KUPALA - KUPALA - IVAN KUPALA- Summer Solstice - one of the greatest Holy Days of Kologod, timed to coincide with the Summer Solstice. The holiday of the Sun and Water, which give rise to all living things, is the time for the flowering of all the life-giving forces of Mother Nature. This is what people say: On Kupala - the Sun for the winter, and the summer for the heat», « Whoever does not go to the Bathhouse - he will be a stump-deck, and whoever goes to the Bathhouse - he will be a white-birch», « Where Yarilo swam, there the shore swayed; where Mara bathed, there the grass spread».

At the time of dual faith in Rus' 24 Sunday/June celebrated the day of John the Baptist ("Ivan Kupala").

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Ivan Kupala

The essence of the holiday Ivan Kupala

One of the most significant holidays among the Slavs. The peculiarity of this custom lies in the time of its onset: the boundary of two periods of the solar cycle during the year. It is the annual cycle of the sun that is the basis of the ancient calendar of farmers. It is worth noting that in the Aryan religions the solar cycle was given great attention: in fact, the pagan calendar represents the history of the movement of the sun during the year.

On the day of the celebration of Kupala, the sun reached its highest activity: the longest daylight hours, and the shortest night. It was after Kupala, as the people believed, that the sun began to “fade away”, the day was waning. All days summer solstice were considered holidays. These were green Christmas time - a week of rest after planting the crop. At this time, the role of man in the upcoming harvest was small: everything now depended only on the weather. Therefore, people sought to achieve her favor by performing Christmas rites.

According to folk legends, this holiday personified the union of Heaven (Father) with Earth (Mother), Fire and Water, husband and wife. It was believed that Fireflower blooms in the heart of every person, and Nature is filled with love. Ivanov's Day (another name for the holiday) is celebrated in many countries, it is considered not only national, but also church.

origin of name

The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, it was called Kupala, Kupalo, Kres (old Russian), Ivan the good, loving, Ivan Kupala, Ivan the herbalist, Yarilin day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Soncekres (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 spring equinox. The Lord of the Earth and its Lord is one of the epithets of the Sun.

The name Ivan Kupala, generally accepted today, comes from a fusion of folk and Christian etymologies. Translated from Greek, the epithet Baptist also has the meaning of "plunger, bather." After the adoption of Christianity, the ceremony was timed to coincide with the celebration of the birthday of John the Baptist (July 24).

Celebration time

Before Christianity spread in Rus', Ivan Kupala was celebrated on the day of the summer solstice (June 20-22). Later, as noted, the celebration became closely connected with the birthday of John the Baptist (June 24, according to the old style, July 7, according to the new one). To date, the celebration does not correspond to the astronomical solar equinox.

According to the ancient folk calendar, Kupala was one of the holidays that were part of a single cycle: Agrafena Kupalnitsa on the eve and Peter's Day, which followed immediately after Kupala. The people believed that this period of the year is characterized by the peak of the flowering of nature. The holiday cycle was accompanied by the belief that Magic force elements (fire, earth and water) was the greatest. That is why people sought to join this force, to take advantage of its healing, protective and cleansing capabilities for the entire coming year. At the same time, the Kupala holidays were attributed to the activity of otherworldly forces, which very frightened the people.

Rites for Kupala

Since ancient times, the Kupala holiday was celebrated in different settlements in different ways, depending on local customs, natural and climatic features of the area and the spiritual level of the people who took part in the rituals. Actually, to this day there are differences: Communities, united by the main meaning of the rites, conduct them according to their custom.

Fire

An integral attribute of the Kupala night, when it is customary to build cleansing bonfires. They were lit only from a living immortal source of fire - a flame obtained by rubbing wood against wood. They danced around the cleansing fires and jumped over them to be happy. It was believed that in such a fire sickness and damage would burn. Therefore, mothers threw the linen of sick children into the fire, and many cattle were led between the fires. In some areas, in addition to cleansing fires, barrels or wheels were set on fire, and, putting them on poles, they wore them - a bright symbolism of the sun.

Water

Water on this day acquired magical properties as the people believed. From that day on, it was possible to bathe in the springs, since all devilry. Healing was considered morning dew. At dawn, people went out barefoot on the grass, washed themselves with dew, trying to preserve (or restore) health and beauty. Unmarried girls washed themselves with dew three times, pronouncing special sentences in order to get married as soon as possible.

