Ivan Kupala

other Russian Kres ; Russian Midsummer day ^[3] , Kupala, Spikelet, Yarilin day ^[7] ( Yaroslav. , Tver. ), Yarilo ^[8] ( Yaroslav. , Tver. , Nizhny Novgorod. ), Kokuy ( novg. ), Summer Solstice , Ivan- herbalist ^[9] , Ivan, kind, loving, colorful ^[3] , neat , Yarilino walk ^[10] ; woodland. Ivan Petrov, Ivan Petrov ^[11] ; Ukrainian Soncecres, Kupaylo ^[12] , Kupaylitsa ^[12] , Kopalny Ivan, Bartholomew i Varvara ; Belor. Kupalle, Jan Kupalny ^[3] , Ivan Vyadzmatski, Ivan Kaldunsky ; Rusyns. Lada ^[13] .

According to N. M. Galkovsky, “two elements were combined in the Kupala holiday: pagan and Christian” ^[14] . The point of view about the pre-Christian origins of the holiday is criticized by historian V. Ya. Petrukhin ^[15] and ethnographer A. B. Strakhov ^[16] . According to the ethnographer V.K. Sokolova, “Kupala” is a name later that appeared among the Eastern Slavs when the holiday was timed to coincide with the day of John the Baptist ^[6] .

The pre-Christian name for the holiday is unknown. The name Ivan Kupala has a folk Christian origin and is a Slavic version of the name John the Baptist ^[17] , since the epithet of John is translated from Greek as “ bathing, plunger ” ( Greek βαπτιστής ) ^[18] . The choice of the verb “ bathe” for the translation of the epithet “baptist” was also determined by the Slavic ideas themselves: Praslav. kǫpati meant ritual bathing, purification, which was carried out in open water bodies ^[19] .

In graffiti No. 78 in the St. Sophia Cathedral of Novgorod, dated to the end of the 11th - the beginning of the 12th century, there is an inscription: “On Kupali” ^[20] . In the Ipatiev Chronicle, under 1262, there is an entry: “ Lithuania, however, izznasha Єzdov to the canoe and Ivan Dny. on samaѩ kupalѩ ” ^{[21] [22]} .

The deity " Kupala ", first mentioned in the late Chernigov Gustyn Chronicle (XVII century), is the fruit of a misunderstanding: the chronicler, knowing about the "demonic games" on Ivan Kupala, took the name of the holiday for the name of the pagan god. Subsequently, this misunderstanding was repeated by scribes, and then by early researchers of Slavic mythology, as a result of which a new “deity” appeared in the Slavic pantheon ^[23] . “Demonic” names began to be replicated in Russian late medieval books as the names of “gods” under the influence of Polish historiography ^[15] . Tokarev believed that in fact, Kupala was never a deity and could appear in folk representations only as a folklore personification of the holiday, reflected, for example, in songs ^[24] .

Celebrating the New Month by lighting fires and jumping over them condemns the 65th rule of the Cathedral of Trull (692), citing the pagan rites of the Old Testament king Manasseh as an example. Theodore Walsamon (XII century) in his commentary on this rule describes in detail the celebration of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Constantinople :

On the evening of June 23rd, men and women gathered on the seashores and in some houses, and they cleaned some first-born girl as a bride. Then, after a feast and frantic dancing, after singing and screaming, sea water was poured into a copper vessel with a narrow throat and some things belonging to each of them were brought there. As soon as this girl received the power from Satan to give answers to questions, they cried out asking for something good, or foreshadowing unhappiness, and the girl, taking out any random things that had been put into the vessel, showed. Accepting the thing, the unreasonable owner of it immediately gained confidence that in the future he would face well-being, or trouble. The next day, with tympans and choirs, we went to the seashores, drew a lot of sea water and sprinkled their homes. And these foolish people did not only this, but all night burned piles of hay , galloped through them and demonized them, that is, they wondered about happiness and misfortune, and about something else. Their way back and forth, the building in which the sorcery took place, with the outer places adjacent to it was cleaned with carpets and decorated with silk fabrics and wreaths of wood leaves ^[25] .

