Holidays of the Slavs - Ivan Kupala (Kupala Night) congratulate →

July 7 is a special holiday of the Slavic peoples, praising the highest flowering of nature - Ivan Kupala According to the old style, the date falls on June 24 - the summer solstice The waning rotation of the sun was the basis of the agricultural calendar and was reflected in religion A strong natural phenomenon forced people to believe in the magical power of fire, water, and vegetation The ancient Slavs did not have a written language, so it is difficult for modern scientists to establish what their deities were called Different tribes had their own pantheon, sometimes quite different from each other, but each had its own sun god Along with established gods, since the 15th century, very often, on the basis of folklore data, characters surrounded by myths and legends were invented Sometimes a number of analogies were made with ancient Greek or Roman cultures It has now been established that such “divine” characters as Lada, Lel, Kupala did not exist - they arose much later With the rise of Christianity, pagan festivals were replaced by church ones On this day, June 24, by the will of divine providence, John the Baptist was born And the connection between ritual bathing and baptism by washing with water became inseparable in understanding It is unknown what this holiday was called in ancient times Ivan Kupala is the folk Christian name of John the Baptist, modified into a more understandable manner It was always celebrated so vividly that the renaming had virtually no effect on the ritual among the common people Its pagan, in the opinion of clergy, very blasphemous and demonic, manifestations have not been eradicated over the centuries Visiting the temple and daytime prayers could not overcome the night of power Surviving sources from the 15th and 16th centuries contain complaints from parish rectors about their flock On such a pious day full of humility, residents organized songs, dances, played folk musical instruments, and did everything that always happened on this holiday, that is, “were in revelry and riots” Of course, this had a basis, because on Kupala a little more was allowed than other festivities allowed in love and marriage relationships between the opposite sex The celebration began with the ritual of ablution Next came the turn of fire, live, new, produced by friction They entrusted the ignition to the most honorable member of the community The glorification of deities is impossible without bonfires, as symbols of the Sun, which means a good harvest Jumping over fire is an important amulet ritual for health and good luck Vegetation on this night was credited with healing powers, sometimes unrealistically miraculous, for example, having the ability to protect against the evil eye, damage, and evil spirits The line between the worlds, otherworldly and human, became so thin that it made it possible to gain magical knowledge, look into the future and even change fate They continue to believe in all this even now Although the holiday has been moved to July 7, some followers celebrate it according to the old style in order to preserve cultural heritage and the opportunity to touch the present, thank wildlife and ask it for help in their affairs And on July 7, many organizations hold regional festivals and folklore, thematic performances in honor of Ivan Kupala