The union of water and fire, characteristic of the Kupala festival, was considered a source of natural strength. Therefore, bonfires were often kindled on the banks of rivers. Also on Ivanov's night, fortunetelling was done on wreaths lowered into the waters of the rivers.

Herbs

Many customs and legends on Ivan Kupala are associated with vegetation. Herbs collected on a festive night were considered especially healing, a kind of amulets. The central place among the vegetation that night was occupied by a fern. It was believed that the fern flower, blooming only for a moment at midnight, would indicate exactly where the treasure was buried.

Herbs and flowers were collected by girls, wreaths were woven from them, and protective plants were attached to their belts. The guys prepared in advance a low tree of birch or willow - "madders" or "kupala". The girls decorated the tree with flowers and multi-colored shreds. Yarilo was erected nearby, made of straw or clay, dressed up and decorated with a wreath and ribbons. In addition, a wooden symbol of manhood, painted red, was attached to the doll. In front of Yarila, various dishes were laid out on a dish or cloth. Two bonfires were lit nearby: a large Kupalets - for fun, and a small funeral pyre for burning Yarila's doll.

Popular beliefs

Exists great amount beliefs and customs associated with the celebration of Kupala. We present only a few of them. So, unmarried girls weave wreaths from certain herbs and on the night before the holiday they lower the wreaths, decorated with torches or candles, into the water of a river or lake. Whose wreath swims further than others - that one is destined to be the happiest. On whose wreath the light will burn longer, she will live a very long time. And whose wreath immediately sinks, that one cannot marry her betrothed - he fell out of love with her.

Or, for example, there was a belief that on a festive night, otherworldly forces are more active, and witches become especially powerful. They were afraid. They defended themselves from their sabotage: nettles were laid out at windows and doors, cattle were locked and guarded. It was also believed that plants and animals talk to each other, and trees move from one place to another. At midnight, some girls picked flowers and herbs without looking, put them under the pillow, and in the morning they wondered: if there were 12 species among the plants, then the girl was destined to get married in the coming year. And if you wanted your wish to come true, then you had to climb over the fences of 12 vegetable gardens on a holiday, and then everything that was conceived should have come true.

Holiday features

Even in ancient times, Ivan Kupala was considered the most rampant, erotic holiday. On Kupala night, all prohibitions regarding intersexual relations were abolished. Premarital relations became free: a girl could afford to have a relationship with any guy, and her fiance could not interfere in her liberties. Interestingly, many songs of the Kupala night are based on the plots of "universal marriage", incest, etc.

Ancient pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala, dedicated to the day the summer solstice is one of the main dates in the Slavic calendar, which is celebrated on July 7th.

Tonight the Russians celebrated summer holiday 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, watermen, mermaids, werewolves. This bright mystical holiday is rich interesting traditions and colorful rituals.

The holiday begins to be celebrated on the night of July 7, which is considered special by the people - only on this night you can find a mystical fern flower that will bring happiness and wealth to a person.

How did the holiday come about?

The bright folk holiday of Ivan Kupala takes its origins from paganism, although its origin has not been precisely established. Ivan Kupala, presumably, originated from pagan rituals of purification, washing, which took place in rivers and lakes on the day of the summer solstice.

The ancient Slavs Ivan Kupala had a holiday of the Sun, the maturity of summer and green mowing. Therefore, it was associated with the summer solstice, which, according to the old style, fell on June 20-22.

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 pulled 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 becomes 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's why they burned it old clothes. 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 this 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: “Triputnik-fellow, 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.

Divination, beliefs and signs

Fortune telling with the help of wreaths remains the most common on Ivan Kupala. Wreaths were woven from various herbs - burdock, bear's ear, Bogorodskaya grass (thyme, thyme) or Ivan da Marya, into which lighted small splinter or candles were inserted. Then they lowered them into the water and watched them closely.

If the wreath began to quickly sail away from the shore, this meant a happy and long life or a good marriage, and if the wreath sank, it meant that the girl would not get married this year or her betrothed would stop loving her.

The happiest person could be the one whose wreath swam further than others, and the longest lived - whose candle or splinter in a wreath burns out longer than others.

Nettle people on this night protected themselves from the encroachments of various evil spirits - for this, the plant was laid out on the threshold of the house and on the windowsills.

On the Kupala night, people always locked up their horses, which were especially vulnerable that night, as the witches hunted them in order to go to Bald Mountain, from which the horses did not return alive.

