Midsummer's Night is a very important and revered day for the Eastern Slavs. For centuries, the Kupala holiday was of a pagan nature, celebrated in honor of the Sun God and his wife Zari-Zarnitsa.

Before switching to the new style, Kupala Day was celebrated on the days of the summer solstice, which fell on June 20-26. A single cycle of celebrations included Midsummer's Day, Agrafena Bathing Day, which was celebrated on July 6, and Peter's Day, which fell on July 12. The significance of the Kupala holiday lay in the date - this is the line separating the two periods of the solar cycle. At this time, nature was at its peak, the sun was at its zenith, and therefore was characterized by the highest activity. After this day, the sun “moved” to winter. At the same time, the night became longer, the day, on the contrary, became shorter.

However, the Kupala holiday, like Christmastide, was considered very “dangerous.” According to ancient legends, at this time witches, mermaids, goblins, werewolves and other otherworldly forces celebrate their ball. In the eyes of the peasants, the most terrible thing was the apogee of the holiday - Kupala night, when fire, water and herbs acquired healing properties. The image of the “departing” sun is associated with John the Baptist, therefore, after the adoption of Christianity, the holiday coincides with his Christmas. And the name is associated with his middle name – Bather. Nowadays, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated on July 7, or, to be more precise, on the night of the 6th to the 7th.

IN Kupala tradition the theme of fire is clearly expressed, which cleanses “flesh and spirit”, drives away evil spirits, removes the evil eye and damage. Since ancient times, the rituals of lighting fires on the river bank, making fire using dry wood, and burning the clothes of the sick have not been forgotten. They danced around them and jumped over the flames. It is believed that whoever jumps the highest will be the happiest.

From ancient times it is believed that on the Kupala holiday water acquires great miraculous power. Rituals related to water were performed at dawn or at night. People swam in ponds, washed themselves with morning dew, and washed in baths. Anyone who refused to swim was accused of witchcraft.

On Kupala night, healers collect medicinal herbs and roots, storing them for a year, and perform rituals. It was believed that the grass that begins to bloom has magic: it can travel to distant lands. And the overpowering grass, collected at midnight, protects from enemies. The juice squeezed from the Ivan da Marya flower picked at night restores hearing, the flowers protect against the thief. Wormwood, which is worn on a belt and hung in the house, has great power against evil spirits. It is also customary to prepare brooms for the bath on Kupala night. People everywhere girdle themselves with bandages made from flowers. Girls put grass wreaths on their heads.

A traditional activity is the search for fern flowers, which was known as a witchcraft plant. According to popular beliefs, they are able to fulfill any desires and show where the treasure is hidden.

The Kupala holiday in countries around the world and in Russia is celebrated in different days. For example, in Europe, namely in Finland, it is celebrated according to the old style - from June 21 to 22.

Editor's response

Ivan Kupala (Midsummer Day, Kupala Night) is folk holiday Eastern Slavs, dedicated to the summer solstice and the highest flowering of nature. On this day, the pagans performed various ritual rituals: they jumped over a fire, bathed in the morning dew, floated wreaths on the water, and looked for a fern flower. Today, these traditions are practically a thing of the past; they are only staged, they are of an entertainment nature, and not ritual.

By Orthodox calendar Christmas is celebrated on the same day John the Baptist(John the Baptist): the prophet who baptized Jesus Christ on the Jordan River. The Church recommends that Orthodox Christians pray to St. John the Baptist on this day and refrain from participating in pagan festivities.

How is the Nativity of John the Baptist celebrated?

The Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist has been celebrated by Eastern and Western Christians since the 3rd century; at the beginning of the 4th century it was introduced into the Christian calendar on the day of the summer solstice. The full name of the holiday in the liturgical books of the Orthodox Church: Nativity of the honest, glorious prophet, Forerunner and John the Baptist.

In the Orthodox Church, the Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the great holidays (not being the twelfth holiday) and is celebrated six months before the Nativity of Christ: July 7 (June 24, old style). Since Christmas was dedicated to winter solstice, then the Nativity of John the Baptist is for the summer.

On the eve of the holiday, an all-night vigil is held in churches. At the Divine Liturgy, stichera and canons are read, in which John the Baptist and his birth are glorified. Believers are encouraged to attend this service. On this day, parishioners also make pilgrimages to Orthodox shrines named after the Prophet.

The Nativity of John the Baptist always falls on Peter's Fast. Those who observe it on this day have small concessions: they are allowed to eat fish dishes and drink a glass of wine.

What did you do before on Ivan Kupala?

