Ancestral memory - discussions. Day of the God of Kupala

In tradition Orthodox Christianity There is a holiday called Ivan Kupalo (Ivan Kupala Day). For the Slavs, the Kupala holiday is one of the most important. The custom of celebrating the summer solstice has been preserved since ancient times. One of the Four Solar Breaks, Kupala (summer) is known today more than the winter solstice, the Spring or Autumn Equinox.

Kupaloin the pantheon of Slavic Gods

God Kupalo is the son of the God of Fire, Semargl and the Goddess of the Night, Bathing Suit. He is the twin brother of Kostroma, the Patroness of lovers. Kupalo is one of the solar Gods, therefore he is also understood as the Summer hypostasis of the God Khors. In the Svarozh Krugolet Kupalo takes over control of the sunflower World from Yarilo, God Spring Sun, and then transfers the responsibility to monitor the solstice to Avsen - the God of the Autumn Sun.

Legends and myths about the Slavic God Kupala

After the Goddess of the Night, the Bathing Lady, gave birth to children from the God of Fire Semargl - two twins, a brother and a sister, the boy was named in honor of his mother - Kupalo, and the girl was named Kostroma for her unprecedented beauty. The children grew up in affection and maternal love. The son was a good, flexible and cheerful little boy. The daughter grew up disobedient, self-willed, apparently, she took after her Father. Only brother Kupalo could soften her unexpected antics.

One day Kostroma wanted to listen to the forbidden voice of the bird Sirin - the messenger dark world. Kupala, in the simplicity of his soul, said that the bird sings sweeter than Kostroma. The sister became angry, cursed the bird, and threw sand at it. The prophetic bird is not simple, magical. She was offended, but cast a spell on the children, and dragged the little boy Kupala along with her. As for where the boy grew up, the legends remain silent, but Kupalo grew up into a tall and smart guy. The spell only continued to work - he did not remember the past of himself and his relatives.

And Kostroma grew up with her mother, and she grew up to be a capricious, proud girl with a willful character. Once, when they made fun of her simple wreath in Green Rusalia, she declared that she would not even give her wreath to the Gods. Immediately the spell of the Sirin bird came to life - a playful breeze tore the wreath from Kostroma’s head and threw it straight into Kupalo’s hands. Out of malicious intent, he was sailing along the river in a boat at that time. He went ashore to Kupalo, presented a wreath to Kostroma, and everyone immediately sang songs of praise to both the bride and groom.

The sister and brother did not even recognize each other, thinking that they were strangers to each other. That's why they fell in love with just one glance. And after that, even the mother did not recognize her son in Kupala - the witchcraft of the vindictive bird Sirin was so strong. And on the day when it was the longest of the year, the wedding of Kupalo and Kostroma took place. Angry bird Sirin only after the wedding of the young couple announced the whole truth with her singing.

From such a violation of harmony, the Laws of Rule and the Universe, everyone had a hard time. Especially Kostroma - after all, it was constantly showered with ridicule. The proud beauty threw herself into the water out of shame, and her brother into the fire. Yes, only the Gods and Goddesses are immortal, so none of them died, but were only cleansed from the black spell. Afterwards, Kupalo became the God of the Summer Sun, gaining power over the world on the shortest night.

Symbol and amulets of Kupalo

Symbol “Fern Flower” (“Fern Color”, “Perunov Color”).

Such a symbol was called the Perun color only because Kupalo once gave the Thunder God a gift - a scarlet flower of love. With this flower-gift, the God of Love and Fertility softened the character of the Warrior God and Justice. Therefore, Perun was then only able to find his Perunitsa - the Goddess of Thunder and Rain, Diva Dodola.

But there are other stories that say that on the birthday of his brother and sister, Perun himself gave such a flower to the twins as nephews (Semargl is Perun’s brother). Be that as it may, but Perunov color the Slavic God Kupalo always revived magical night solstice.

This symbol can give people:

powerful protection against any dark force;
protect from damage, the evil eye and diseases;
treasure hidden in the ground;
internal self-confidence;
fulfillment of a cherished dream;
profitable work;
happiness and success in life.

Manifestation of God Kupala for the Slavs

The Slavs believed that the coming of God Kupala meant for them:

top of summer;
flourishing of life;
Love.

We can say that it is Kupala days that are celebrated as the very core of summer, Kologoda and the rush hour of the Solstice. This is the time when everything has already been sown, what is needed is planted. The seedlings have sprouted strong shoots and continue their life cycle. It’s still too early to harvest, so at this time you can pay tribute to the family, its continuation, think about love, creating your own family, and strengthen existing family ties. In such a flourishing, all living beings awaken and experience true love.