On the night of Ivan Kupala, people searched for anthills and collected ant oil, which, according to legend, was endowed with great healing properties that night.

The Ivan da Marya flower, plucked on the night of Ivan Kupala, had to be put into all corners of the house - people believed that this was protecting it from the encroachments of thieves.

According to one of the legends, the Ivan da Marya flower is a brother and sister who fell in love with each other, and were punished for this, and turned into a flower. Brother and sister will talk, and this will scare away the thieves.

It is believed that on the night of Ivan Kupala, 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.

According to one of the signs, at midnight you need to pick up flowers without looking and put them under your pillow, and in the morning check whether twelve different herbs have accumulated or not. If you have enough, this year the girl will get married.

A tripartite (plantain) is placed under the head, saying: “Triputnik-companion, you live by the road, you see the young and the old, tell me my betrothed!”

On Midsummer'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 death among the cattle.

And if on Midsummer's Day you climb over twelve gardens, any wish will come true.

Strong dew on Ivan Kupala - to the harvest of cucumbers, if there are a lot of star-mushrooms on Ivanov's night.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

Ivan Kupala - the day of the summer solstice, after which the day begins to shorten - an ancient folk holiday of pagan origin, so called by the Eastern and Western Slavs. Ivan Kupala (also Midsummer Day) has old tradition celebrations under a similar national name practically throughout Europe - in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain.

For the pagan Slavs, the sun had divine power over all living things, and the summer solstice meant the highest flowering of all the forces of nature, which is embodied in abundance with the ripening of the harvest.

Initially, before the spread of Christianity, the holiday was associated with the summer solstice (June 20-22). With the adoption of Christianity, the ritual part of the holiday was timed to coincide with the birthday of John the Baptist - June 24th, is now celebrated July 7.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the holiday in Russia began to revive. And now, in fact, the feast of Ivan Kupala is a bizarre mixture of Christian and Pagan traditions - the Feast of Fire, Water, Love (see the videos in the section "Celebration of Ivan Kupala in our time").

origin of name

The pre-Christian name of the holiday is unknown.

The name "Ivan Kupala" has a folk-Christian origin, it is a Slavic version of the name John the Baptist (bather, diver). In addition, the name of the holiday is associated with ritual bathing in the rivers during this holiday.

Similarly, the name of John the Baptist was translated in German: German Johannes der Taufer, and in Finland: fin. Johannes Kastaja"one who immerses (in water, font), sanctifying."

Kupala is not a deity

In pre-Christian times, there was no pagan deity "Kupala", it appeared as a result of a misunderstanding: the chronicler, knowing about the "demonic games" on Ivan Kupala, mistook the name of the holiday for the name of a pagan god and mentioned it in the Gustyn Chronicle (and this, excuse me, is already the 17th century! ) the deity "Kupala".

Then this misunderstanding was repeated by scribes, then by early researchers Slavic mythology, and then by popular science and all sorts of neo-pagan publications.

As a "deity", Kupala could only appear in popular beliefs as a folklore personification of the holiday, reflected, for example, in songs.

Ivan Kupala holiday and church

The Russian Orthodox Church disapproves of this holiday, and unequivocally condemns pagan (“demonic”) games on this day and this night. But sane clergy understand that pagan traditions cannot be overthrown with a single word, and it was not customary in the Orthodox Christian experience to mow everything to the ground. Indeed, in the Slavic world, despite the centuries-old antiquity of Christianity, among all nationalities, without exception, the Kupala festivities have not yet lost their original meaning.

But for all the time of Christianity in Rus', some folk traditions the church tried to fill them with new semantic content, and they themselves gradually came into line with Christian norms. And here pagan tradition among the people, associated with unbridled morals, fortune-telling and worship of the elements of nature, the church is trying to get rid of.

Gradually, the folk belief associated with the Kupala festivities turned into a circle of common folk superstitions, rituals into customs, in most cases serving as fun for rural youth.

holiday rituals

Midsummer Day is filled with rituals associated with water , fire And herbs . The main part of the Kupala rites is performed at night, hence the name "Night on Ivan Kupala". According to the modern calendar - from 6 to 7 July.

According to the beliefs of the peasants, one cannot sleep on the Kupala - the shortest - night, because. all evil spirits come to life and become especially active: witches, werewolves, mermaids, sorcerers, brownies, mermen, goblin.

