holiday of Ivan Kupala was one of the most important and revered holidays. Furthermore,
the participation of each person was almost mandatory, because many rituals and rules required active participation everyone.
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Divination and beliefs
On Ivan Kupala, girls weave wreaths, stick candles in them, let them float on the water and tell fortunes. If the wreath does not sink, but floats, then it is waiting imminent marriage. The happiest will be the one whose wreath lasts longer on the water, and whoever burns out the candle the longest will live the longest life.
At midnight, without looking, you need to collect a bunch of herbs and put it under your pillow, and in the morning check whether twelve different plants. If you have enough - to be married this year. They also put a plantain under the head, which in the old days was called a tripod, saying “Triptnik-fellow, you live on the road, you see the young and the old, tell me my betrothed!”
According to legend, you can expect the fulfillment of a wish if you climb over the fences of twelve gardens on Midsummer Day.
It is believed that those who take part in the celebration of Ivan Kupala Day will definitely find their happiness and love.
The rite of throwing wreaths into the water and fortune-telling on the narrowed wounds It was also called “silent water” in some Russian territories.
Rituals on Ivan Kupala associated with water:
In the old days, people believed that starting from the day of Ivan Kupala, until Ilyin's day, all evil spirits left the waters of lakes, rivers and reservoirs, therefore it was allowed to swim during this period of time. The most important custom on Kupala night is the obligatory bathing in the water.
In addition, on this night, it was the water that was considered healing and had magical powers that helped to cleanse itself of all evil, heal and gain good health. If there was no open reservoir near the village, then people heated baths, in which they steamed from the heart and washed off evil spirits, and Kupala brooms were used in the future until next day Ivan Kupala. Also very popular in ancient times was bathing in holy springs on the night of Ivan Kupala. According to popular belief, it was at this time that water enters into a sacred union with fire, and this was considered a huge natural force, the symbol of which was Kupala bonfires, which, to this day, are kindled along the shores of lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
Popular beliefs on Ivan Kupala:
- On the Bathing Night, the witches became very active, and therefore caused a lot of harm to people, livestock, and crops in the fields. On the night of Ivan's Day, people protected themselves from witches' encroachments with nettles, which were laid out on the threshold of the house and on the windowsills.
- Horses were especially vulnerable that night, the witches hunted for them in order to ride them to Bald Mountain, but to which the horses no longer returned alive. People have always locked their horses on Kupala night.
- On Bathing Night, people searched for anthills and collected ant oil, which, according to legend, was endowed with great healing properties that night.
- Plucked into the night, Ivan da Marya's bathing flowers had to be put into all corners of his hut, it was believed that the thief would never climb in, as he would hear voices in the house. According to legend, the Ivan da Marya flower is a brother and sister who fell in love with themselves, and were punished for this and turned into a flower. Brother and sister will talk, and this will scare away the thieves.
- On the night of Ivan Kupala, it is believed that trees can move from one place to another, talking to each other with the rustle of leaves. This also applied to grass and flowers. Even animals, according to legend, talk to each other on this night.
Fern flower
According to legend, on the night before Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms: a flower arrow with a bud resembling hot coal appears from the center of the bush, and exactly at midnight a fiery flower appears for a moment. If you break it, you can acquire the ability to see treasures buried in the ground, understand the language of animals, open all the locks by simply attaching a flower to them, gain the gift of foresight, take on any shape and become invisible.
The flower hunter should draw a circle around himself with a consecrated knife and wait until midnight. It is difficult to pick a fern flower, as the forest evil spirits prevent this in every possible way: it calls out, calls in a familiar voice, makes noise. In no case should you respond or turn around - you can lose your life. Having obtained a flower, you need to hide it in your bosom and run away without looking back.
Bonfires are a traditional attribute of the holiday
They were burned everywhere on Ivanovo night. Usually they were laid out on hills in a rye field, on the shore of a reservoir or at the place of traditional festivities.
youth. They burned barrels, stumps, put on top of the poles of the wheel and bunches of straw. In some places, with a burning bunch of straw, they walked through the fields. Young people had fun near the fires: they sang songs, danced, and swung on the swings installed nearby. The favorite pastime of the youth was jumping over the fire, alone or in pairs. On Ivanovo night, as in Christmas time, young people did not adhere to the usual norms of behavior. Girls and guys dressed up, i.e. wore fur coats turned inside out. They drove Ivanov and Marii into the rye; they were naughty in the village: they laid chimneys or propped up the gates and doors of the huts; rode and wrestled in the rye. main feature Kupala night, of course, cleansing bonfires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever jumps more successfully and higher will be happier. In some places, livestock were driven between the Kupala bonfires to protect them from pestilence. In Kupala bonfires, mothers burned shirts taken from sick children so that diseases would burn along with this linen.
The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala
After the adoption of Christianity, it began to be celebrated on the birthday of John the Baptist, which fell on June 24, according to the old style. Then there was a transition to a new style, due to which the date of the holiday moved to July 7th. As a result, it turned out that he lost his astronomical connection with the solstice.
The history of the name is quite interesting. this holiday. Initially, it was dedicated to the pagan god Kupala. And in the process of christinization, it also received a name in honor of John the Baptist (Forerunner). He is considered the closest predecessor of Jesus Christ, who predicted his coming. John lived in the Judean desert as an ascetic, preaching the baptism of repentance for the Jews. It was he who baptized Jesus Christ himself in the waters of the Jordan. Baptism was performed by immersion in water or washing. AT Christian ideas he is the last in a line of prophets. John the Baptist became the most revered saint of Christianity after the Virgin.
Interesting facts about the holiday of Ivan Kupala
- 10th place: On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls lower wreaths with lighted splinter or candles onto the river. If the wreath sinks immediately, it means that the betrothed has fallen out of love and cannot marry him. Whoever's wreath floats the longest will be the happiest of all, and whoever's splinter burns longer, she will live a long, long life!
- 9th place: If on this night you pick the flower of Ivan da Marya and put it in the corners of the hut, the thief will not come to the house: brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of Ivan da Marya) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owner is talking to the owner.
- 8th place: Also on Midsummer Night, rich grass is collected, which is stuck into the wall in the name of each of the family; whose flower will soon wither, that this year either die or get sick.
- 7th place: One more true omen. At midnight, you need to pick up flowers without looking and put them under your pillow, and in the morning check if twelve different herbs have accumulated. If you have enough, then this year you will get married.
- 6th place: The main character Midsummer Day - a fern, with which legends about treasures were everywhere associated. It is said that with a fern flower that opens for just a few moments at midnight on Midsummer Day, you can see all the treasures, no matter how deep they are in the ground.
- 5th place: Trees that night move from place to place and talk to each other. Animals and even herbs also talk to each other, which are filled with a special, miraculous power that night.
- 4th place: On Midsummer Night, some oil is collected on ant heaps, which is recognized as a healing agent against various diseases.
- 3rd place: Witches on Ivan Kupala become more dangerous, and therefore you should put nettles on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attacks. It is also necessary to lock up the horses so that the witches do not steal them and ride them to Bald Mountain.
- 2nd place: On Ivanov's day, before sunrise, you need to carry a bear's head through your herd and bury it in the middle of the yard, then there will be no case among the cattle. Let's leave the question of where and how to get a bear's head aside.
- 1st place: If twelve gardens are climbed on Midsummer Day, any wish will come true. If, of course, you manage to escape from the owners of gardens ...
The page was created by:
- Kirichenko Daria
- Kareva Alisa
- Kudryavtseva Vika
- Vissarionova Oksana
- Shershneva Diana
