The Slavic holiday was steeped in its traditions and history. Slavic holiday Kupala, its traditions and history. Will there be a celebration of Kupala of the year?

12.07.202027.05.2017

On the night of July 6-7, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated. Many popular beliefs are associated with it.

Signs on Ivan Kupala

If it rains on the evening before Ivan Kupala, the summer will be damp and the year will be hungry.
If the sky is starry at night and there is heavy dew in the morning, there will be a good harvest of cucumbers and mushrooms.
Seeing a snake is considered a bad sign - it means the loss of a loved one.
If there is a spider in the house on Ivan Kupala, a big joyful event in the family will soon take place - a wedding, the birth of a child, the arrival of a welcome guest.
If you collect 12 types of plants, then there will definitely be a wedding in the family soon.
If you don't lock up the horses, evil spirits can take them away.
Wishes will come true if, on the eve of Kupala night, you pick a sprig of fern and tie several short red threads on it, making a wish for each, and then float it down the river.
If guests come, it means happy news.
In the morning after the holiday, hearing a rooster crow means a speedy recovery.

Ivana Kupala: what not to do

On Ivan Kupala, according to the beliefs of our ancestors, forest evil spirits wake up - witches, snakes, mermen, werewolves - so you can’t sleep that night. You can’t even swim, because a merman can pull you into the water.
In addition, on the night of July 6-7, pregnant women, children and the elderly should stay away from water. Water evil spirits can harm the weak organisms of these people.

It was believed that witches kept water that boiled with the ashes of the Kupala fire. Having sprinkled it on herself on Ivan Kupala, the witch could easily fly wherever she wanted.

It is better not to give, sell or borrow anything on Ivan Kupala. Otherwise, the family may become poor. If you find money on the road - even a large amount - you should under no circumstances take it.

If a woman celebrated Ivan Kupala and did not visit the evening bonfire, she was considered a witch.

But what you need to do on this night is to look for the mythical fern flower. At this time, plants gained charming, medicinal and healing properties. Only on Kupala night did the magical fiery flower of happiness bloom on the fern - the Kochedyzhnik. Whoever picks it will know everything in the world, will receive all the treasures without difficulty, will enchant best girl, will have the highest harvest, will not be afraid of evil forces, will have the miraculous power to do everything with the hand that plucked the flower of happiness.

Jumping over the Kupala bonfire has a whole range of will take place on Ivan Kupala:

if you jump three times, the year will be healthy, prosperous, happy, successful;
if you suddenly stumbled, it means illness;
If you turn the fire with your foot, there will be trouble in the family.

Then you definitely need to jump over the fire 9 times, mentally forming positive images.

The Slavs believed that Kupala fire destroys all evil - illness, misfortune, poverty. That's why on it burned old, shabby clothes. There was a custom of throwing the shirt of a sick child into the Kupala fire. It was believed that his illness burned away along with her.

Folk traditions on Ivan Kupala - The great power of water

The rituals for Ivan Kupala did not end there. Having jumped over the fire, you had to immediately throw yourself into the water - “ice and fire” give an amazing cleansing effect. The girls tried to jump into the water so that the wreath from their heads floated on the water.. A good sign on Ivan Kupala was when the wreath did not sink, but floated, the direction of its movement indicated where to wait for the matchmakers.

It can be said that mass bathing is one of the main rituals of Midsummer's Day. The Slavs believed that on the night before the holiday, water bodies and mermaids left the reservoirs, so you could swim in them without fear until Ilya’s day.

Washing their bodies in Kupala water, the girls chanted the magic words: “The water is clean, Kupaila, I want to be red and sweet. Kupala water, let me wash myself with beauty!” By the way, if a person refused to swim on Midsummer’s Day, he was suspected of witchcraft.

At dawn On Ivan Kupala it was customary to wash with dew. Women always collected Kupala dew in a bottle, comandir.com learned. It helped get rid of acne, the skin became clean and soft. Ivanov's dew was also used for eye diseases. They sprinkled the same dew on the walls of their houses to protect their homes from evil spirits and insects.

On Ivan Kupala, be sure to take a steam bath in the baths. At the same time, they used brooms and water infused with Ivanovo herbs (Ivanovo herbs are called herbs consecrated in churches for John the Baptist). They believed that the bathhouse on the day of Ivan Kupala contributed to the strengthening and restoration of vital energy and health.