Attributes of God Kupala

Bird– cuckoo, tit, jay, robin, lark, woodcock.

Totem bird – fire rooster, symbolizing tongues of fiery flame and the element of fire.

Heraldry, symbolism– the sun, with bright flashes and numerous rays.

Holiday paraphernalia– embroidered towels, tablecloths, scarves, clothes.

Ritual holiday paraphernalia– a high bonfire – Kupalets, a fiery wheel that needs to be thrown into the water, wreaths with candles, launched on flowing water.

Flower– fern color .

Treba, (offering)– symbolic sacrifice – rooster feathers, loaf of bread, flowers and herbs symbolizing love.

God Kupala in the northern tradition of fortune telling

Reza Kupalo's number is 35

Meaning: It’s important to stop, the questioner is wrong now!

The reason for the appearance of Reza in the layout: the fate of the Questioner's family and the severity of past trials may push him to repeat mistakes.

Challenge (what needs to be done and what quality to show): you will still have to make a choice, despite the situation and troubles; we have to admit that the consequences of mistakes make their own adjustments to fate.

Caution (what you shouldn't and shouldn't do): There is no point in finding out who is right and who is to blame for past mistakes now. It is best to try to fix something without rushing to conclusions.

Note (mandatory): The time has come to think about the reasons that led to wrong actions and deeds, so you should take responsibility - this will help you not repeat mistakes.

Advice (optional): a person has a deep-seated feeling of guilt, which it is better to quickly admit. Shadow side comes out through repeated wrong actions, which is why admitting your shortcomings is so necessary. The sooner the Questioner recognizes the other side of his personality, the faster everything will go towards correcting the situation.

Consolation (what circumstance should be kept in mind): What makes an imperfect person better is overcoming difficulties.

Reza Kupalo in the scenario means that the time has come for the Questioner to re-evaluate himself. The God of the Summer Sun warns that you should think about the fruits of deeds and deeds not when you have done them, but before you intend to do them.

God Kupala in the northern tradition of magic

Rituals for fulfilling aspirations:

Call for good luck, happiness, love, strong family.
Attracting success in business.
Enchant for good and harmonious relationships with relatives.
Strengthening relationships with your children.

God Kupala himself experienced a difficult fate, but still found the strength to change. He achieved his happy fate because he understood one important thing - a thoughtless, frivolous and irresponsible life leads to sad consequences. At the same time, in every sad story there is a bright thread, which is given by the Goddess of Fate Makosh. That is why on Kupala nights, from year to year, people turn to Kupala to receive love, wisdom, and a better life.

Sciences of God Kupala

Nauz “Joy of Life” addressed to God Kupala, is created in certain cases. This is usually necessary when a person:

lost joy in life;
does not see the space around him, feels in a vice, oppressed;
lost the feeling of beauty, love and happiness;
I began to feel dullness in life, insipidity, monotony;
languishes from monotony and routine.

The Summer Sun God loves joy, bright colors, sunlight, stormy changes in life. God Kupala helps people see the beauty of earthly life, returning them to love of life and joy!

While weaving, it is important to mentally imagine something beautiful, warming the soul, and pleasing. And also pay attention to the words of the spell themselves and create images within yourself based on the spelled text. After making the nauz, you should carry it with you.

The Slavic god Kupalo fills people with the power of procreation. Men who feel a decrease in their strength, fatigue, malaise, insomnia would do well to turn to God Kupala. For this purpose, they weave the nauz “Male Strength”, which helps not only to continue one’s lineage, but also to maintain heroic bodily strength.

How can science help?

The knot together with the spell creates the following useful effect:

they will remove “guides and ghosts”;
physicality is brought to a healthy state;
give renewal, new strength.

How to proceed?

The magic knot is tied only under a special spell, which is pronounced three times. During production powerful amulet and the amulet, it is extremely important to clearly imagine the conspiracy action itself, which is described in the content of the conspiracy.

After this, the finished nauz should be carried on the chest for three days, and on the fourth, it is removed, not put on again, but hidden away from prying eyes. In order to repeat the effect of the magic node again, a new node is tied. After some time has passed (you will feel this need yourself), you should burn all such knowledge. The ashes are then washed off with running water.

The magical night of Kupala is good for conceiving a child. It was believed that children who were conceived on such a night would be beautiful, strong, and gifted. Therefore, young spouses tried to knit the science “Conceiving a Child”.

How can science help?

This magical bundle bestows the wearer with the power to give birth to a beautiful and healthy child.