Water

Mass bathing on Ivan Kupala is an obligatory custom: on this day, all evil spirits came out of the rivers, so up to Ilyin's day it was possible to swim without fear. In addition, the water of Ivan's Day was endowed with life-giving and magical properties.

According to popular beliefs, this day can be "friends" with fire, and their union is considered a natural force. And the bonfires along the banks of the rivers are a symbol of such a connection. In addition, on the night of Ivan Kupala, fortunetelling was done with the help of wreaths lowered into the river: if the wreath floated, it promised happiness and a long life or marriage.

Fire

One of the main symbols of the holiday were purifying bonfires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever jumps more successfully and higher will be happier. It was believed that the Kupala fire has magic power, capable of driving away all evil spirits, especially witches, who were especially dangerous on Kupala night and could steal milk from cows or spoil bread in the fields.

In the old days, in some places, livestock were driven between Kupala bonfires to protect them from pestilence, in them mothers burned shirts taken from sick children so that diseases would burn along with this linen.

In addition to bonfires, wheels and tar barrels were set on fire on Kupala night, which were then rolled down from the mountains or carried on poles. Young people and children, jumping over the fires, arranged noisy fun games and races, played burners.

Herbs

Numerous customs of Ivan Kupala are associated with the plant world.

Herbs and flowers, collected before dawn, were placed under Ivan's dew, dried and saved, because. considered such herbs to be more healing. They fumigated the sick, fought evil spirits, threw them into a flooded stove during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike. In addition, they were used to kindle love or, conversely, to "dry".

One of the main symbols of Ivan's Day was the Ivan da Marya flower, which symbolized the magical union of fire and water. Folk tales connect the origin of this flower with twins - brother and sister - who entered into a forbidden love relationship and because of this turned into a flower. This legend goes back to the ancient myth of the incest of twins and finds numerous parallels in Indo-European mythologies.

But the main hero of the plant world on this day was the fern. According to legend, with a fern flower that appears 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.

Folk beliefs and customs

* - On the Kupala night, witches become more dangerous, and therefore nettles should be placed on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attacks. It is necessary to lock up the horses so that the witches do not steal them and ride them to Bald Mountain: the horse will not return alive from there.

* - On Midsummer night, trees move from place to place and talk to each other through the rustle of leaves; animals and even herbs talk among themselves, which are filled with a special, miraculous power that night.

* - If on this night you pick a flower of Ivan da Mary 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 the plant) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owner is talking with the mistress.

* - 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 been collected. If you have enough, you will get married this year. A tripartite (plantain) is placed under the head, saying: “Triputnik-fellow, you live by the road, you see the young and the old, tell me my betrothed!”

* - On Midsummer Night, on ant heaps, oil is collected in a vessel, which is considered a healing remedy against various ailments.

* - If you climb over the fences of twelve vegetable gardens on Midsummer Day, any wish will come true.

* - On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls lower wreaths with lit splinter or candles on the river waves, weave wreaths from Ivan da Marya, burdock, Bogorodsk grass and bear's ear. 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 the longest, she will live a long, long life.

* - On Midsummer night, they jumped over the fire as a guarantee of health and good luck, the jumper gained good health and good luck for the current year. If a girl and a guy jumped over the fire without opening their hands, then it was believed that they would soon get married, and their marriage would be happy. The ashes from the fire were attributed a special power, carrying light and warmth, cleansing from everything unkind.

Kupala bonfire, fire

The Kupala bonfire (kupala) - a ritual fire, an indispensable component of the Kupala ritual, was the center of youth festivities on Midsummer Night. Bonfires were lit on the eve of the holiday, on the night of Ivan Kupala. They were laid out on the edge of the village, outside the settlement: on pastures, crossroads, near water bodies, on hills near fields.

In some places, young people carried a pole with a burning torch around the village, and then went outside the settlement with it.

Each settlement organized its own bonfire, and sometimes several small bonfires. The most respected old people in the community were invited to kindle the fire, who used for this "living fire", obtained by friction. In a number of places, the old man could be replaced by a guy who differed from his peers in dexterity and prowess.

For the Kupala fire, old rubbish was brought and brought from houses: unnecessary harrows, brooms, wheel rims, etc. The center of the fire was a tree with chopped branches and a chopped off crown, or a pole fixed in the ground. Then, like Christmas tree, wreaths, old brooms, flowers, old bast shoes were hung on it, candles were attached to the top.

Around the fires, festivities unfolded, to which young people and young couples who got married last winter necessarily converged. Swings were usually installed here, a common meal was arranged, round dances were made, songs were sung and danced.

