Day 7 July our ancestors considered special. On this day they celebrated ancient holiday of Ivan Kupala.

The legend of incest

As is known, the Slavs before the coming of Orthodoxy worshipped many gods, one of which was the God of fertility Ivan Kupala. It was described as a beautiful young man in a wreath of yellow flowers.

According to legend, separated in early childhood with her sister, Kupala, having met her many years, married her, not assuming that tied the knot with a relative.

This story ended tragically: learning the truth, brother and sister committed suicide by drowning himself up.

Hence the erotic nature of the holiday. On this day were allowed more freedom of intimate relations. It was believed that through them, the person is cleared. And to bring itself into a "necessary" condition Slavs drank special herbal teas, acting as a modern viagra.

According to legend, on the night of Ivan Kupala, the trees move from place to place, and talking among themselves by the rustle of leaves. Talk to each other animals and even herbs that this night filled with special, magical powers.

"Preparation for the holiday was full of magical acts. Early in the morning the woman scooped the dew. For that, he took a fresh cloth, sheet, and any vessel. In the meadow cloth rolled in the dew and then pressed in capacity. In Midsummer Rosa also washed his face and hands, to drive away all bolesti, as well as to persons disappeared acne and pimples."

Sometimes Kupala dew used in the house - she'd throw walls and furniture to house does not spread of the disease and without any bugs.

Kupala Rosa used in diseases of the eye. It was just that his eyes himself washed it.

In addition dew on this day the healing any water - river, well, the key and even from the tap. And oil, which were collected in the anthills.

On the feast of people girded bands of flowers on the head wore wreaths of herbs, and was danced, sang songs, and old men were extracted from trees live fire and make fires of the sacrificial herbs. In the middle of the fire put a pole with a fortified it burning wheel is a symbol of the sun.

Boys and girls all night and all day fun at fires, jump over them one by one and couples holding hands: who is more successful and above, and the happier. In some places through the Midsummer fire cattle were driven home to protect her from the plague.

Jumped through nettle bushes to be cleansed from the defilement. Over bonfires burned mother shirts sick children, believing that this disease will go away.

Night desires

In the magic the fire was to throw zagovornye things. The hex on the thing was done in the following way: take, for example, a handkerchief, gave it to his lips to touch his breath, and three times uttered in a whisper illnesses, troubles or qualities of character, who wanted to burn in the fire of Kupala night. After that jumped over the fire, and immediately rushed into the water.

Girl plunged into the river birch wreaths with lit candles, wondering so in love. If the crown immediately sank - cute fell out of love, and marry it will fail. Swam without any interference on the middle of the river the swift marriage, and if immediately drifted ashore - to long idle life.

Lonely girl, unhappy in love, to bewitch of the elect, at midnight on Ivan Kupala were three times to run around the rye fields. Preferably naked. It was considered that while naked beauty "cut" circles, the beloved will see her in my sleep, and the next morning will realize that she is the one and only that he was looking for all my life.

There was also a custom of that day to bathe in a bath with brooms of flowers Ivan-da-Marya is kutya, which is brewed from barley and add oil.

At night bathed with the dew, and a day in the rivers, pouring water on everyone you meet, danced around the decorated tree, which was called "Mara", was submerged in the water, and they sang songs that "madder" drowned.

Although swimming in the river was considered to be mandatory, on Kupala it was dangerous, as a birthday on this day was the very water that can't stand when his name-day in the water, climb people. Therefore, and taking revenge on them, flush any careless.

"If you have a wish - July 7, it might be fulfilled. You need only this day twelve gardens (fences) to climb."

In the night of Ivan Kupala blossom magic herb: the dream-grass, tirlich, kaluka, gap-grass, overcoming herb, fern.

Until now, many believe that the fern blooms splendid fire flower, which specifies all the treasures, as if deep in the earth they were.

According to legend, around midnight on the broad leaves of a fern appears kidney, which rises higher and higher, then becomes unsteady, will turn over and jumped, and in 12 hours of the night is broken with a crash and a fiery bright flower that even painful to see. If it is at this point not to disrupt, they immediately take possession of evil spirits, invisibly present next.

Tricks of the evil forces

On the night of Ivan Kupala, and the whole next day witches and other vermin get incredible strength and struggling to cause all sorts of harm to people and animals.

Witches taken from cows milk, spoil bread, water strive to drag person underwater, Goblin scares included in the forest, leads them into the thicket. Blind Copperhead snake gets a vision for the whole day and so at this time is very dangerous: rushing to the man, like an arrow, can pierce right through him.

To protect themselves from evil forces put on the Windows of stinging nettles, and in the doors of a cattle-yard - young aspen tree, rooted up.

The witch is stored water, boiled with the ashes of last year's bathing fire. Sprinkling himself therewith, the witch lose weight and can calmly go on Sabbath on Bald mountain. Or on the broom, or on horseback. Therefore horses on Kupala carefully locked in the barn, as back they Sabbath never returned.

In pre-revolutionary Russia Ivan Kupala belonged to number of the most respected and important holidays of the year, there took part all of the rural population, and tradition demanded active involvement of each participant of the celebration to all the rites and required the implementation of a number of rules, taboos and customs.

The sun on this day, works with special life-giving force. Ethnographers recorded a lot of legends about the fact that on the day of Ivan Kupala "the sun at dawn plays, is an iridescent, riding, diving in and reappears".

Monitor "playing" the sun continued until Petrova days - July 12, which is considered as the day of farewell to the sun, gradually decreasing after the summer solstice. It was the custom to "watch the sun". In the evening, taking meals, young people went to the hill, where you been out all night, lit bonfires and waited solar sunrise to see the sun set.

