Ivana Kupala 2025: what to do on the eve of the holiday
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Today, June 23, is the eve of the Ivan Kupala holiday. It is known as Agrafena Kupalnitsa. It is celebrated on the night of June 24. On this night, various rituals associated with water, fire and herbs, as well as fortune telling and celebrations take place.
On the night of Kupala, people gather on the shore of a reservoir, start singing and dancing. Usually, they make fires and jump over them. Water and fire are the two main elements of the Ivan Kupala holiday. On this holiday, they bathe in the water, wash their hair, and float wreaths in it.
Fire on Kupala night acquires a cleansing power. Jumping over fires is an ancient tradition. It is considered an old way to attract success. If a girl and a guy jump over the fire, then according to beliefs, you can only jump over a Kupala bonfire holding hands with your loved one.
Broken things and clothes of the sick are also burned in the fire. Often, effigies of Kupala and Marena are made, which are then burned or drowned in water, symbolizing the death of the old man and the birth of the new one.
A well-known legend is the possibility of finding a magical fern flower that blooms on Kupala night. This can be done by a young single guy or the only son in the family. To do this, you need to go to the forest, having chosen in advance the place where the fern grows, and take with you a tablecloth on which the Easter cake was blessed and a blessed knife. With this knife you need to draw a circle around the fern, sprinkle the fern with holy water and wait.
You can recognize a fern flower by the glow it emits. Whoever finds it will supposedly be able to unlock any lock without a key, easily find buried treasures, be able to charm any girl, have the greatest harvest, distract hail, thunder and rain from his field, and not be afraid of evil forces. He and his wife will always be young and healthy, and their children will never get sick.
Fortune telling and magic rituals are also an integral part of the Kupala night. Girls told fortunes using threads, candles, wreaths and wild herbs. A girl threw her wreath into a pile of boys, and her beloved had to catch the decoration. If this happened, the couple’s love would be strong.
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