One of the important ritual actions of the campfire games was jumping over the Kupala fire.

In a number of places it was customary to let burning wheels, wheel rims, and tar barrels down hills and hills.

Celebration of Ivan Kupala in our time

Ivan Kupala holiday - a holiday of Fire, Water, Love

(song "Ederlezi" from the film "Time of the Gypsies" by Emir Kusturica, music by Goran Bregovic, its translation is performed by Valeria). Duration 4:06

Slavic holiday in Saratov

On June 26, 2010, the "Koloslava" Commonwealth held the Slavic holiday of Ivan Kupala in Saratov. The song "How short the night is..." is performed by the group "Kolohod". Duration 3:05

Dictionary Ushakov

And Ivan Kupala (I and K uppercase), Ivan Kupala (Kupala), pl. no, husband. At Orthodox holiday June 24, old style, dedicated to the so-called. John the Baptist. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

- (The day of Ivan) ancient holiday summer solstice (June 24, old style) among the Eastern Slavs. Ivan Kupala is the popular nickname of John the Baptist, with the legend of which the church connected agricultural folk rituals designed to ensure the harvest ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

See Kupala. (Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world.") ... Encyclopedia of mythology

Exist., number of synonyms: 2 Ivanov's Day (4) bathed (5) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Exist., Number of synonyms: 1 holiday (133) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

See Midsummer. * * * IVAN KUPALA IVAN KUPALA (Midsummer Day), an ancient holiday of the summer solstice (June 24, old style) among the Eastern Slavs. Ivan Kupala is the popular nickname of John the Baptist, with the legend of which the church connected ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

IVAN KUPALA- An ancient pagan (see paganism *) agricultural holiday, it is Ivanov's day and the day of the summer (see summer *) solstice, that is, the most a long day and the shortest night of the year. Celebrated June 24th. The holiday was spread under various ... ... Linguistic Dictionary

Ivan Kupalo, an ancient folk religious magical agricultural holiday (aka Ivan's Day; June 24, old style). It was distributed under various names among many peoples of Europe, including the Slavs. Bathed folk ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Ivan Kupala- see Kupala ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Books

• About outfits and rituals, Kirillov Ivan Borisovich. Folk holidays- the heritage of our ancestors. Once upon a time, people believed that with the help of rituals one could solve economic problems and attract good luck. The revival of holiday traditions...
• Evenings on a farm near Dikanka, Nikolai Gogol. "Sorochinsky Fair", "The Night Before Christmas", "Terrible Revenge", "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich" - the best of Gogol's early stories - fantastic and ...

Ivan Kupala (Ivan's Day) - the ancient holiday of the summer solstice among the Eastern Slavs is celebrated on the night of July 6-7 (June 24, old style). This night is considered magical: the herbs come into force, the time for divination comes. The history of the holiday of Ivan Kupala is rooted in the depths of millennia. So Kupala is perhaps one of the most ancient holidays.

Look, Petro, you have ripened just in time: tomorrow is Ivan Kupala. Only this night in the year the ferns bloom. Don't miss!

N. V. Gogol "Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala"

According to legend, Kupala, who was carried away by the Sirin bird from his sister Kostroma in early childhood, raised his sister's wreath, sailing past on a boat, and according to custom, they were supposed to get married. Kostroma did not recognize her own brother. And only after the wedding, the bride and groom realized that they were brother and sister. Then they decided to commit suicide and drowned themselves in the river. Kostroma turned into a mermaid (mavka), and the sky god Vyshen took pity on Kupala and turned it into a flower Kupala da Mavka, later called Ivan da Marya.

Pavlovich- Fl'orchuk Oksana.

Night on Ivan Kupala is a summer holiday, when wreaths are weaved and floated along the river, they tell fortunes and jump over the fire. It is easy and fun for everyone on Kupala, the evil spirits are expelled, burned down, opening the way for carefree joy, games and round dances. Kupala is celebrated in the forest, and all its inhabitants, including goblin, also join the general dances and fortune-telling. Kupala night is simultaneously shrouded in mystery, suspense and the presence of another world, and at the same time it is one of the noisiest and most lively days of the pagan calendar.

Tomashevsky V.

In the old days, mothers burned the clothes of sick children on Kupala bonfires in order to burn the diseases themselves with it. The dew that fell on Ivan's Day was considered healing. They washed themselves with it to get rid of diseases. Popular belief says that on the night of Ivan Kupala, magical gaps bloom - grass and fern, capable of indicating buried treasures.

