July 7 - Ivan Kupala Holiday
The feast of Ivan Kupala combines elements of worship of nature, fire and water, as well as the symbolism of birth, fertility and purification.
During the holiday, people gather in nature, usually at reservoirs, rivers or lakes. The central attribute of the holiday is a large bonfire, around which various rituals and rituals are performed.
This is the time when people rejoice at the arrival of summer, meet the dawn and celebrate the vitality and beauty of nature.
It is believed that it is on this day that herbs receive great strength from the Earth and the Sun.
One of the most popular divination on Ivan Kupala is associated with a wreath. You need to weave a wreath of field plants and flowers on this day. You can guess at the fulfillment of a wish — for this you need to lower the wreath into the water closer to midnight. If the wreath floats far away, the wish will come true, and if it is washed ashore, it will not come true.
In Russia, it was believed that swimming in the morning after a night of revelry is not worth it, because you can be dragged to the bottom of the water.
The Slavs had a belief that only once a year, on the night of Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms. The mythical flower supposedly gives the one who plucked it the ability to see all the treasures, become invisible and even understand the language of animals. Also, they just found this plant in the evening or at night to ask him for help and forgiveness of sins.
And life hacks, how to recognize witches))
All women were obliged to come to the Kupala bonfire, and those who did not could be accused of witchcraft.
On Ivan Kupala, the girls collected wormwood, because they believed that witches and mermaids were afraid of it. Wormwood was worn on a belt, woven into wreaths, stuck in the windows of houses and gates to block the path of witches.