Patriarch Michael III of Ankhial , according to Walsamon, ordered the end of these rites.

In medieval Russia, the rites and games of this day were also considered demonic and were forbidden by church authorities ^[3] . So in the message of the abbot Spaso-Eliazarov of the Pamfil Monastery (1505) to the Pskov governor and authorities, the “pagan” riot of the inhabitants of Pskov on the night of Christmas of John the Baptist is exposed

the evil didn’t stand still idol's flattery, idol celebration, joy and satanic joy ... to that (Satan) I (ko) sacrifice is made every filth and lawlessness is a godless celebration ... tambourines and the voice of snots are knocking and the strings are buzzing, and wives (accent) to wives and maidens hands) and dancing, and their heads nodding, their lips dislike crying and screaming, profaned songs, the demonic crashed out, and their wobbling ridge to their feet and their treading and treading ^[26] .

The Stoglava (a collection of decisions of the Stoglava Cathedral of 1551) also condemns the revelry of Kupala festivities, which is elevated to “Hellenic” paganism :

Yet, from the lack of comprehension, the simple trick of the Orthodox Christians in the city and in the village is doing Hellenic raving, various games and splashing against the feast of the great Ivan Pretecha in night and on the very day of the day. Husbands and wives, and children, walking around the streets and through the waters of the Glum, create all sorts of games and all sorts of monstrosities , and satanic songs , and dances, and guslis, and many other kinds, and stingy education, and also drunkenness.

- Stoglav. Ch. 92. The answer about the games of Hellenic raging

But, despite the unequivocal condemnation of the Kupala traditions, the villagers very steadfastly adhered to traditions. As far back as the 18th century, Nicodemus (Kononov) wrote ^[27] :

The people have long been accustomed to and do not soon abandon these "Kupala" customs, and zealous priests had to endure insults. Olshansky, for example, the priest Potap was nearly beaten by the centurion for this jealousy. Spells, spells, a hall of ears, fortune-telling with a dried toad, reading conspiracy magic notebooks even by the military, fortune-telling with a maternity infant shirt, poisons - all this was in full swing among the coworkers of the Belgorod diocese .

Modern representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church still oppose some of the customs of the holiday. At the same time, answering the question about the “interweaving” of Christian and pagan holidays, hieromonk Job (Gumerov) expressed the opinion ^[26] :

The centuries-old vitality among the people of some of the customs of the day of Kupala does not testify to double faith , but rather to the incompleteness of faith. After all, how many people who have never participated in these pagan entertainments are prone to superstitions and mythological representations. The ground for this is our fallen, sin-damaged nature.

In 2013, at the request of the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration of Ivan Kupala and Neptune Day was banned in the Rossoshansky district of the Voronezh region ^{[28] [29] [30]} .

On this day, it was customary to pray to St. John the Baptist with a headache and for children ^[31] .

The night on Ivan Kupala is filled with rituals associated with water, fire and herbs. Most of the Kupala rites are performed at night ^[32] . It was considered obligatory for the holiday to bathe before sunset: in the north, Russians are more often in baths, and in the south - in rivers and lakes. Closer to sunset, on the hills or near rivers, bonfires were made. Sometimes fire was produced in the ancient way - by friction of a tree against a tree. In some places of Belarus ^[33] and Volyn Polissya, this archaic method of making fire for the holiday was preserved until the beginning of the 20th century ^[34] .