The main part of the rituals on Ivan Kupala took place at night. It was considered obligatory to swim before sunset: in the north, more often in bathhouses, and in the south, in rivers and lakes. It was believed that from this day all evil spirits came out of the rivers, so until Ilyin’s day (August 2, new style) one could swim without fear.

Towards sunset, fires were lit. They danced in circles around the fire, danced, sang songs, and jumped over it: whoever jumps more successfully and higher will be happier. Girls and boys, holding hands, jumped in pairs over the fire: if their hands remained together during the jump, it was believed that this was a clear sign of their future marriage.

On Kupala night they often told fortunes using wreaths lowered into the river: if the wreath floated, it promised happiness and long life or marriage. It was made before the holiday from wild herbs and flowers.

The Slavs had a belief that miracles were performed on the eve of Ivan Kupala. For example, that water collected from springs on the day of Ivan Kupala had miraculous and magical power. It was believed that on the night of the holiday, once a year, a fern flower blooms in the forest. Anyone who finds this mythical flower and manages to pick it will be able to gain wealth and magical power. The lucky one will have the opportunity to predict the future and learn to understand the language of birds, animals and even plants. The flower, according to popular belief, is also capable of opening any locks and revealing treasures buried in the ground.

How are pagan and Christian holidays connected?

For a long time it was believed that the celebration of Ivan Kupala in Rus' is associated with the pagan deity Kupala. 19th century historian Andrey Kaisarov wrote: “The Russian deity, whose idol stood in Kyiv. Kupalo was the god of fruits; he was considered one of the most noble gods. At the beginning of the harvest, sacrifices were made to him. Then large fires were lit in the fields. And the young men and maidens, crowned with flowers, danced near the fire while singing joyfully: finally, they galloped and drove their flock through the fire. These good people they thought that he would protect them from the devils.”

However, it turned out that in fact Ivan Kupala is a Slavic version of the name John the Baptist, and the deity Kupala never existed. The chronicler, knowing about the rituals on Ivan Kupala, took the name of the holiday for the name of a pagan god. Subsequently, scribes repeated the mistake, and early researchers of Slavic mythology believed that there was such a deity in the Slavic pantheon.

Since the Middle Ages, pagan rituals of this day were considered demonic and were prohibited by church authorities of all denominations. In particular, the revelry of the Kupala festivities was condemned in “Stoglava,” a collection of decisions of the Stoglava Council of 1551.

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

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 occurrence: the boundary of two periods of the solar cycle during the year. It is the annual cycle of the sun that is the basis ancient calendar farmers. It is worth noting that in the Aryan religions great attention was paid to the solar cycle: in fact, the pagan calendar represents the history of the movement of the sun throughout the year.

On the day of the Kupala celebration, 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” and the day began to wane. All days of the summer solstice were considered holidays. It was the green Christmastide - a week of rest after planting the crops. 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 rituals.

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

Origin of the name

The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, it was called Kupala, Kupala, Kres (Old Russian), Ivan the kind, loving, Ivan-Kupala, Ivan the Herbalist, Yarilin's day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Sontsekres (Ukrainian), Spirits-day (Bulgarian) etc.

The meaning of the word can be understood thanks to Sanskrit. So, the first part of “kupala” - ku - means “land, region”. The second part is pala - “watchman, guardian, protector, ruler.” Hence the meaning of the name of the holiday - Defender of the Earth or Lord of the Earth. There is an obvious similarity with Gopala (Veleskniga) – the Deity of the third month of the solar cycle (kola), the beginning of which was on vernal equinox. The Lord of the Earth and its Ruler 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 means “immerser, bather.” After the adoption of Christianity, the ceremony was timed to coincide with the celebration of the birthday of John the Baptist (July 24).

Time to celebrate

Before Christianity spread to Rus', Ivan Kupala was celebrated on the summer solstice (June 20-22). Later, as noted, the celebration became closely associated with the birthday of John the Baptist (June 24, old style, July 7, new style). Today, 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 Bathing Day on the eve and Peter's Day, which followed immediately after Kupala. People believed that this period of the year is characterized by the peak of nature’s blossoming. The festive cycle was accompanied by the belief that the magical power of the elements (fire, earth and water) was the greatest. That is why people sought to join this power, 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 greatly frightened the people.

Rituals for Kupala

Since ancient times, the holiday of Kupala 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 taking part in the rituals. Actually, to this day there are differences: Communities, united by the main meaning of the rituals, conduct them according to their own custom.