Svetlana Glebova. "On the Night of Ivan Kupala". Batik.

It has long been customary to guess at Ivan Kupala with the help of a variety of objects or plants. On a warm magical night, divination by Ivan Kupala and love spells are especially successful.

Fortune telling by wreath

Having let the wreath down the river, they observe how it behaves. A sinking wreath was a bad omen: "The wreath drowned - dear deceived." If the wreath unraveled, stretched out into a chain or broke up into separate flowers, it means that the girl is not destined to get married this year. If he was washed ashore, do not expect a wedding in the near future. The farther and longer the wreath floats, the faster the girl will marry.

Vyshinsky Vadim. "Morning, the day of Ivan Kupala."

Divination by the fire

On the festive night of Ivan Kupala, they make a big fire and jump over it. If the flame does not touch the jumper, it is a favorable sign, foreshadowing the girls - a quick and happy marriage, the guys - good luck in business and love.

Fortune telling on chamomile

Pour water into a wide and shallow container. Place two stemless chamomile flowers in it. If the flowers float in different directions - from each other - the lovers will part. If they continue to swim side by side, you will be together all your life.

Lyashko Ekaterina Vladimirovna

Divination in circles on the water

Water is poured into a wide and deep bowl. At sunset, they whisper their desire to the water and throw a small pebble. If the number of circles on the water is even, the wish will come true, if it is odd, the wish will not come true.

Divination by birch branches

Pick seven small birch branches (about the same length). Mix them together. Without looking, choose one. Which branch you pull out, this will be your future - even and smooth or curved and with tubercles-obstacles.

E. Kurbala. "On the Night of Ivan Kupala". Triptych.

From Agrafena to Ivan, he collected grass in the night.
Tomorrow you will swim.
Weave a wreath for me...
Strawberries are ripening, red girls are calling to the forest.

Tomorrow you will swim.
Will you come to the fire tomorrow?
Blossomed "fire-color" playing with lights in the dark.
Tomorrow you will swim.
Tomorrow I will come to the river!
Sergey Sofer.

Boris Olshansky. Night at Ivan Kupala.

The ancient pagan holiday Kupalo is a great day of purification with water and fire that takes place on the summer solstice. The word "kupalo" means a hot, ardent, boiling creature, which means the sun. This day of the pagan deity coincided with the Christian holiday - the Nativity of John the Baptist - St. John the Baptist. This coincidence and merging of holidays led to a change in the name of the holiday - Ivan Kupala.

Nicholas Speransky. Kupala round dance 1992

A love legend is associated with the image of the deity.

Separated in childhood from his sister, Kupalo, not knowing that it was his own blood, subsequently married her. And it ended tragically: brother and sister committed suicide by drowning themselves. Hence the erotic nature of the holiday. It was believed that after going through all this, a person is cleansed. To bring themselves into the right state, the pagan Slavs drank special decoctions of herbs. On this day, the day of harvest, a fire of sacrificial herbs was lit, and everyone, without exception, regardless of gender and age, danced around this fire with songs. It is interesting that a kind of sacrifice was made to the god Kupala: bathing.

Semyon Kozhin. Fortune telling on wreaths.

There is an opinion that witches celebrate their holiday on Ivan Kupala. It consists in intensifying the infliction of evil on people. It was believed that the witches kept water boiled with the ashes of the Kupala fire, splashing herself with it on Ivan Kupala, the witch could easily fly wherever she wanted. According to the beliefs of the peasants, in Kupala, the most short night, you can’t sleep, because all evil spirits come to life and become especially active - witches, werewolves, mermaids, snakes, sorcerers, brownies, water, goblin.

Kupala night: customs

From the Carpathians to the north of Rus', on the night of July 6-7, everyone celebrated this mystical, mysterious,
but at the same time, the wild and cheerful day of Ivan Kupala. Ivan's day is filled with rituals associated with water. Swimming on Ivan's Day is a nationwide custom, but in some regions the peasants considered such bathing dangerous, since on this day the birthday man is a water man himself, who cannot stand it when people climb into his kingdom, and takes revenge on them by drowning any careless.

V. Korolkov.

The main feature of the Kupala night is the cleansing bonfires. They danced around them, jumped over them: whoever is more successful and taller will be happier. 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 diseases would burn along with this linen. Youth and children, jumping over the fires, made noisy funny Games and racing. Be sure to play in the burners.