There is only one condition - the nauz is tied for those spouses and couples who have already “jumped over the fire.” Among the Slavs, this event was equated with a popular recognition of love and the desire to start a family.

How to proceed?

You need to knit a nauz from a red thread, cord or rope from natural fibers. Everything must be done within 40 days with the recitation of the conspiracy according to a certain scheme. The ritual begins on the new moon, when all the threads are knitted one knot at a time along with the spell.

They stop wearing the nauz and hide it in a distant drawer only after three months of close interaction with it and wearing it.

Kupalo - Patron God

The gods patronize those who:

similar in nature to them,
or specifically asked them for patronage.

But every person who came into this world during the period from June 22 to September 22 stood under the protection of God Kupala, the God of the Summer Sun. It must be said here that if your birthday falls on a borderline number, then you need to look for what exact dates in the year of your arrival in the World there were Solstice days.

God's Day Kupala - Kupala holiday

Some traditions believe that the dates of the Kupala holiday are July 7, June 24. In the tradition of the north, a date is accepted that coincides with the astronomical one - June 20-21.

With the advent of the Kupala holiday, Nature has already blossomed. People, with their joy and veneration of God Kupalets, join the life-giving power of the entire manifest World - they light the ritual bonfire of Kupalets, offer praise to the God of Fire, offer the demand - the best loaf, to which they previously laid their hands and made wishes. Then everyone jumps over the burnt-out fire. The wheel of fire was lit and rolled out into the water amid loud cries of the people. Girls and boys wove wreaths of herbs and flowers, lit candles, wrote their aspirations onto the wreaths and floated them on the water. The Slavs sometimes used to say that this was a “wedding of fire and water.”

GOD KUPALA(Kupalo) - God who gives a person the opportunity to perform all sorts of Ablutions and conducts Rituals of Cleansing the Body and Spirit from various ailments and diseases. God who guides you to a joyful and happy life.
Kupala is a cheerful and beautiful God who dresses in light white robes decorated with flowers. On the head of God Kupala there is a wreath of beautiful flowers.

Day of God Kupala

Before the start of the harvest and the collection of field fruits, in honor of God Kupala, a celebration was held, at which bloodless sacrifices were made to God Kupala, as well as to all the Ancient Gods and Ancestors. At the festival, they throw their bloodless sacrifices and demands into the fire of the Holy Swastika Altar, so that everything sacrificed appears on festive tables Gods and Ancestors.

After making bloodless sacrifices from the living fire of the Holy Swastika Altar, the community members light candles and firelights, which they fasten on wreaths and rafts and send them down the rivers. At the same time, on a candle or fire, Orthodox Old Believers-Yinglings from various Communities say their innermost desire or request for deliverance from illnesses, all kinds of failures, various problems, etc. This ritual can be explained as follows: a burning candle or firelight illuminates the request or desire of the Communities, the river water remembers them and, evaporating, rises to Heaven, conveying to the Gods all the requests and desires of the Orthodox Old Believers-Yinglings.

At the holiday, each of the Orthodox Old Believers-Yinglings must undergo complete cleansing in order to begin collecting the fruits of the field and begin the field harvest. The complete cleansing of the Orthodox Old Believers-Ynglings consists of three parts:

First cleansing (Body cleansing). Everyone present at the holiday on God's Day Kupala must wash their body in sacred waters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc.) to wash away fatigue and dirt.
Second cleansing (Soul cleansing). In order for those present at the holiday on the Day of God Kupala to purify their Soul, large bonfires are lit, and everyone jumps over these bonfires, because Fire burns all negativity and cleanses the aura and Soul of a person.
Third cleansing (Purification of the Spirit). Each Old Believer Community member present at the holiday on God's Day Kupala, as well as those who wish, can cleanse and strengthen their Spirit. To do this, a Circle of Fire is created from the burning coals of a large fire, along which Old Believers-Ynglings from various Tribal, Slavic and Aryan Communities walk barefoot. Those who wish to walk through the coals for the first time in order to cleanse and strengthen their Spirit are led by the Community by the hand through the Circle of Fire.

This holiday is inextricably linked with another ancient event. In ancient times, God Perun freed his sisters from captivity in the Caucasus and sent them to cleanse themselves in the waters of the Holy Iriya (Irtysh) and in the Smetannoe Clean Lake (Zaysan Island). This event is also narrated in the fifth ball of Songs of the Bird Gamayun.

Due to the fact that Kupala is the Patron God of the Heavenly Palace of Horses, on this day it is customary to bathe horses and braid their manes colorful ribbons and decorate them with wildflowers.