According to legend, born Ivan Kupala's very amorous and whole life looking for your ideal.



The Nativity Of John The Baptist

Ivan Kupala - the popular name of the Church of the Nativity of John the forerunner, John the Baptist.
7 July 24th, old style) is the period of summer solstice. Say, this day of nature abides in the juice, on top of their forces.

On pagan Rus was chestvovali the divine fruits of the earth - Kupala. It was as pretty and gay men with big wreath of herbs and bright colors on the head, holding a summer gifts of nature. In gratitude for the generosity Kupala offered sacrifices was burnt grass, and besides, danced, sang praise to the divine song.

With the advent of Christianity in the celebration Kupala intertwined with the tradition of celebrating this time of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. The image of John the Baptist, according to biblical tales baptized common people in the waters of the Jordan river, in the popular mind gradually merged with the image of a deity Kupala, and his name peasants called St. John. As for pagan fire customs joined rituals associated with water, reminiscent of baptism as washing in the river, in consonance with the word "bathing".

The fire...

As the echo of paganism in the night of Ivan Kupala in villages lit bonfires. Get live fire through friction each other dry branches were allowed oldest and respected man from the settlement or the very beautiful and udalogo guy. Around Midsummer fires whole village danced, sang songs. Not to go to the party that night was a bad omen.

People believed that the fire in the night of Ivan Kupala has a purifying properties. So all - young and old - were jumping over bonfires to a flame burned all bad. Were noticed: the higher will fly over the flame, the luckier and healthier. Mother burned at the Midsummer fire clothes sick children. Love flew over the fire, holding hands: if not unhook will live together happily ever after. It was also thought that, overcoming the barrier of fire, people symbolic sacrifice to the divine fruits of the earth.

The Midsummer fire she could not move as high as possible "so that the sparks fly to the sky": on the hill, the hill, often near the river. The peasants believed that the farther it will be seen, the better. On the table or spread out on the ground tablecloth exhibited collected chipped a snack and drink.
In nowhich areas people set fire enshrined in the midst of the fire on the pole wheel. Such burning circle, as well as the fire symbolizing the sun.

The fire in the shortest night played an important role - as a personification of the same light. In ancient times believed that the sun Ivan Kupala leave their dwellings on three horses: silver, gold and diamond. It is dancing, playing the sky, scattering fiery stars. I also believe that at this time, the Sun has a wedding with luminous red girl Dawn-morning star. Mandatory rite of this solar wedding - bathing lights in the waters.

...and water

Pagan legends about bathing in the Sun, Evangelical water baptism by John the Baptist, called in Scripture the forerunner of the Sun (Christ), the consonance Kupala "bathing", the worship of water as the element, without which there is no fertility, formed the basis of the water rituals in the night of Ivan Kupala itself and on Midsummer day.
Like fire, water, according to popular belief, the Kupala night had special properties. Peasants after festivities at a fire was moved to the open water bodies. Believed that if a swim before sunrise Midsummer day, the whole year will be healthy, will wash themselves of the evil eye. In pagan times, people believed that, swimming, bring a kind of sacrifice to the divine.

As in Baptism, the water in all sources in Midsummer midnight was healing.
Healing properties endowed and dew in the morning covered grass. At the dawn of Ivan Kupala, the hostess came out "to draw dew". Spreading out on the wet meadow grass tablecloths, and after squeezed ingrained in them dew in tubs. She washed and for beauty of face, and to banish all "bolesti", sprinkled walls of houses and bed, thus expelling evil spirits.

Earth and grass

Their juices and force of the earth, with the sun and water, passed not only people, but also plants.
In Ivanovo night peasants adorned herself with wreaths, girded herbs. Many went to the forest or field for medicinal "saliami" and "roots", which has at this time the greatest power. Experts in this matter were healers. They knew where what grass to take what words to whisper.

The bravest of them went in search of a blossoming only this night of a fern. Believed that derailed and beregsau it to the first crow from luring or frightening the evil spirit, opens all the treasures, thoughts human and girls ' hearts.

The rampant evil

Midsummer night was one of the most frightening and mysterious in the year. Believed that at this time erased the boundaries between human and alien worlds. This night plants and animals were talking among themselves, and people could hear their voices. And the trees allegedly moved from place to place.

Farmers said that witches, sorcerers and other evil spirits in the night of Ivan Kupala gather on the Sabbath. And the witch who for some reason did not fly on Bald mountain, will try to hurt people: crops tread-to find, milk cows to withdraw, to cause trouble in the house. To protect themselves and their households from the antics of the impure force, villagers threw ashes from the Midsummer fire in the fields, drew the embers crosses on the doors and Windows, inserted into the walls of houses Midsummer herbs.

Removing prohibitions

One of the features of Kupala night was the removal of the bans. After a joint bathing unmarried boys and girls, young married men and women were alone in the nearest forests and groves not with your partner.

In the words of the Abbot of the Pskov elizarieva monastery of Pamphilos, it was "husband and youths great fall, man's, women's and girl's whispering, prodigal them view and wives mugalim desecration, and virgins corruption". Girls who got pregnant and gave birth after this holiday, willingly took to wife. Married from home did not expel, so as to be a father, let and a step-child, born after a night on Ivan Kupala, was honored.

On the night of Ivan Kupala's nature was at the peak of its prosperity. People like it, tried to live a full life, to connect with the elements, to take from mother nature as much as possible and to thank her.