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(Ivan Kupala Day) or is a (folk holiday with pagan origins) celebrated in connection with , although not necessarily on the same day. It is today primarily celebrated in Ukraine and, to a lesser degree, Belarus and Russia.
Celebrations begin on the evening of July 6th and continue into July 7th. The holiday is always marked on the same day that the Russian and Urkainian Orthodox Churches celebrate .
Because is a church holiday, its date is marked by the Julian calendar, which is still used by most Orthodox churches, including the Russian and Urkainian Orthodox Churches. Most of the world switched to the Gregorian calendar in the sixteenth century. The Gregorian and Julian calendars currently differ by 14 days and thus the 6th of the July by the modern Gregorian calendar is the 23rd of June by the Julian calendar. Many sources will list that has the official date of the holiday.
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| Kupala is sometimes depicted as a female (left) and sometimes as a male (right). |
There are different theories about the relation of to . The name “Купала is derived from the word “купать” which means “to bathe” in Russian. Thus, some say that the name of the holiday is related to the fact that Jesus Christ when baptizing him. The name “John” can be translated as “Иоанн” (the official version of the name that the Church uses for John the Baptist) or “Иван”, which is a far more common name in Slavic cultures. Thus, Иван Купала is a popular variation in Russian as it uses more common and accessible words.
However, celebrations of the holiday have obviously pagan roots. Купала[/su_tooltip] (sometimes Купало in Russian) was a Slavic deity. While the mythology differed between geographic location, the name is pronounced nearly identically across various Slavic cultures and the deity is generally regarded as one with power over flowers, vegetation, fertility, sexuality, and/or the harvest. Some scholars suggest the Купала was the Slavic version of Cupid and that the names Cupid and Купала are actually related.
Others state that Ivan Kupala is a holiday celebrating , a more powerful Slavic god of vegetation, fertility, and springtime.
Whatever the actual origin, Ivan Kupala is an example of a , which is often referred to as , a term used when Christianity and co-exist.
The biggest proponents of Ivan Kupala are the , but the holiday (is celebrated all over Europe) and is in many countries as .
There are a number of on the eve of Ivan Kupala: , , , , , , , and .
The key is . , and then ; after that, . .
A news report on moden-day celebrations of Ivan Kupala in Ukraine.
In addition to fire, many of the rituals for Ivan Kupala that are associated with water: , because on that day, , and it is possible to bathe without fear. Water on Ivan Kupala Day , so such bathing .
There is also a that , and anyone who picks this , such as understanding animals, being able to see treasure, and becoming invisible.
The famous Russian writer Nikolai Gogol wrote a short story called about a after finding it.
Today, celebrations of this holiday survive by smaller groups celebrating in the countryside. Urban celebrations are rare.
For more on Russian folklore, click here.