According to V.K. Sokolova, among the Eastern Slavs in the most “archaic” form the holiday was preserved among Belarusians. Ukrainians also preserved the basic ancient elements, but in the 19th century they mutated and changed their semantic meaning. Russians, however, the main elements of the Kupala rites were either forgotten, or transferred to other holidays ( Trinity , Petrov Day ) ^[12] . Belarusians in the center of the Kupala bonfire set up a pole on which a wheel was mounted on top. Sometimes a horse’s skull called “vidma” was put on the wheel and shot down into the fire, where it burned; after which the youth had fun, sang and danced around the campfire ^[35] . In Belarus, in all yards, they collected old unnecessary things and took them to the place chosen for the celebration (the edge of the meadow, a clearing, the high bank of the river), where they were later burnt ^[36] .

The main rituals of Kupala are first mentioned in the Gustinsky Chronicle (XVII century):

This Kupala ... memory is celebrated on the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist ... in a good way: just an evening piece of both sexes gather, and wreaths of venom from poison green, or roots, and the belted ones burn fire, and they also deliver a green branch, and they turn around a fire, singing their own songs ... Then they jump through the fire ... ^[37]

On the night of Ivan Kupala, “narrowed” ones were chosen and wedding ceremonies were performed ^[38] : jumping over a fire holding hands ^[39] , exchanging wreaths (a wreath is a symbol of girlhood ^[40] ), searching for a fern flower and swimming in morning dew. On this day, "rural roads were smelling so that the" matchmakers would come sooner ", or paving a furrow to the guy’s house so that he would fasten faster" ^{[41] [42]} .

In a number of places of Ukrainian and Belarusian traditions, only after Kupala did they stop singing spring songs ^[43] . The eastern and western Slavs there was a ban on eating cherries until this day ^[44] . It was believed among the Eastern Slavs that women should not eat any berries before Ivan's Day, otherwise small children will die ^[45] .

The custom of public condemnation and mockery of Ivan Kupala (also on St. George's Day and the Trinity ) is well known. Residents of their own or neighboring village, who violated social and moral norms during the past year, are usually criticized and condemned. This public condemnation is heard in Ukrainian and Belarusian songs containing motives for moving girls and guys or residents of neighboring villages. Condemnation and ridicule are expressed publicly and serve as a regulator of public relations ^[46] .

Famous Ukrainian and Lesser Poland beliefs that identify fireflies with the souls of people. These ideas bring the firefly closer to the butterfly, which the Bulgarians also call the firefly: “little thing” - a night butterfly , a firefly that defines them as a witch ^[47] .

According to the ideas of the Hutsuls, after the Kupala there come “ passer nights ”, when thunders often rattle and lightnings flash. These are the days when thunderous spirits walk, sending lightnings to the earth. “And then fire trees grow between the dark sky and the tops of the mountains, connecting heaven and earth. And so it will be right up to the day of Elijah , the old Thunder festival, ”after which, as they say,“ thunders become non-militant ” ^[48] .

A.N. Veselovsky , points to the similarity of the Slavic customs of St. John’s Day and the Greek customs of the day of Elijah the Prophet ( Ilya Gromovnik ) ^[49] .

Ritual food

By the feast of Ivan Kupala, a sacrifice of the first fruits ripened by this time could be dated ^[50] .

In some Russian places they cooked " ceremonial porridge". On Ulyanin's Day (June 22), the girls gathered for a conversation and pounded barley in a mortar, accompanying this work with songs. In the morning, on Agrafena , from the barley they cooked “virgin porridge” ^[51] . During the day the poor were treated to this porridge, and in the evening it, flavored with butter, was consumed by everyone ^[52] .

For Belarusians, the treats brought from houses were consumed both in separate groups and in a fold, and consisted of cottage cheese ( dumplings ), cheese, flour porridge ( kulaga ), unleavened cakes ( grandmothers ) with crushed hemp seed, onions, garlic, kvass (a cold store ) ), scrambled eggs on fat ( heath ) ^{[53] [54]} . In Belarus in the XIX century, vodka was used for the holiday, while in neighboring Podlasie and in the Carpathians - wine ^[53] . The songs mention the ancient drinks of this night:

Yes to you, Kupalnochka, let me,
Green wine and flush
I’m gonna drink wheat beer
I’ll feed white cheese ^[55] .