The custom was widespread pour water on people you meet on Midsummer's Day. This was done in order to cause rain during the hot season.

Folk traditions on Ivan Kupala - collecting herbs on Ivan Kupala

All herbs and plants acquire supernatural power on Kupala night- both evil and good. The fern blooms in marvelous colors on Ivan Kupala. The fern flower is also called “heat flower” because it... According to legend, it seems to burn with a red flame, so bright that at night it becomes clear as during the day, and the eyes cannot stand such a blinding light. Legend has it that everyone who pick a fern flower on Ivan Kupala, will acquire magical powers, be able to predict the future, learn to understand the language of birds, plants and animals, and also gain the ability to become invisible to human eyes. fern flower is able to open any locks, iron bars and doors, and will help discover treasures buried in the ground. It's just not so easy to get it. After all, not only people follow the flower of happiness, but also evil forces that are difficult to fight. They are trying to interfere, to distract attention. If you still managed to find a flower of happiness, you had to hide it on your heart under your clothes. Then it was necessary to take left hand wormwood and draw a circle around you with chalk - then evil forces will not be able to do anything to the lucky person.

Medicinal plants on Ivan Kupala harvested at dawn, away from settlements and roads, always in good mood and with prayer. In addition to their healing properties, plants have significant magical powers at this time.

The grass tirlich was especially revered by Ivan Kupala. . The decoction was always made from it in a new pot, which was bought without haggling. They washed themselves with this decoction to attract the attention of the chosen one, saying three times: “Tirlich, tirlich! Call my darling!” This ritual was also performed on Ivan Kupala in order for the girl to get married faster.

Another love plant is periwinkle. They used it to make guys “follow” girls. We also prepared lovage, which was popularly called the “love root.” They believed: in order to always remain young, beautiful and attractive to the opposite sex, you need to bathe in water with a decoction of lovage, and to attract love, you can add seven rose buds to the water.

In addition, St. John's wort was collected on Ivan Kupala- All evil spirits are afraid of him as well. as well as sunlight. What if on the night of Ivan Kupala, pick the Ivan da Marya flower and placed in the corners of the house, the thief will not approach this dwelling: the brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of the plant) will talk to each other, and the thief will think that the owner and the mistress are talking. Before drying herbs from Midsummer, they were blessed in churches, and then they fumigated sick people with them, used them as amulets, and threw them into a melted stove during a thunderstorm so that lightning would not strike the house.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala was a special time for pregnant women and those who were just planning to conceive a child. They collected the following herbs: nettle, chamomile, thyme, string, lovage, wormwood. When the baby is born, the mother will already have Kupala charmed herbs filled with ancestral strength and energy. They made tea from them, infused it and added it to the font. So from the very first days, the mother helped the baby find health. If you continue to bathe a girl using Kupala herbs until she is three years old, she will grow up to be a beauty who will be loved by everyone around her.

Protective rituals for Ivan Kupala

On Kupala night happiness walks the earth, but along with it comes evil spirits. Therefore, for protection two days before the holiday, picked burdocks were placed under the roof of the house.
The owners did not sleep on Kupala night because evil spirits can spoil a horse, a cow or, even worse, live in the house forever.
To protect yourself from misfortunes, put nettles on the threshold and on the windowsills.
Girls on Ivan Kupala wore garlic in their belts.
They locked the horses so that the witches would not steal them and ride them to Bald Mountain: the horse would definitely not return from there alive!

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As you know, church holidays can have a permanent date and a moving one. For many Orthodox people, it is extremely important to know all the numbers that bring with them the bright and revered days. To find out when the next church celebration is, just look at the Orthodox calendar.

It is from this calendar that you can understand what date Ivan Kupala is in 2017. This wonderful summer holiday has never changed its date - from year to year it begins on the night of July 6 and ends on July 7 (Nativity of John the Baptist).

A few words about the holiday

Ivan Kupala Day is an ancient celebration that is familiar to many peoples and has been celebrated since time immemorial. This day is often associated with various mystical incidents, ancient rituals and traditions. On the night of July 6-7, truly fantastic events and a long-awaited fusion with nature take place. Many witnesses claim that during this period they feel an incredible surge of strength and energy, and also see many wonderful and inexplicable things.