Anthem-Orthodox Praise:
Kupala, ours! Glorious and Trislaven be forever! We glorify you all our dearly, we call you to our lands! Grant us all purification, for our Bozeh to glorify! Grant to our clans a bountiful harvest in the suffering fields, and full bins in our mansions, now and ever, and from Circle to Circle! So be it, so be it, so be it!

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Kupala - in Slavic mythology Kostorma's twin brother. Both of them are children of the goddess of the Night Bathing Suit and Semargl. Slavic myths say that one day, when Kupala and her sister were still little, they ran to the pure pole to listen to the bird of death Sirin and a misfortune happened there. The Sirin bird carried Kupala to the Dark Kingdom. Many years passed, and then Kostroma (sister) walked along the river bank and wove a wreath. The wind tore the wreath from his head and carried it into the water, where Kupala picked it up while sailing past in a boat. Kupala and Kostroma fell in love with each other and got married without knowing that they were brother and sister, and when they found out they decided to drown themselves. Kostorma became a mermaid or Mavka. But the gods decided to take pity on the brother and sister and turned them into a flower that we now know as Ivan da Marya.

They celebrated the holiday of Kupala (the holiday of the summer solstice on the night of June 23-24). Presumably on this day the Slavs celebrated the holiday of the solar deity. The holiday of Kupala was also associated with the veneration of fire. It was believed that the connection between fire and water personified the dependence of fertility on bright sun and good watering.

Kupala is the Summer God, according to the Gustinian Chronicle: “The fifth (idol) Kupala, as I imagine, was the god of abundance, like the Hellenic Ceres, who was insane to him for his thanksgiving at that time, when the harvest was about to arrive.” In “On the Idols of Vladimirov” - “the god of the fruits of the earth.”

It gained unusual popularity among the Eastern Slavs; on the night of Ivan Kupala, fire and water combine (with the obligatory appearance of life-giving steam and boiling water) and miracles happen: “This Kupala, the demon, is still commemorated in some countries by crazy people, starting on the 23rd day of June , on the evening of the Nativity of John the Baptist, even before the harvest and beyond...,” reports the Gustino Chronicle. - “In the evening, simple children of both sexes gather and weave themselves crowns from a poisonous potion, or koretya, and, having girded themselves, light a fire, and then they put up a green branch, and, holding hands nearby, turn around that fire, singing their own songs, admiring the Kupala ; then they jump through the fire, offering this sacrifice to the demon. "

In addition to the section, some songs of the festival are given. K.M. Galkovsky cites teachings against paganism containing the names of Kupala, Kolyada, Lelya and Lado from as far back as the 18th century; the description of the holiday is almost identical, which indicates the stability of the folk tradition.

The message of the abbot of the Pskov Eleazar Monastery Panfil to the Pskov prince Dmitry Vladimirovich of Rostov (according to the Pskov Chronicles, 15 05) says that on the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist, “enchantresses” - men and women in the meadows, swamps, forests, fields are supposedly looking for what -then mortal herbs “for destruction by man and cattle”, “here they dig divia rooting for the indulgence of their husbands: and all this they do with the action of the devil on the day of the Forerunners with the sentences of Sotanin.” And on the very feast of the Forerunners, coinciding with the summer solstice, actually with Kupala, “on that holy night, not all of the city will be in turmoil, and in the villages there will be a riot with tambourines, and sniffles, and the humming of strings, and all sorts of inappropriate Sotonin games, splashing and splashing , but wives and maidens and heads nod, and their lips are hostile to the cry, all the nasty demonic songs, and their wobbles are wobbling, and their feet are jumping and trampling; The same is the great fall of men and boys, the same is the prodigal view of women and girls, the same is defilement for husbands’ wives and corruption for virgins. What happened quickly in towns and villages in that year - soton flaunts the idol celebration, the joy and joy of Sotonin, but there is rejoicing in it... as if it were a reproach and dishonor to the Birth of the Baptist and in laughter and in disgrace his days, who do not know the truth, as if he were idolaters celebrate this demonic holiday”... “For every summer, as an idol, the official custom of Soton calls upon him, as a sacrifice to the bringer of all filth and lawlessness, a God-given offering; like the day of birth, the Forerunners of the great celebrate, but in their ancient custom.”