Water

The obligatory custom of this day was mass swimming. It was believed that from this day all evil came out of the rivers, so up to Ilyin’s day it was possible to swim without fear ^[56] . In addition, the water of Ivan's Day was endowed with life-giving and magical properties ^[57] .

In places where there was a ban on swimming in the rivers (because of the mermaids), bathed in the " holy springs ". In the Russian North the day before - on the day of Agrafena, the Bathing Women ^[51] drowned the baths in which they washed and steamed, brewing the herbs collected on that day ^[58] . Water collected from sources on the day of Ivan Kupala had miraculous and magical powers ^[59] .

On this holiday, according to popular belief, water can "make friends" with fire. Bonfires ^[60] were the symbol of such a connection, which were lit at night on Kupala along the banks of the rivers. In addition, on Kupala night, they often guessed with the help of wreaths lowered into the river ^[61] : if the wreath floats, this promised happiness and a long life or marriage ^[62] .

The Russian scribe of the 16th century tried to explain the name (The Bathing Lady ) and the healing power of the eve of Ivan the Day by reference to the Old Testament legend of Tobiah . As he writes, it was on this day that Tovius swam in the Tigris , where, on the advice of the archangel Raphael, he discovered a fish, with the help of the insides of which his father was healed of blindness ( Comrade 6: 2-9 ) ^[63] .

Bonfire

The main feature of Kupala night is cleansing fires ^[60] . Young people dragged a huge amount of brushwood from around the village and set up a high pyramid, in the center of which a pole stood, a wheel, a tar barrel, a horse or cow's skull (woodland) were mounted on it, etc. According to T. A. Agapkina and L. N. Vinogradova , the symbol of a high pole, with a wheel mounted on it, generally correlated with the universal image of the world tree ^[64] .

Костры разжигали поздним вечером и жгли чаще всего до утра. В разных традициях имеются свидетельства о требовании разжигать купальский костёр непременно « живым огнём» , добытым трением ^[65] ; кое-где огонь от этого костра несли домой и разводили новый огонь в очаге. К огню должны были выйти все женщины села, так как не пришедшая подозревалась в ведьмарстве ^[66] . Вокруг костра водили хороводы, плясали, пели купальские песни, через него прыгали: кто удачнее и выше прыгнет, тот будет счастливее ^[67] . Девушки прыгают через огонь, «чтобы очистить себя и предохранить от немочей, порчи, заговоров», и чтобы «русалки не нападали и не приходили в течение года» ^[68] . Девушку, не перепрыгнувшую через костёр, называли ведьмой (в.-слав., пол.); её обливали водой, хлестали крапивой, как не прошедшую «очищения» купальским огнём ^[69] . В Киевской губернии девушка, потерявшая до свадьбы девственность, не имела права прыгать через костёр на Ивана Купалу, так как она тем самым осквернила бы его ^[70] .

На Украине и в Белоруссии девушки и парни, взявшись за руки, прыгали попарно через огонь. Если во время прыжка их руки останутся вместе, то считали, что это явная примета их будущего брака ^[71] ; то же, если вслед им полетят искры ^[72] . Для защиты от колдовства в Гомельской губернии парни на руках качали девушек над купальским костром ^[73] . Молодёжь и дети, прыгали через костры, устраивали шумные весёлые игры: бегали наперегонки и играли в горелки ^[74] .

Помимо костров, в некоторых местах в Купальскую ночь поджигали колёса и смоляные бочки, которые затем скатывали с гор или носили на шестах, что совершенно очевидно связано с символикой солнцеворота ^[75] .

У белорусов, галицких поляков и прикарпатских словаков купальские огни назывались Соботками ^[76] — от зап.-слав. sobota «суббота (как день отдыха)» ^[77] .