In addition, the date of the holiday was not chosen by chance - the solstice occurs in the second month of summer. But the dependence on this astrological phenomenon disappeared after the transition to the Gregorian calendar.

In the Orthodox Church, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is timed to commemorate John the Baptist, the priest who baptized Jesus Christ. This date appeared thanks to the confirmation of the Gospel testimony, which stated that the age difference between the Forerunner and Christ is only 6 months.

The celebration has deep, centuries-old roots, which allowed the formation of many traditions even before the advent of the New Era. One version says that this day was named in honor of the East Slavic deity Kupala, but there were people who confirmed that this idea was wrong.

Ancient rituals on Ivan Kupala are most often pagan in nature. Each of the rituals is associated with superstitions and various beliefs that were especially popular among ancient tribes. Many shamans believed that plants, water and fire were endowed with supernatural powers. On the night of July 6-7, this force is activated and transferred to all living beings nearby.

After Christianity began to spread throughout the earth, such customs were persecuted because they did not correspond to the Holy Teaching. Over time, the rituals began to acquire more and more new details; they tried to combine them with monotheism.

This happened due to the fact that the faith of some people was shaken, and they no longer knew who to go to for advice in case of trouble: to the priest or to the healers. By the way, the church still does not favor this holiday, considering it wrong and inappropriate. On the contrary, they celebrate July 7th as the day Jesus began his righteous journey.

Traditions and rituals

At sunrise, you should wash or swim in the river. This procedure will wash away all diseases from the body, remove acne, and strengthen the immune system.
To get rid of cockroaches, spiders and other insects living in the apartment, you need to sprinkle morning dew on the wall, bed, corners and floors of the house.
On the night of Ivan Kupala, girls went into the forest to collect medicinal herbs and flowers. Healers are convinced that during this period each plant is imbued with an unusual power that can cure many diseases. Yarrow, St. John's wort and chamomile were in particular demand.
On this day, it was customary to collect flowers for fortune-telling - rich people. Having found a flower, the girl put it under her pillow. A blossoming bud testified to an imminent marriage, and a withered bud indicated that there would be no marriage in the next year.
They wove wreaths that floated on the water. According to tradition, it was necessary to collect 12 different types plants and make a wreath from them. If he drowns, the girl will not get married this year; if he sailed away from the shore, the groom walks very close.
As soon as the sun set, the youth lit a huge fire and couples, holding hands, jumped over it. If young people “overcame the obstacle” without unclenching their hands, then they are destined to be together, on the contrary, the couple will soon separate.

Fortune telling on Ivan Kupala

In addition to traditional rituals, there were fortune tellings that helped everyone who wanted to find out their future fate. Here are some of them:

On bathing night, you need to pick two blades of grass and insert them into a crack (on a wall or in a stream). The blade of grass should hang down. After a while, you should pay attention to the blades of grass. If they are intertwined with each other - happily ever after family life provided for, and if they “ran away” from each other, it means that there will be a quick break with your loved one.

You can find out your life expectancy using a candle. You should light a regular wax candle and see how long it burns. If it burns to the end, it means the fortuneteller will live a long life; if it goes out quickly, it means trouble. There is no need to panic; it is possible that this sign indicates some kind of illness.

Fortune telling by ritual fire. Near a blazing fire you need to make a wish and watch the flames. If the fire burns brightly and evenly, then the answer will be positive, but if the fire is interrupted and weakens, the wish will not come true.

Famous signs

It rained on the holiday - hot and dry weather should be expected in a week.

On the night of Ivan Kupala, the stars shine brightly in the sky, and heavy dew falls at dawn, which means that in summer and autumn there will be a good harvest of cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms and other vegetables.

Unmarried girls should go to the bathhouse, take a good steam there and whip themselves with a broom. Then leave the bathhouse and throw the broom over your shoulder (like throwing a bridal bouquet). In which direction he flew - that’s where the betrothed lives.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala, which was celebrated yesterday, July 7, is popular in our country, as a large number of traditions and customs are associated with it. For this reason, it would be appropriate to talk about it today, since someone might have lost sight of the date of the holiday.

