The feast of Ivan Kupala: origin and history

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According to the Gregorian calendar, the Kupala holiday is celebrated annually on the night of July 6-7. Previously, according to the Julian calendar, Kupala coincided with the summer solstice and fell on the night of June 23-24. Kupala is one of the oldest and most distinctive holidays in Ukrainian culture. It originates more than three thousand years ago and has a strong connection with paganism. “UP.Zhyttia” together with candidate of historical sciences, ethnologist Natalia Gromova talks about the history of the origin of Kupala, its place in Christianity and its significance today. How the Kupala holiday originated It is difficult to talk about the origin of the Kupala holiday using terminology or dates. It is unlikely that such an Ivan Kupalo once existed, in whose honor this holiday was named, enthologist Nataliya Gromova assures. Perhaps such an image existed in the society of that time, but the source base for this research is insufficient. “Kupala is well described in the Hustin Chronicle, even in the Ipatiev and Volyn Chronicles (this is the first time). According to Ipatiev, there is mention of the worship of some mythical character or deity, in whose honor they jumped near the fire. However, it is difficult to say who exactly it was.” Gromova emphasizes. Girls preparing to jump over the fire/Depositphotos Kupala dates back to before the advent of Christianity, when people believed that without worshiping the elements or their gods there would be no good. They believed that in order for the sun to rise, rain to fall or the wind to blow, separate ceremonies were required. In particular, every rite and Kupala tradition is based precisely on achieving some good or saving oneself from evil. In this, the ethnologist sees many echoes of paganism. Roots of Paganism Long ago in Ukrainian, and in most agricultural nations, people believed in deities that contributed to the harvest. Many holidays are also connected with this. In particular, Green Holidays, Palm Sunday, Shrovetide have pagan roots, some even see pagan rites in the celebration of Easter. “The entire calendar ritual is based, at least among us Ukrainians and in most agricultural nations, simply on the fact that the harvest will not grow by itself. That is, people, in addition to putting in real actions, did many magical actions and thought that without them nothing will not happen,” says the ethnologist. The Kupala holiday was aimed at fertility, worshiping the sun, as well as other elements associated with fertility. It was born on the day of the summer solstice, when the day is the longest and the night is the shortest. Connection with Christianity After the advent of Christianity, the church tried to interpret pagan holidays and actively promote them or, on the contrary, prohibit them. As for Kupala, this is clearly evidenced by the history of the name of the holiday, when the prefix “Ivana” was added to it. “There is so little Christianity in this holiday that religion even tried to fight it,” the ethnologist believes. The Kupala holiday has many customs and traditions. On this day, girls throw garlands of flowers and herbs on the water, young people jump over the fire, bathe, decorate, and then destroy a tree, protect themselves from a witch and, most interestingly, look for a fern flower. Young people near the fire on St. Kupala/Depositphotos However, the Christian church does not recognize such rites. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine associated this holiday with Mykola Gogol’s novel “The Evening Against Ivan Kupala”. “Two centuries earlier, no one called this holiday like that. Moreover, in principle, there was no deity in whose honor these pagan celebrations could be named,” the OCU said in a statement. Mentions in the annals in the church are considered “mistakes”. On July 7 (June 24 according to the old calendar), the Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Holy Prophet John the Forerunner and the Baptist. “In fact, the Christmas of John the Baptist and “Ivan Kupala” are two completely different holidays, Christian and pagan, which are celebrated side by side due to a whim of history,” added the OCU. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church also believes that this holiday comes from “it is not clear where”, and the rites are completely pagan and must be eradicated. In 2021, the City Hall of Ivano-Frankivsk has completely abandoned Kupala celebrations. They decided to hold the “Kupala Night” festival as a family event with an emphasis on the figure of Ivan the Baptist, and traditional Kupala bonfires and the lowering of wreaths into the water were canceled. Why is the holiday called Ivan Kupala It is better to call the holiday without adding “Ivan”. According to the ethnologist, this is an artificial scientific combination, the holiday has only one name among the people – Kupala. The prefix “Ivan” was added precisely after the arrival of Christianity and an attempt to change the pagan holiday. Scientists also associate this name with the name of rituals, in particular with “bathing”. A wreath in the hands of a girl/Depositphotos The modern holiday of Kupala According to the ethnologist, in different regions of Ukraine these ceremonies are performed differently. The least developed holiday is in the Carpathian region, and the most developed in Polissia and central Ukraine. In the modern world, according to Gromova, the holiday has lost its meaning, which it acquired several thousand years ago. Now people do not need to worship the elements for the sun to rise or for the harvest to be, although there are people who believe in this. Most of the time, it is the preservation of the traditions that our ancestors founded. Read also: “Judged-arrested, come!”, or Why do we need action on Ivan Kupala

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