In East Slavic mythology, Kupala is the main character at the center of ritual actions and performances of the summer solstice holiday, which was celebrated on the night of June 23-24 according to the old style. The name of Kupala remained only in the names of the folk holiday “Ivan Kupala” and a ritual attribute - a decorated tree or scarecrow. The indication that Kupala is a deity is contained only in fairly late written sources. Thus, the Gustyn Chronicle (17th century) condemns the celebrations in honor of Kupala:

"Semu Kupala<…>commemoration is celebrated on the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist<…>in a gray way: in the evening, simple children, of both sexes, gather and weave crowns of poisonous potion or bark for themselves, and, girded with the former, they light a fire, and sometimes they supply a green branch, and, eating by the hand, they turn around this fire, singing their songs<…>then they will gallop through this fire<…>Bathed, his god of the fruits of the earth was born to me, and to him, with demonic charm, thanksgiving and sacrifices were offered to the Shah, at the beginning of the harvest, the same god bathed, or more truly a demon, and to this day the memory remains in the Russian countries, especially in the evening, the Nativity of John the Baptist<…>through the fire, jumping over themselves to the same demon, Kupala is sacrificed<…>And whenever they pass by at night, then they retreat to the river with great shouting<…>wash with water." Condemnation of the Kupala rites themselves is also contained in earlier Slavic manuscripts: for example, in the “Synodik” of the Bulgarian Tsar Boril (XIII century), in the denunciations of the abbot of the Pskov Eleazar Monastery Pamphilus (1505). In particular, Abbot Pamphilus wrote:

“When the holiday comes, on that holy night not all of the city will be in turmoil, and in the villages they will go wild, with tambourines and sniffles and stringed humming, splashing and dancing; But wives and girls are disgusted by the nodding of their heads and their lips, the shouting, all the nasty songs, the wobbling of their spines, and the jumping and trampling of their feet; that is, the great fall of man and boy, the whispering of men, women and girls, their fornication, the desecration of married women, and the corruption of virgins.”

Linguistic researchers trace the name Kupala to the Indo-European root kir- with the meaning “to boil, boil, passionately desire.” Words with this root are known to many peoples, including those neighboring Eastern Slavs. So, in the Lithuanian language there is a verb kire, meaning “to boil, to foam,” and in Latvian kire - “to smoke, to smoke.” The name of the Slavic seasonal character Kupala is also related to the name of the Roman god of love Cupid, which is derived from the Latin verb eirYu - ere - “to desire, to crave,” which goes back to the same Indo-European root. The meaning of this root, associated with the concept of fire, is contained in the Polesie words “kupala” (bonfire) and “merchant” (smolder, burn poorly), and the Simbirsk local words “kupalnitsa” and “kupalenka” (bonfire in the field, fire overnight). Thus, the name Kupala was originally associated with the idea of fire. This is also indirectly confirmed by the presence of cognate names in East Slavic languages different plants, the signs of which are correlated with fire. In some local traditions among Russians, wildflowers were called “bathing suit” or “kupavka”: pungent buttercup, that is, burning like fire; carnation and Ivan-da-Marya, which are similar to fire based on color - pink (red) and blue-yellow. “Kupenya”, or “bought”, in Pskov, Kursk, and Tula berniyas was the name for lily of the valley, the berries of which - orange-red, like fire - were used as blush. “Bathroom” and “vitriol” were popularly called ferns - a plant that occupies important place in beliefs relating specifically to the holiday of Ivan Kupala: according to traditional beliefs, the fern blooms only once a year and with a special flower - golden in color with a fiery red tint.

In connection with the idea of fire in relation to the holiday of Ivan Kupala, one cannot help but notice that it fell on the day of the summer solstice, that is, at the turn of two periods of the solar annual cycle, which underlies the ancient agricultural calendar. This was the time of the highest activity of the sun, which then, as people said, “turned to winter” and gradually began to “fade”, causing the days to become shorter and the nights longer. It was in connection with these ideas that the ancient Slavs on this day honored the sun, perceived as a life-giving heavenly fire, watching its appearance at dawn and lighting bonfires.

Along with the veneration of the sun and the natural element of fire, the archaic ritual and mythological complex of the Kupala holiday included numerous actions associated with the opposite element of water. Therefore, over time, the name Kupala began to correlate with the verb “to bathe,” which is similar in sound to it. This perception of the name of a mythological seasonal character was also facilitated by the layering on the pagan Kupala ritual of the Christian celebration of the Nativity of John the Baptist, whose image was clearly associated with water. According to the Gospel, John, proclaiming the appearance of the Savior and the approach of the Kingdom of God, called on people to repent of their sins; those who repented underwent a purification ceremony in the waters of the Jordan River, which was called “baptism by water” or “full immersion.” The meaning of Kupala festivities in the popular consciousness was rethought over time and began to be perceived as ritual bathing. The influence of the pagan basis of the holiday was reflected in the fact that in the Russian tradition, John the Baptist is better known as Ivan Kupala, that is, in fact, the Christian saint received the nickname of a pagan deity.