For those who are interested in what kind of holiday Ivan Kupala is, we answer: Kupala Night or Midsummer Day is one of the most mysterious and unpredictable in the cycle of summer holidays in the July church calendar. On July 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ. But since ancient pagan, Slavic and Christian traditions are closely intertwined in folk culture, there are important instructions about what to do on Ivan Kupala, as well as what is prohibited on Ivan Kupala 2017.

History of Ivan Kupala

Ivan Kupala is one of the most ancient and mystical Slavic holidays. Ivan Kupala is celebrated on the night of July 6-7.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala, or Midsummer's Day, takes its origins from the times of paganism. Initially, this day was dedicated to the pagan god Kupala. But after the Christianization of Kievan Rus, the name of this day was supplemented with the name of John the Baptist (Forerunner), whose birthday coincided with the Kupala holiday.

Ivan Kupala Day used to fall on the day of the summer solstice and fell on June 24. After the introduction of a new style of chronology, the date moved to July 7. It is on this day that the holiday is celebrated in our time.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. Ivan Kupala is considered the day of youth and love. According to legend, on this night the wedding of Kupala and Marena was played, which symbolized the union of two elements - water and fire, masculine and feminine principles.

Since ancient times, the day of Ivan Kupala has been associated with various rituals, rites, traditions and beliefs.

Fortune telling on the night before Ivan Kupala

The girls on Ivan Kupala were guessing about their betrothed. To do this, wreaths of flowers and field herbs were woven in advance, after which they were lowered into the water, making a wish, mainly for marriage. It was believed that if the wreath floats far away, wait for matchmakers, and if it comes back or unravels on the water, sit in the wenches for at least a year. If the wreath washes up on the neighboring shore, the betrothed will be far away, and if the wreath drowns, the loved one will leave or the wedding will be upset.

The girls also threw stones into the water and counted the diverging circles - an even number indicated that the wish would come true, if an odd number, on the contrary, promised a change in plans.

Ivan Kupala 2017: signs and customs

Rain on Ivan Kupala foreshadowed the absence of a good harvest, but abundant dew spoke of abundance in the fields and gardens. Many stars in the sky on a festive night promised a large number of mushrooms.

Whoever jumps over the fire on Ivan Kupala the highest will gain luck and good fortune for the whole year.

If you wash your face with morning dew on Kupala, this, as you read, will help cure pimples and blackheads on your face and body.

Unmarried girls have another opportunity to check whether they will arrange their personal life this year. On Kupala they collected herbs and flowers in the dark, put them under the pillow, and in the morning they checked: if there were twelve different types, there would definitely be a wedding!

Those who like to make homemade preparations should pay attention to one more sign of the holiday: if the stars are clearly visible in the sky on the night of Kupala, and heavy dew falls at dawn, expect a large harvest of mushrooms, cucumbers, and other vegetables.

Ivan Kupala is one of the few ancient pagan holidays that are still celebrated in our country. Church holidays in Orthodoxy are often moveable, and the date of celebration changes from year to year, you just need to look at any church calendar. But if you don’t know what date of Ivan Kupala 2017, then it’s just the same number – the night from July 6th to July 7th. Usually at midnight people gather near the rivers to tell fortunes, have fun and celebrate this holiday, as our ancestors did.

Is it a pagan holiday?

Our great-grandfathers always saw gods in the forces of nature, so the most powerful of the deities was Khors - the Sun God, honors were given to him on the day of the solstice - June 24, old style. The Slavs believed that it was on this day that the two strongest elements, fire and water, intertwined into a close union. The night of Kupala was one of the most important nights of the year; on this holiday it was not customary to sleep. On the day of the solstice, the girls were busy weaving wreaths, then they lowered them into the water, so they wondered about a happy marriage; the longer the wreath stayed on the water, the happier the married life would be. And at midnight, people lit fires, organized dances and round dances, the bravest jumped over the fire, thus receiving health, happiness and good luck for the rest of the year. It was on this night that parents threw the clothes of sick children into the fire, believing that when they burned, they took away the children’s illnesses. But how did this pagan holiday turn into a Christian one?

Everyone knows that the Christian church has always been against pagan festivals, but the church chose a different method of eradicating paganism, they arranged pagan holidays under church dates. This is what happened with “Kupalo”; the date of the Birth of the Prophet John the Baptist began to be celebrated. After all, it was this saint who baptized the son of God Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan. If you want to know what date is Ivan Kupala in 2017, then you need to understand that the church does not approve of pagan customs, i.e. lighting fires and dousing with water.