Fire

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

Water

The water that day acquired magical properties, as was popularly believed. From that day on, it was possible to bathe in the springs, since all evil spirits came out of them. Morning dew was also considered healing. At dawn, people went barefoot onto 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 quickly.

The union of water and fire, characteristic of the Kupala holiday, was considered a source of natural power. Therefore, fires were often lit on the banks of rivers. Also on Midsummer night they used to tell fortunes using wreaths lowered into river waters.

Herbs

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

The girls collected herbs and flowers, wove wreaths from them, and attached protective plants to their belts. The guys prepared in advance a short birch or willow tree - “madder” or “kupala”. The girls decorated the tree with flowers and colorful scraps. Yarilo, made of straw or clay, dressed up and decorated with a wreath and ribbons, was installed nearby. In addition, the doll was attached wooden symbol male dignity, painted red. Various dishes were laid out on a dish or cloth in front of Yarila. Two bonfires were lit nearby: a large Kupalets - for fun, and a small funeral pyre for burning the doll of Yarila.

Folk beliefs

There are a huge number of beliefs and customs associated with the celebration of Kupala. Let's list just a few of them. Thus, unmarried girls weave wreaths from certain herbs and, on the night before the holiday, lower the wreaths, decorated with torches or candles, into the water of a river or lake. Whose wreath floats farthest from others is destined to be the happiest. On whose wreath the light burns longer, she will live a very long time. And whose wreath immediately sinks, she will not marry her betrothed - he stopped loving 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 protected themselves from their sabotage: nettles were laid out at windows and doors, livestock was locked up and guarded. It was also believed that plants and animals converse with 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, you had to climb over the fences of 12 vegetable gardens on a holiday, and then everything you wished for would come true.

Features of the holiday

Even in ancient times, Ivan Kupala was considered the most riotous, erotic holiday. On Kupala night, all prohibitions regarding intersexual relations were abolished. Premarital relationships became free: a girl could afford a relationship with any guy, and her fiancé was not allowed to interfere with her liberties. It is interesting that many songs of the Kupala night are based on the plots of “universal marriage”, incest, etc.

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

Ivan Kupala (Ivan's Night, Midsummer's Day) is one of the main holidays of the Slavic calendar, coinciding with the Nativity of John the Baptist. The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, it was called Kupala, Kres (Old Russian), Ivan the kind, loving, Ivan Kupala, Ivan the Herbalist, Yarilin's day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Sontsekres (Ukrainian), Spirits-den (Bulgarian) etc.

The meaning of the word can be understood thanks to Sanskrit. So, the first part of “kupala” - ku - means “land, region”. The second part is pala - “watchman, guardian, protector, ruler.” Hence the meaning of the name of the holiday - Defender of the Earth or Lord of the Earth. There is an obvious similarity with Gopala (Velesknig) - 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 Ruler is one of the epithets of the Sun.

Kupala rituals, performed on the eve of the holiday (“the night before Ivan Kupala”), constitute a complex ritual complex, including: collecting herbs and flowers, weaving wreaths, decorating buildings with greenery, lighting fires, destroying scarecrows, jumping over a fire or over bouquets of greenery, dousing water, fortune telling, tracking down the witch, night riots.

The holiday of Ivan Kupala, mystical and mysterious, but at the same time cheerful and riotous, was celebrated by all Slavs living from the Carpathians to the north of Rus'. There are many customs and rituals associated with Ivan Kupala Day. For example, swimming on the day of Ivan Kupala is a national custom, but some ancient peoples believed that such swimming could be dangerous, because the birthday boy, Ivan Kupala, is a merman who does not like it when strangers interfere in his kingdom and is ready to drown anyone who does not careful. But the main element of the bathing night is the cleansing bonfires, which you need to jump over in order to be successful and happier. It happened that a herd of livestock could be driven through a bathing fire, thereby people wanted to protect the livestock from pestilence and other diseases. Children and youth always played with burners.

In Rus' there was a belief that on the bathing night from July 6 to 7 - the shortest of the year - you should not sleep. Indeed, on this night all evil spirits come to life: witches and werewolves, mermaids and snakes, sorcerers and brownies, water creatures and goblins. Many legends and traditions of the Ivan Kupala holiday are associated with the plant world. The flowers and herbs collected on this day have special properties; they fumigate the sick with them and fight evil spirits, kindle love. Before the revolution, Ivan Kupala was one of the most important and revered holidays. Moreover,

the participation of every person was almost mandatory, because many rituals and rules required the active participation of everyone.

