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Midsummer (Kupala)
Midsummer (Kupala) is one of the oldest holidays devoted to the summer solstice. In the past it was celebrated on the shortest summer night on June23; nowadays this date is observed by Belarusian Catholics, the Orthodox celebrate Kupala on the night from the 6th to the 7th of July. Girls wove Kupala wreaths, which were used for divination. Together with the flashing Kupala bonfire a burning wheel was raised on a high pole. Around the Kupala fire people danced, performed their plays, sang ceremonial Kupala songs, jumped over the bonfire. It is impossible to imagine Kupala night without seeking unusual flower (Paparats-flower "), which, according to the beliefs of Belarusians blooms only at midnight. Those who are lucky to pick a fern flower will be happy and rich, they will be able to understand the language of animals, birds, trees. In the morning the participants of the festival came to watch the sunrise, which was believed to be "playing", i.e., iridescent, converging and diverging with coloured circles. It is impossible to imagine Kupala without the morning rocking on the healing dew, or swimming in open water reservoirs to gain strength and health for the entire year.
© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
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