Vsevolod Ivanov. The night before the Kupala holiday.

On this day, they throw a wreath of birch into the river: if it drowns - death, if it swims - to get married, if it is washed ashore - to be unmarried. There is also a custom to take a steam bath with Ivan da Marya flowers and eat kutya, which was boiled from barley and seasoned with oil. In pre-revolutionary Russia, Ivan Kupala was one of the most revered and important holidays of the year, the entire population took part in it, and the tradition required the active inclusion of each participant in the celebration in all rituals and the obligatory implementation of a number of rules, prohibitions and customs.

Heinrich Semiradsky. Night at Ivan Kupala.

Even Simeon of Polotsk in the 17th century. wrote about the faith of the people that the sun jumps and plays on the days of Kupala. Ethnographers recorded many beliefs that on the day of Ivan Kupala and on Peter's Day "the sun plays at sunrise, shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, jumps, plunges into the water and reappears." The same ideas are expressed in the Kupala songs: “The sun played early on Ivan ...”; "The sun is going down grae ...".

I. I. Sokolov. Night at Ivan Kupala. 1856.

Observations of the "playing" sun continued until St. Peter's Day (Kupala), which should obviously be considered as the day of farewell to the sun, gradually decreasing after the summer solstice. There was a custom to "guard the sun." In the evening, capturing food, youth, and in the first half of the 19th century. and elderly peasants, went to the hill, where they walked all night, lit fires and waited for the sunrise to see the play of the sun.

Vsevolod Ivanov. Senich. June.

And in other countries...

The holiday of Ivan Kupala is inherent in many Slavic peoples. In Poland it is known as Sobotki, in Ukraine - Kupalo or Kupailo, in Lithuania - as Lado. Some peoples celebrate the so-called Dew Day, others dress up willows and dance round dances around it, others climb a high mountain and arrange a grand witch's rally there.

In Lithuania, Midsummer Day is celebrated as the summer solstice and falls on June 24th. There is a belief that on this shortest night of the year, plants and water acquire the miraculous ability to cure all diseases and increase the fertility of the earth. People burn bonfires, float wreaths along the river and go into the forest in search of a fern flower.

Vera Donskaya - Khilko. Night of Ivan Kupala. 2005

The Japanese believe that the Great River (Milky Way) flows around the firmament, on the different banks of which there are loving man and a woman. They strive for each other, but only once a year, on July 7, when the Great River becomes shallow, they can ford it and meet. This day the Japanese revere as a big holiday - the holiday of the Star.

The end of June for the Spaniards is the time of the fight against witches. The night of sacred fires, magic and omens begins in Spain from 23 to 24 June. Bonfires are lit all over Spain, hostesses bake a festive coca cake and cava champagne flows like a river.

Peder Severin Kroyer. Bonfire of St. John on the beach of Skagen.1903.

An unforgettable celebration takes place in the mountain village of Isil. On the night of San Juan, almost half of Spain and France come there (the rest of the time, 30 people live in the village of Isil). Men build a fire on a big mountain, dance around it, and then go downstairs, where they have fun until the morning: they drink, sing songs, dance and play.

By the way, mermaids are also found in foreign reservoirs, but their name is somewhat different. In Greece, these are sirens, in Serbia - pitchforks (winged beauties that can kill with a glance), in Germany - undines, in Ireland - merrows, sometimes coming ashore in the form of small horses.

Ivan Kupala: signs

beauty recipe.
You need a clean tablecloth, with which you need to go to the meadow early in the morning. In the meadow, a tablecloth is dragged over wet grass, and then squeezed into a prepared container, the face and hands are washed with dew in order to drive away any disease and so that there are no blackheads or pimples on the face. Dew serves not only for health, but also for cleanliness in the house: Kupala dew is sprinkled on beds and walls of the house so that bugs and cockroaches are not found.

Checking the spouse.
On the night before Ivan Kupala, the girls lower wreaths with lighted splinter or candles on the river waves, curl wreaths of Ivan da Marya, burdock, Mother of God herb and bear's ear. 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 happier of all, and whoever's splinter burns out the longest, she will live a long, long life!

Attack defense.
On Midsummer Night, witches become more dangerous, and therefore nettles should be placed on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attacks.

Burglary protection.
If that night you pick a 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 the plant) will talk to each other, and it will seem to the thief that the owners are talking in the house.