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Fortune telling and beliefs

On Ivan Kupala, girls weave wreaths, stick candles in them, float them on water and tell fortunes. If the wreath does not sink, but floats, it means a quick marriage awaits. The happiest will be the one whose wreath lasts the longest on the water, and the one whose candle burns out the longest will live the longest life.

At midnight, without looking, you need to collect a bunch of herbs and put them under your pillow, and in the morning check whether you have collected twelve different plants. If you have enough, get married this year. They also put a plantain under the head, which in the old days was called triputnik, saying “Triputnik-companion, you live on the road, you see young and old, say my betrothed!”

According to legend, you can expect your wish to come true if you climb over the fences of twelve vegetable gardens on Midsummer Day.

It is believed that those who take part in the celebration of Ivan Kupala Day will definitely find their happiness and love.

The ritual of throwing wreaths into the water and telling fortunes for the betrothed It was also called “silent water” in some Russian territories.

Ivan Kupala rituals related to water:

In the old days, people believed that starting from the day of Ivan Kupala, until the day of Ilyin, all evil spirits left the waters of lakes, rivers and reservoirs, so swimming was allowed during this period of time. The most important custom on Kupala night is mandatory swimming in the water.

In addition, on this night it was water that was considered healing and had magical powers that helped to cleanse oneself of all evil, heal and gain good health. If there was no open reservoir near the village, then people built baths, in which they steamed heartily and washed off evil spirits, and used Kupala brooms until the next day of Ivan Kupala. Also very popular in ancient times was bathing in holy springs on the night of Ivan Kupala. According to popular belief, it was at this time that water entered into a sacred union with fire, and this was considered a huge natural force, symbolized by the Kupala bonfires, which to this day are kindled along the banks of lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Folk beliefs on Ivan Kupala:

• On Bathing Night, witches became very active, and therefore caused a lot of harm to people, livestock, and crops in the fields. On the night of Midsummer, people protected themselves from witch attacks with nettles, which were laid out on the threshold of the house and on the windowsills.
• Horses were especially vulnerable that night; the witches hunted for them in order to ride them to Bald Mountain, but to which the horses never returned alive. People always locked up their horses on Kupala night.
• On Bathing Night, people looked for anthills and collected ant oil, which, according to legend, was endowed with great healing properties on this night.
• The Ivan-da-Marya flowers, picked at night, had to be placed in all corners of the hut; it was believed that a thief would never break in, as he would hear voices in the house. According to legend, the Ivan da Marya flower is a brother and sister who fell in love with themselves and were punished for it and turned into a flower. Brother and sister will talk, and this will scare away the thieves.
• On the night of Ivan Kupala, it is believed that trees can move from one place to another and talk to each other through the rustling of leaves. This also applied to grass and flowers. Even animals, according to legend, talk to each other on this night.

fern flower

According to legend, on the night before Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms: a flower arrow with a bud that looks like a hot coal appears from the center of the bush, and at exactly midnight a fiery flower appears for a moment. If you pick it, you can acquire the ability to see treasures buried in the ground, understand the language of animals, open all locks simply by placing a flower on them, gain the gift of foresight, take on any form and become invisible.

The flower hunter should draw a circle around himself with a blessed knife and wait until midnight. It is difficult to pick a fern flower, since the forest evil spirits prevent this in every possible way: they call out, call in a familiar voice, make noise. Under no circumstances should you respond or turn around - you could lose your life. Having obtained a flower, you need to hide it in your bosom and run without looking back.

Bonfires are a traditional holiday attribute

They were burned everywhere on Midsummer night. Usually they were laid out on hills in a rye field, on the shore of a reservoir, or at the site of traditional festivities.

youth. They burned barrels, stumps, wheels placed on top of poles, and bunches of straw. In some places they walked through the fields with a burning bunch of straw. Young people were having fun around the fires: they sang songs, danced, and swung on swings installed nearby. A favorite pastime of young people was jumping over a fire, alone or in pairs. On Midsummer Night, as on Christmastide, young people did not adhere to the usual norms of behavior. Girls and boys dressed up, i.e. They wore fur coats turned inside out. They drove Ivanov and Mari into the rye; they played pranks in the village: they blocked the chimneys or propped up the gates and doors of the huts; rode and wrestled in the rye. Main feature Kupala night, of course, cleansing bonfires. People danced around them and jumped over them: whoever jumps more successfully and higher will be happier. In some places, livestock was driven between Kupala fires to protect them from pestilence. In the Kupala bonfires, mothers burned the shirts taken from their sick children, so that illnesses would be burned along with this linen.

