In Russia, as you know, there are many holidays, and many celebrations have a long history and traditions that were established centuries ago. One of the favorite events of the summer is still the holiday of Ivan Kupala (otherwise Ivanov day or Ivanov night), deeply revered by our ancestors - the Slavs. Every year, from 6 to 7 July, nature reveals its secrets, and a short summer night becomes mystical and mysterious.

The Kupala night is a holiday deeply revered by our ancestors - the Slavs. Every year, from 6 to 7 July, nature reveals its secrets, and a short summer night becomes mystical and mysterious.

The Kupala night was one of the main holidays for the Slavic pagans. The significance of the event is explained by the boundary between warm and cold seasons: these days were and remain the peak of solar activity (according to the old style the holiday was at the time of the summer solstice and was celebrated from 23 to 24 June).

The folk festivals were dedicated to the God of the Sun and his taper - Zarnice. The symbols of Kupala have long been sun and light. Fire, water, earth and plants became, according to the beliefs, sacred and full of healing power. But along with the defenders, dark, "unclean" forces awakened in the night. It is on the night of the bathing night that the battle of light with darkness occurs, and people jump through the fires and dive into the flowing ponds to burn out and wash off all the bad.

Interestingly, the fire to kindle the fires was necessarily "alive" - ​​extracted by the friction of two wooden pieces of each other. A pole was placed in the center of the diluted campfire, on which a burning wheel symbolizing the sun was fixed.

Ritual ablution is an integral part of the holiday. Mass bathing, going to the bath, washing with fresh dew or dousing - all methods are in play. But for a person who does not take part in the purification of water, they will look obliquely, suspecting of witchcraft.

The symbolism of the circle, embodying the cycle of natural processes, was reflected in the round dances around burning bonfires and wreaths woven from leaves and flowers. With the help of wreaths, the girls have long been wondering about the Kupala night by swimming them on the river

The culmination of the holiday is the flowering of the fern: the person who can find this unique flower will have unlimited wisdom and will understand the language of plants and animals, ancient treasures.

Many Kupala night kept the customs. It seems that through centuries the ancestors-Slavs extend their descendants hand, reminding that it is true and is not subject to the change of epochs.