Songs

По мнению многих фольклористов , содержание купальских песен слабо связано с обрядовыми действиями и мифологическим смыслом праздника. Среди разножанровых текстов купальского цикла много лирических песен с любовной и семейной тематикой; шутливых припевок-перебранок между парнями и девушками; песен хороводных и игровых; баллад и т. п. Их принадлежность к купальским песням определяется специфическими («купальскими») типами напевов и приуроченностью к конкретному календарному периоду. В другое время исполнять такие песни было не принято ^[78] .

Венок

Купальский венок был обязательным атрибутом игрищ ^[79] . Изготавливали его до праздника из диких трав и цветов ^[80] . Обрядовое употребление купальского венка связано также с магическим осмыслением его формы, сближающей венок с другими круглыми и имеющими отверстия предметами (кольцом, обручем, калачом и т. п.) ^[80] . На этих признаках венка основаны обычаи доить или процеживать молоко сквозь него, пролезать и протаскивать что-либо через венок, смотреть, переливать, пить, умываться сквозь него ^[80] .

Считалось, что каждое растение добавляет венку свои особые свойства, также символику добавляет способ его изготовлению — витьё, плетение. Для венка часто использовали: барвинок, базилик, герань, папоротник, розу, ежевику , ветки дуба и берёзы и др. ^[80]

During the holiday, the wreath was most often destroyed: thrown into the water, burned in a fire, thrown onto a tree or roof of a house, taken to a cemetery, etc. Sometimes the wreath was kept, then used for treatment, to protect the fields from hail, and gardens from “worms” " ^[81] .

In Polesie, at the dawn of Ivanov’s day, the peasant women selected from their midst the most beautiful girl, laid bare her and wrapped them from head to toe with garlands of flowers; then they went to the forest, where "Dzevko-bathed" (the so-called chosen girl) handed out to her friends pre-prepared wreaths. She started blindfolding the distribution - while the girls around her led a funny dance. By what kind of wreath anyone would get, they wondered about their future fate; a fresh wreath promised a rich and happy married life, and a dry, wilted wreath meant poverty and an unhappy marriage: “do not bother her with happiness, share her life, live near the bottom!” ^[82] .

Kupalsky tree

For the manufacture of the Kupala tree, they selected depending on the locality: young birch, willow, maple , spruce, or cut the top of the apple tree ^[83] . Girls decorated it with wreaths, wildflowers, fruits, ribbons, sometimes candles; then they took the cupola out of the village, stuck it in the ground in a clearing, and danced around it, walked, sang ^[83] . Later, guys joined the games: they pretended to try to steal a tree or jewelry from it, knock it down or set it on fire, and the girls defended it. In the end, they all went together to stoke the cupilla in the river or to burn it in a fire ^[83] .

For the ceremony, the tree could not be chopped, but simply dressed up the selected tree, located in a convenient place for round dances. In the Zhytomyr region, in one of the villages a dry pine was chosen for this purpose, growing outside the village near the river; such a tree was called Gilz ^[83] . The burnt tree trunk was thrown into the water and fled so that the “witch would not catch up” ^[83] .

Healing and magical herbs

A characteristic feature of the holiday of Ivan Kupala is the numerous customs and traditions associated with the plant world ^[58] . Greens were used as a universal amulet: it was believed that it protects against diseases and epidemics, the evil eye and spoilage; from sorcerers and witches, evil spirits, "walking" dead ; from natural lightning, hurricane, fire; from snakes and predatory animals, pests, worms. Along with this, contact with fresh herbs was also interpreted as a magical tool that provides fertility and successful breeding of livestock, poultry, and the yield of cereal and garden crops ^[84] .

It was believed that on this day it is best to collect medicinal herbs, because plants receive great power from the Sun and Earth ^[85] . Some herbs were harvested at night, others in the afternoon, and some in the morning dew ^[86] . When collecting herbs, a special prayer (conspiracy) was read ^[86] .