History of the holiday of Ivan Kupala

After the adoption of Christianity, it began to be celebrated on the birthday of John the Baptist, which fell on June 24 according to the old style. Then there was a transition to a new style, due to which the date of the holiday moved to July 7. As a result, it turned out that he lost his astronomical connection with the solstice.

The history of the name of this holiday is quite interesting. Initially it was dedicated to the pagan god Kupala. And in the process of Christianization it also received a name in honor of John the Baptist (Forerunner). He is considered the closest predecessor of Jesus Christ, who predicted his coming. John lived in the Judean desert as an ascetic and preached baptism of repentance for the Jews. It was he who baptized Jesus Christ himself in the waters of the Jordan. Baptism was performed by immersion or washing. In Christian ideas, he is the last in a series of prophets. John the Baptist became the most revered saint of Christianity after the Virgin Mary.

Interesting facts about the holiday of Ivan Kupala

• 10th place: On the night before Ivan Kupala, girls lower wreaths with lit splinters or candles onto the river. If the wreath sinks immediately, it means that the betrothed has fallen out of love and cannot marry him. The one whose wreath floats the longest will be the happiest, and the one whose wreath burns the longest will live a long, long life!

• 9th place: If on this night you pick the flower of Ivan da Marya and put it in the corners of the hut, the thief will not approach the house: brother and sister (yellow and purple flowers of Ivan da Maria) will talk to each other, and the thief will think that The master and hostess are talking.

• 8th place: Also on Midsummer night they collect bogatenka grass, which is stuck into the wall in the name of each member of the family; whose flower will soon wither will either die or get sick this year.

• 7th place: Another true sign. At midnight you need to pick flowers without looking and put them under your pillow, and in the morning check if you have collected twelve different herbs. If you have enough, you will get married this year.

• 6th place: Main character Midsummer's Day - a fern with which legends about treasures were everywhere associated. They say that with a fern flower that opens for just a few moments at midnight on Midsummer, you can see all the treasures, no matter how deep in the ground they are.

• 5th place: This night the trees move from place to place and talk to each other. Animals and even herbs also talk to each other, which are filled with special, miraculous power that night.

• 4th place: On Midsummer night, a certain oil is collected from ant heaps, which is recognized as a healing remedy against various diseases.

• 3rd place: Witches on Ivan Kupala become more dangerous, and therefore you should put nettles on the threshold and on the windowsills to protect yourself from their attacks. It is also necessary to lock the horses so that the witches do not steal them and ride them to Bald Mountain.

• 2nd place: 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. Let’s leave aside the question of where and how to get a bear’s head.

• 1st place: If you climb twelve gardens on Midsummer Day, any wish will come true. If, of course, you manage to escape from the garden owners...

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The first mentions of the celebration of the so-called Midsummer's Day are found in sources of the 12th century. This holiday was supposedly celebrated in honor of the deity Kupala, who personified the flowering of nature and was “responsible” for the harvest.

According to another version, there was no deity: the ancient Russian pagans simply celebrated the days of the summer solstice, which was accompanied by games and bathing. And the chronicler who compiled the Gustyn Chronicle in the 17th century mistook the name of the holiday for the name of a pagan deity.

With the introduction of Christianity in Rus', many pagan holidays preserved, but transformed. The same thing happened on Kupala Day. The fact is that on the same day the birth of John the Baptist was celebrated. Their names were simply combined, and a new holiday- in honor of “Ivan Kupala”.

The rituals that accompanied the festival were called bathing. The main role in them was played by water, fire and herbs. For example, on this day girls threw wreaths into the water and then used them to guess whether they would soon have a betrothed.

The night of Ivan Kupala was considered especially important. The youth lit fires that night and then danced around them. It was also customary to jump over a fire: it was believed that the higher you jump, the happier you will be. Shortly before dawn, an effigy made of wood and straw was burned - it personified the dark principle. Women whose children were sick took off their shirts, brought them to the Kupala bonfire and threw them into the flames to “burn” the disease. It was also customary to throw bunches of nettles into the fire - according to legend, this warded off evil spirits.

Russian peasants had a belief that on the night of Midsummer everything around becomes alive: trees can move from place to place, and animals begin to speak human language... Herbs are filled with a special, miraculous power - healing and protective. Herbs and flowers collected on Kupala night were taken out of the house the next morning so that they were soaked in the morning dew. After that, they were dried and stored at home. If someone in the house fell ill, he was fumigated with Kupala grass. During a thunderstorm, Kupala herbs were thrown into a burning stove so that lightning would not strike the house.