GOD KUPALA On June 23, the great holiday “God Kupala” is celebrated, timed to coincide with the day of the summer solstice (solstice). Solstice is the moment in time in the Earth's annual rotation around the Sun when the shortest day or shortest night is observed. There are two solstices in the year - winter and summer. GOD KUPALA (Kupalo) - God who gives a person the opportunity to perform all sorts of Ablutions and conducts Rituals of Cleansing the Body, Soul and Spirit from various ailments and diseases. God who guides you to a joyful and happy life. Kupala is a cheerful and beautiful God, dressing in light white robes decorated with flowers. On the head of God Kupala there is a wreath of beautiful flowers. Kupala was revered as the God of the warm time of Summer, wild flowers and wild fruits. Many Slavic-Aryan Clans engaged in field farming revered God Kupala along with the Goddess Makosh, as well as the Gods Perun and Veles. Before the start of the harvest and the collection of field fruits, a holiday was celebrated in honor of God Kupala, at which bloodless sacrifices were made to God Kupala, as well as to all the Ancient Gods and Ancestors. On the holiday, the Slavs throw their prayers into the fire of the Holy Swastika Altar, so that everything sacrificed appears on the festive tables of the Gods and Ancestors. After making bloodless sacrifices, candles and firelights are lit from living fire, which are attached to wreaths and rafts and sent down the rivers. At the same time, on a candle or firelighter, they say their innermost desire or request for deliverance from illnesses, all sorts of failures, various problems, etc. This ritual can be explained as follows. A burning candle or firelight illuminates a request or desire, the river water remembers them and, evaporating, rises to Heaven, conveying all requests and desires to the Gods. At the holiday, everyone must undergo complete cleansing in order to begin collecting the fruits of the field and the beginning of the field harvest. Complete cleansing consists of three parts: First cleansing (Cleansing the Body) Everyone present at the holiday on God's Day Kupala must wash their body in the waters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs) to wash away fatigue and dirt. Second cleansing (Cleansing of the Soul) In order for those present at the holiday on God's Day Kupala to cleanse their Soul, large bonfires are lit, and everyone jumps over these bonfires, because Fire burns all negativity and cleanses the aura and Soul of a person. Third cleansing (Purification of the Spirit) Everyone present at the holiday on the Day of God Kupala, as well as those who wish, can cleanse and strengthen their Spirit. To do this, a Circle of Fire is created from the burning coals of a large fire, along which they walk barefoot. Those who wish to walk through the coals for the first time in order to cleanse and strengthen their Spirit are led by the hand through the Circle of Fire. Due to the fact that Kupala is the Patron God of the Heavenly Palace of the Horse in the Svarog Circle, on this day it is customary to bathe horses, braid multi-colored ribbons into their manes and decorate them with wildflowers. Fruitful deity of summer. “Kupalo, as I remember, was the god of abundance, like the Hellenic Ceres, to whom the madman offered thanks for the abundance to the Shah at that time, when the harvest was about to arrive.” They sacrificed to him before collecting bread, on June 23, St. Agrippina, who was popularly nicknamed the Bathing Suit. Young people decorated themselves with wreaths, lit a fire, danced around it and sang Kupala. The games continued all night. In some places, on June 23, they heated bathhouses, laid grass for a bathhouse (buttercup) in them, and then swam in the river. The summer solstice, when the Sun has its greatest northern declination, occurs on average on June 21-22, this day is considered the beginning of summer - the Sun enters the sign of Cancer. The solstice immediately begins and lasts for 3 days. Among the Slavs, the holiday of the summer solstice was dedicated to pagan god Kupala, which after the baptism of Rus' began to be called Ivan Kupala - in honor of John the Baptist. The ritual part is timed to coincide with the birthday of John the Baptist - June 24, old style. With the transition to a new style, the date of birth of John the Baptist has moved to July 7. On the very Nativity of John the Baptist, weaving wreaths, they hung them on the roofs of houses and on barns to remove evil spirits from the home. In this regard, the holiday lost its astronomical correspondence with the solstice. This beautiful pagan holiday is being revived in Ukraine and Belarus. This holiday symbolizes the eternal triumph of light over darkness and is considered a day of reverence for the Sun. To help the Sun, on the night of Kupala they burn huge bonfires and jump over them. This night is called differently: the night of bonfires, the night of ferns, the night of lovers, etc. In order for there to be peace and prosperity in the house, to protect it from evil forces on this day you need to hang a birch twig over the threshold - a talisman until the next summer Solstice. This day symbolizes the highest point, maximum peak, rise, takeoff, ecstasy, both in nature and in human life. The holiday embodies fertility, abundance, glory, triumph, generosity, fullness of life, happiness. Love of life and fun reign on this shortest of earthly nights. From a mystical point of view, this holiday combines all four elements at once - fire, water, earth, air. Therefore, the Spirits of these elements rejoice and have fun with people. In ancient times, people celebrated this night in order to gain their strength and energy through rituals and ceremonies of worship of the Elements. For example, it was believed that the earth provides a solid foundation in life, self-confidence, and fertility. However, the main essence of this holiday is that people learn to enjoy life, love it, and enjoy it. This helps your heart open up and feel happiness. On this holiday, it is customary to go to nature, closer to the water. Until dawn, fires blaze, laughter is heard, and cheerful songs ring. Ritual bathing, flower wreaths, dancing around the fire - all this is the summer Solstice. This day is filled with rituals associated with water, fire and herbs. Rituals Midsummer is a classic time for magic of all kinds. Healing, love and protective magic are especially appropriate for this day. Many family and marriage motifs are woven into the customs of the summer solstice. On the night of June 21, there was a lot of guessing. Both girls and boys made fortunes, often using various flowers and plants (most often St. John's wort), sometimes some objects. On this night, lovers swore an oath of fidelity to each other, violation of which was considered a crime. A characteristic feature of Kupala is the numerous customs and legends associated with the plant world. Herbs and flowers collected on this day are placed under the dew, dried and preserved, considering such herbs to be more healing. They fumigate the sick, fight evil spirits, throw them into a flooded oven during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike, and use them to kindle love or to “dry it out.” The main character of the plant world was the fern, with which legends about treasures were universally associated. With a fern flower opening for just a few moments at Kupala midnight, you can see all the treasures, no matter how deep in the ground they are. On the night before Kupala, the maidens lower wreaths with lit splinters or candles onto the river waves; they make wreaths from Ivan da Marya, burdock, virgin herb and bear's ear. 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! On Kupala night, trees move from place to place and talk to each other through the rustling of leaves; Animals and even herbs talk to each other, which are filled with special, miraculous power that night. Water Swimming on Kupala is a national custom, but in some areas peasants considered such swimming dangerous, since on this day the birthday boy is a merman himself, who cannot stand it when people interfere in his kingdom, and takes revenge on them by drowning anyone unwary. On this holiday, by folk beliefs, water can be “friends” with fire, and their union is considered a natural force. Fire The main feature of the Kupala night is the 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 through the Kupala fire to protect it 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. Young people and children, jumping over the fires, made noisy funny Games and running a race. We definitely played burners. According to peasant beliefs, on Kupala, the shortest night, one cannot sleep, since all sorts of Spirits enter our world and become especially active - werewolves, mermaids, snakes, brownies, water creatures, goblins. witches and wizards take advantage of this.