According to the Belarussian belief, Kupala herbs are as curative as possible if they are collected by “old and small”, that is, old people and children — as the cleanest (not sexually active, without monthly cleansing, etc.) ^[87] .

Special fencing traditions were associated with fern ^[88] and the flower of Ivan da Marya . The names of these plants appear in Kupala songs ^[89] .

The Slavs believed that only once a year, on the night of Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms. The mythical, non-existent in nature flower supposedly gives those who plucked it and kept it with themselves, wonderful opportunities. According to the legend, the owner of the flower becomes perspicacious, can understand the language of animals , see all the treasures , no matter how deep in the ground they are, and also enter freely into the treasures, putting the flower to locks and locks (and they must crumble in front of him), own unclean spirits to command the earth and water, become invisible and take any guise ^{[90] [91]} .

One of the main symbols of St. John's Day was the flower of Ivan da Marya , which symbolized the magical union of fire and water. Kupala songs connect the origin of this flower with the twins - brother and sister - who entered into a forbidden love relationship and because of this turned into a flower ^[92] . The plot of the twins incest finds numerous parallels in Indo-European mythologies ^[93] .

Evil Protection

It was believed that all evil spirits come to life and leprosy on Kupala night ^[94] ; that you need to beware of "leprosy of the undead - house, water, goblin, mermaids" ^[95] .

So that the witches would not “take” milk from the cows, the Russians would stick a consecrated willow in the pastures, and in Ukraine the owner would stick aspen pegs in the yard. For the same purpose, in Polesie they hung nettles, torn men's trousers or a mirror in a stable on the gate. In Belarus, with the help of aspen branches and pegs, they defended not only livestock, but also crops, "they didn’t dispute the argument." To protect against evil spirits, it was also customary to stick sharp and piercing objects into the table, windows, doors, etc. At the entrance to the witch's house, etc., from the East Slavs, etc., a knife was stuck at the bottom of the table to prevent her from leaving the house. It was believed among the southern Slavs that if a knife or branch of a hawthorn is thrust into the door, it will save from a vampire or pestilence ^{[ specify ]} . On Kupala night, the Eastern Slavs stuck braids, forks, knives, and also branches of certain trees outside the windows and doors of houses and cribs, protecting “their” space from the penetration of evil spirits (see amulets ) ^[96] .

It was believed that in order to protect themselves from the attack of witches, nettles should be placed on the threshold and on the windowsills ^[97] . Ukrainian girls necessarily tear wormwood , as they believed that witches and mermaids were afraid of her ^[98] .

In Podolia, hemp blossom (“porridge”) was collected on Ivan Kupala and scattered in front of the house entrance, in the stable, to block the witch's path ^[99] . So that the witches do not steal them and ride them on Lysaya Gora (the horse alive from there will no longer turn back), horses must be locked ^[100] . Belarusians believed that on Ivan Kupala the brownie rides horses and tortures them ^[101] .

In Ukraine and Belarus, magical properties were attributed to firebrands from the Kupala bonfire. In western Polesie, young people pulled bunts from a fire, ran with them like torches, waved above their heads, and then threw them into the field “to protect the crop from evil spirits” ^[102] .

In Polesie, a woman who did not come to the Kupala bonfire was called a witch by young people and cursed at her and also teased ^[103] . In order to recognize and neutralize the witch, the road that cattle are usually driven on, on the Kupala night, was blocked with a thread, plowed with a plow or harrowed, sprinkled with seeds, ants, poured an decoction of ants on it, believing that the witch’s cow could not cross this obstacle ^[104] .

According to Slavic beliefs, the root of the placoon grass , dug on the eve of Ivan Kupala, was able to neutralize the spells of sorcerers and witches; with the help of this root, demons could be driven out of the possessed and possessed ^[105] .