July 7th is celebrated church holiday– The birth of John the Baptist - one of the most significant Christian prophets.

However, the people never forgot the customs of their ancestors, and no matter how hard the church tried to eradicate pagan rituals, many beliefs have survived to this day. The holiday has remained very popular among modern people, so many are interested in what date Ivan Kupala is celebrated in 2017. How did the Slavs celebrate the summer solstice?

Ancient customs

There are several customs that are observed to this day:

at dawn it is necessary to wash thoroughly or swim in the river, in this way our ancestors believed that all diseases and illnesses were washed away;
water has long been considered a symbol of purification; on this day it has always been customary to swim in the river, where the waters are equated with baptism. And it was on this day that swimming was safe, because previously it was believed that monsters lived in reservoirs, which went away on Ivan Kupala and did not touch the people;
on the night of the holiday, young girls went into the forest to get medicinal herbs; healers believed that on Ivan Kupala all the herbs gained miraculous powers, and summer was the time of year when the ancestors prepared herbal preparations for the whole year. Most often it was chamomile, St. John's wort, yarrow;
there is a more modern custom: if you want to get rid of annoying living creatures in the house (cockroaches, ants, etc.), you need to sprinkle the walls of the rooms with water collected on the day of Ivan Kupala;
The most famous custom, of course, is lighting fires and jumping over them. So, the young people tested each other’s loyalty, the couple had to jump over the fire, holding hands; if the hands did not open during the jump, then the young people would be together for a long time; if someone let go of their hand, then they were not destined to be together for long;
All girls should participate in the holiday and fun; if any of the girls refused, then she was called a witch;
also on the night of Ivan Kupala, people drove livestock between two bonfires, so people believed that animals were getting rid of various ailments and illnesses, but horses, on the contrary, were usually locked in stalls to protect them from the attacks of evil spirits;
The main belief that we know from Gogol’s stories is the flowering of a fern on the night of Ivan Kupala, brave souls went into the forest to find a red inflorescence, it was believed that whoever saw the flowering of a fern had the gift of finding treasures, and it was also believed that, looking at a fern flower , you can make any wish, and it will definitely come true.

Holiday fortune telling

In addition to having fun, jumping into the fire and swimming in the river, young people, especially girls, wondered. Several fortune-telling stories have reached us:

Unmarried girls wove a wreath of 12 types of flowers and herbs, put a candle in the center of the wreath and lowered it downstream of the river; if it drowned immediately, then the girl was not destined to get married this year; if the wreath floated further, then the girl would definitely find her betrothed in within 12 months after fortune telling.
On a festive night, married girls plucked two blades of grass and inserted them into a crevice, waited for a while and watched: if the blades of grass intertwined with each other, then their married life would be long and happy; if the blades of grass diverged, then they would not live long with their husband.
Also that night they told fortunes about life expectancy. They lit a candle and watched it burn: if it burns out to the end, it will be long and happy life, and if it goes out quickly, there will be trouble.
As soon as the fires went out, they chose the most beautiful of the girls and led her into the forest, where she was naked. Then other girls decorated her with flowers and danced around her. And the Maiden-Kupalo had to randomly select pre-woven wreaths and distribute them to others; if the girl came across a wreath of fresh flowers, then she would live in wealth and happiness for many years If the flowers were withered, it promised poverty and illness.

Ivan Kupala may have ancient roots, but it is still celebrated, people honor the traditions of their ancestors. And now you know that the holiday of Ivan Kupala next 2017 will be celebrated on the night of July 6-7.

One of the most mysterious nights of the year is approaching - the night before Ivan Kupala. This night, which combines both Christian and folk pagan traditions, is associated with many beliefs and fortune telling, as well as various rituals, including quite immodest ones and not approved by the church.

When the night falls on the eve of Ivan Kupala in 2017

Ivan Kupala- this is the Russian nickname of one of the most revered predecessors Jesus Christ- prophet John the Baptist (Forerunner). Christian holiday Nativity of John the Baptist noted June 24. Accordingly, churches living according to the Gregorian calendar are primarily Catholics and Protestants, have already celebrated this holiday on June 24th.