K FALLED - "Happy and beautiful god, dressed in light clothing and holding flowers and field fruits in his hands; having a wreath of swimsuit flowers on his head; god of summer, field fruits and summer flowers"- this is how G. Glinka describes Kupalo. Son of the goddess of the night and brother, who is his twin.

Kupalo personified the male seed that fertilizes vegetable world. He looked after the plants during the daytime and contributed to the abundance and successful ripening of field crops. His patronage of the fields is evidenced by the fact that before the harvest they made sacrifices to Kupala.

According to other descriptions, Kupalo is the son of the goddess of the dawn. His brother, which seems quite logical, is.

The celebration of Kupalin's day took place on June 24 (July 7 is the day of Ivan Kupala, Midsummer's Day), on the day of the summer solstice (the day begins to wane), which meant that Kupalo had fulfilled his function and now, since his mission was over, he dies until next spring. Kupala was “buried.”

On the night of Kupalin Day, people gathered on ritual hills, forest clearings, and in clearings near rivers. It was a night of general festivities - going to bed was not accepted and was even considered dangerous, since on this night all the evil spirits supposedly came out to the ground. Large bonfires were lit, a large wheel rolled down the mountain, which symbolized the beginning of the sun's downward movement towards winter, and a straw effigy representing Kupala was burned. There was another version of the “funeral”, in which the effigy of Kupala, and with it the effigies of Kostroma and, were rafted down the river, which was considered the road to another world.