Youth Games

Games, as a rule, were related to the theme of love and marriage ^[106] : “ burners ” ^[74] , “ tag ” ^[106] , “ kite ” ^[106] , “ kisses ” ^[107] , ball games (“ ball " ^[106] ," in the profits " ^[106] , etc.).

Ritual atrocities

On the Kupala night, as well as on one of the nights on winter saints , the Eastern Slavs often performed ritual atrocities of young people: they stole firewood, carts, gates, dragged them onto the roofs, propped up the doors of houses, covered windows, etc. ^[94] Outrages on Kupala night - South Russian ^[74] and Polesie tradition ^[108] .

Among the most characteristic actions in the Polesie descriptions of the atrocities the following are mentioned: they stole carts, boats, sledges from neighbors and dragged them around the village, overturned them (compare turning carts after a burial); scattered firewood, decks, poles, barrels, ladders; dismantled and scattered fences, wells; removed gates, gates; blocked the road with all these objects, built barricades from them; they bound the road with the threads and intestines of a slaughtered ram, blocked them with sticks; carts, boats, sledges, stairs, decks, barrels, wheels, plows, harrows, beehives, gates on the roofs of houses were thrown; they closed the chimney so that the smoke went into the hut; propped up the doors with heavy objects so that the owners could not leave the house; they threw beehives , decks , smoothies , deja , zluktto , a flask for flax , poles, etc .; they took cattle out of the barn, stole horses. The nature of these actions and, first of all, their elements such as theft, turning, scattering, destruction, burning, blocking the road, etc., leave no doubt about their sacred function and make ritual atrocities belong to the category of protective and cleansing rites. The list of places where stolen items are carried: to neighboring courtyards, to the street, to the river, to the cemetery, to the roof, to the tree, to the pear, to the fire - is strikingly close to the locatives in the rites of wires or the expulsion of unclean spirits and characters (winter, Shrovetide , witches , mermaids , etc.) ^[109] .

Game of the Sun

There is a belief that according to which the sun at Ivan Kupalu shimmers in different colors or bounces, blinks, stops, etc. Most often they talk about this phenomenon; the sun is playing or jumping; in certain traditions, he also bathes, jumps, dances, dances, walks, trembles, has fun, spins, whirls, bows, changes, blossoms, and flaunts (Russian); the sun goes to the crown ( woodland ) ^{[110] [111]} .

In some areas of Bulgaria, it is believed that at dawn on Ivanov’s day, three suns appear in the sky, of which only the average is “ours”, and the rest - his brothers - shine at another time and above other lands ^[111] .

The Serbs called John the Forerunner of Sveti “Cowan Igrite” , because they believed that on this day the sun stops three times in the sky or plays ^[112] . They explained the behavior of the sun on Midsummer Day, referring to the gospel lines related to the birth of John the Baptist : “When Elizabeth heard Mary ’s greeting, the baby leaped up in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ”( Luke 1:41 ) ^[113] .

“ Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala ” is the story of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol from the series “ Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka ”.

The theme of the holiday of Ivan Kupala has a special place in the work of Sergei Yesenin . This poem is dedicated to his poem “ Beyond the river lights are burning ”, written in the style of a folk song of Kupala, with the refrain “Oh, bathed, oh, bathed” and the last line of the verse repeating.

Yesenin’s poem “ Mother went to a bathhouse in the woods ”, which takes place right on Kupalskaya night ( Agrafena Kupalnitsa - the eve of Ivan’s day ^[114] ), is also associated with Ivan’s day.

• “If Ivan has millet in a spoon, it will be in a spoon” (southern) ^[115] .
• “On Ivan Day, a life should be lifted out, not a ringed one” ^[116] .
• “Ivanov’s day has come; he has gone to gather grass” ^{[117] [ page not specified 1132 days ] [118]} .
• “Fireflies appear on Ivan Kupal” ^[115] .
• “The first mowing. Come out to the Kosovus ”(southern) ^[115] .