Ivan-Kupala
Description:
Ivan-Kupala is one of the most revered holidays among Belarusians today. Kupalle is a truly pagan holiday in honor of the summer solstice. Its analogues exist in almost all countries of the world.
During the summer solstice, the flowering of nature reaches its apogee: wheat, buckwheat and millet blossomed in the fields, flax and potatoes bloomed, the offspring of animals ended. Therefore, our ancestors in these days tried to thank Mother Progeny for a good harvest, hunting, oodle and dining at pets. People made sacrifices and the celebration of Ivan-Kupala showed unity with nature.
In the morning, girls and women with songs went to the field, to the meadow with the purpose of collecting bathing herbs. During the gathering, they sang.
And Kupala.
Son of a igre,
For good years,
On the chain wasps,
For Uraja bread.
Oh, the wound on Jan.
I mean, a good sleepy girl was walking,
The land stagnated from Kupala,
Darozhka rang the hell of songs...
According to popular beliefs, the need to perform songs during the collection of herbs and flowers was caused by the desire to convey medicinal and miraculous power to them. However, the bath festival was associated not only with the cult of plants. Important importance since ancient times was attached to fire, and it was the bathal fire was a kind of defensive, magical cleansing agent. Old things were demolished on the bathing campfire, the burning of which symbolized the eternal renewal of life. Fire was obtained from the friction of wooden bars. As a symbol of the sun, a lighted wheel was lifted for happiness. One of the important moments was the jumping of boys and girls over the fire, whose fire had the miraculous property of purification. Also, the girls were engaged in divination: they lowered wreaths into the river and, watching the movement of the wreath, drew conclusions about their future fate.
With the bath is associated with an amazing legend about the fern flower (paparats-kvetka), on which the fire of Perun descends, and exactly at midnight the fern blooms for a few moments with a fiery color. You need to catch this moment, and then all the desires of the owner of the fern flower will come true, he will know about everything that is happening in the world.
Legends say that on a bathing night, plants talk to each other, trees move from place to place, and rivers glow with magical light. There is a belief that on this night all sorts of wizards and witches spend festivities, stealing horses, taking milk from cows. To protect themselves from evil spirits, the owners hung nettles or sharp objects over the entrance of the house, on which the evil forces could cut themselves: needles, sickles.
By morning, the youth bathed in the rivers, swung on the morning dew, met the sunrise, in honor of which Kupala was celebrated. It was said that on the bathing morning the sun “plays” – doubles, triples and shimmers with different colors.