Kupala fire was produced by old people by rubbing dry trees. At the same time, everyone stood around in deep silence, but as soon as the fire was shown, everything began to move, everything came to life, and had fun. Girls and boys, girded with flowers and with wreaths on their heads, accompanied by songs, danced around the fire, jumped over the fire, through nettle bushes. Worms drove away fire and cattle in order to cleanse them and protect them from goblin. The clothes of sick people were burned in the fire. The Kupala fire was considered a living fire, the king-fire, and the Kupala cleansing bonfires - main feature this night.

“...The young men, male, female and female, gathered in the evening, weave crowns for themselves from a certain saw and place them on their heads and

girded with them. Searching for that demonic playground, they put fire and around it, eating by the hand, they walk and jump wickedly and sing

they sing, often repeating the bad Kupala and jumping through the fire, sacrificing themselves to the same demon Kupala.”

“...Young people of both sexes bathe in the rivers before sunset; then at dusk they lay out fire in pastures, meadows, and gardens and in pairs, holding hand in hand, jump over the fire. If during the jump the hands do not move apart, this means that this couple, that is, a guy and a girl, will copulate in marriage.”

Songs in honor of Kupala were performed with obscene jokes and expressions, with feigned lamentations and cries. Bathing in the night dew and love games were widespread, since Kupalo also personified the male seed. At dawn, all the participants of the holiday took a bath in the river or lake. Dousing, bathing in the river, in dew are also characteristic feature this holiday.

In some places it was believed that swimming at this time was dangerous due to the activity of mermaids, who could drag the swimmer under the water, and due to the fact that on this day the merman had a birthday and he might not like the noise on the river. Nevertheless, on the Kupala holiday, significant attention was paid everywhere to rituals related to water. Early in the morning, women “scooped up the dew”: they dragged a clean tablecloth across the grass, wet with dew, and then squeezed it into a vessel. This water was considered healing. They washed themselves with it to drive away any illness. In some places, houses were also sprayed with it.

The ritual of dousing was widespread, especially among young people. They tried to pour water on anyone they met. For this purpose, the guys specifically went from house to house and called girls outside. Girls' fortune-telling is connected with water, in particular with the river: by the way wreaths thrown into the river behave, they judge their future, the possibility of marriage and a possible groom. Fortune telling was also carried out at wells and springs. On this day, kneaders intended for preparing dough were washed at wells or on a river.

As the chronicle reports, on these “ in demonic games, I kidnapped my wife for myself, and whoever had sex with her" “Kidnapping” was often symbolic and carried out by agreement of the parties. But there was also a genuine “kidnapping” of girls from other villages, other clans, since, due to the prevailing polygamy, there might not be enough women of their clan. In case of enmity between clans due to a stolen girl, the problem was settled with a ransom. Over time, getting married turned into just a transaction.

On the same night, apparently due to the fact that the god Kupala was dying, all kinds of evil spirits indulged in revelry, and equal miracles were performed. The water in the rivers allegedly turned silver. The trees in the forest moved from place to place. The herbs were talking. You could find a fern flower in the forest, or you could get a gap-grass and, with their help, open enchanted treasures guarded by evil spirits, and acquire extraordinary abilities.

It was believed that on this day it was possible to get rid of the anger of a prince or the anger of some other important person. To do this, it was necessary in the evening, but certainly on that day, to catch the eagle, take it down to the crossroads and kill it with a sharp cane; Having taken out the right eye of the eagle, wrap it in cloth and carry it with you under your right arm.

Kupalo and Kostroma - artist Andrey Shishkin

Kupalo (and Kostorma’s twin sister) are the children of the goddess of Night Bathing Suit and Semargl. Slavic myths say that one day, when Kupala and her sister were still little, they ran to the pure pole to listen to the bird of death Sirin and a misfortune happened there. The Sirin bird carried Kupala to the Dark Kingdom. Many years passed, and then Kostroma (sister) walked along the river bank and wove a wreath. The wind tore the wreath from his head and carried it into the water, where Kupala picked it up while sailing past in a boat. Kupala and Kostroma fell in love with each other and got married without knowing that they were brother and sister, and when they found out they decided to drown themselves. Kostorma became a mermaid or Mavka. But the gods decided to take pity on the brother and sister and turned them into a flower that we now know as Ivan da Marya.
They celebrated the holiday of Kupala (the holiday of the summer solstice on the night of June 23-24). Presumably on this day the Slavs celebrated the holiday of the solar deity. The holiday of Kupala was also associated with the veneration of fire. It was believed that the connection between fire and water personified the dependence of fertility on bright sun and good watering.