Russian Orthodox Church and other churches adhering to the so-called “old style” (Julian and New Julian calendars) celebrate this holiday July 7. Thus, the night before Ivan Kupala- it's night from 6 to 7 July.

Ivan Kupala (Midsummer's Day)- it's Slavic folk holiday, dedicated summer solstice, which with the advent of Christianity “merged” with Merry Christmas to John the Baptist.

The word “baptist” translated from Greek means “baptizer”, “immerser”, since John baptized Jesus by immersing him in the waters of the Jordan River, which was associated with the Jewish tradition of ritual washing. Therefore, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is inextricably linked with water, bathing and ablution, as well as with cleansing with the help of fire.

Kupala night and church

IN folk tradition the night before Ivan Kupala is even more important than the holiday itself. Among the traditions are collecting herbs and flowers, weaving wreaths, lighting fires and jumping over them and, of course, swimming and fortune-telling, as well as various very immodest night games that are not approved by the church. Since the Middle Ages, the church has considered folk Kupala rituals to be paganism and demonism. Those who participated in them were severely persecuted (see the film “Andrei Rublev”), but it was never possible to exterminate this tradition, and it still exists today.

It was believed that on the night before Ivan Kupala one should take a swim before sunset, preferably in an open reservoir, in order to then take part in mass night bathing.

Closer to sunset, on the hills near reservoirs, it was customary to light fires with “living fire” (that is, produced by friction), since on this night the two elements - fire and water - were friends.

On the night of Ivan Kupala, the girls chose their “betrothed” with whom they performed marriage rituals: holding hands, jumping over the fire together, exchanging wreaths, looking for a mysterious fern flower, swimming in ponds and performing other ritual actions. It should be noted that in the Slavic folk tradition, quite significant freedom of sexual behavior was allowed for unmarried girls under the extreme strictness of the family structure. (In the nobility it was exactly the opposite - the behavior of unmarried young ladies was strictly regulated, but adultery in marriage was turned a blind eye.)

An obligatory custom of Midsummer's Day and Kupala Night was mass bathing. It was believed that on the night before Ivan Kupala, water bodies were freed from merman, mermaids and other evil spirits, which means that until Ilyin's day (August 2) You can swim without fear. The water on the night before Ivan Kupala was considered healing, bringing youth and having magical properties.

Fortune telling on a wreath

On the night before Ivan Kupala, girls told fortunes about their betrothed, mainly with the help of wreaths. The girls wove wreaths of flowers and field herbs in advance, and at night they lowered them into the water, making a wish. Mostly they guessed about a quick marriage and a betrothed.

If the wreath has floated far away, wait for the matchmakers; if the wreath comes back or unravels in the water, sit in the wenches for another year; if the wreath sticks to the opposite bank, it means that the betrothed will come from afar; if the wreath immediately drowns, the wedding will be upset, and the groom will leave or cheat.

Fortune telling by circles on the water

The girls threw a pebble into the water and counted the diverging circles - if the number is even, the wish will come true, if it is odd, then don’t expect matchmakers this year.

Fortune telling on a fern

It is believed that on the night of Ivan Kupala, the fern acquires magical powers and can predict fate. At midnight the girls went into the forest, where each picked several stems of fern. Each branch was given the name of a potential groom, then the girl drowned the stems in water. The stem that emerged first is the one that is narrowed.

Also on the night of Ivan Kupala, other fortune-telling was in use, similar to the fortune-telling on the night before Christmas, Epiphany and Trinity.

The main symbol of the Kupala night is huge bonfires, the brushwood for which was laid in the form of a high pyramid, and in the center they placed a pole with a tarred wheel mounted on it.

All the women of the village had to approach the fire; those who evaded were considered witches. Also, all the girls had to jump over the fire; a successful jump was considered a good omen and a sign of purification. Those who evaded were considered “unclean” and, as punishment, were doused with water and flogged with nettles.

Guys and girls who liked each other jumped over the fire, holding hands: it was believed that if the hands did not separate during the jump, the couple was destined to be together.

Ritual outrages

On the night before Ivan Kupala, as well as on Christmastide, ritual outrages were widespread in the villages: young people were noisy and hooligan, frightening their fellow villagers, and various immodest games and sexual amusements, not approved by the church, were also in use.