Jumping over bonfires on ancient holiday

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Published: 25 June, 2009, 20:26

AFP Photo / Maxim Malinovsky

Russia may have adopted Christianity over a millennium ago, but every year many still celebrate a pagan festival known as Ivan Kupala.

Combining pagan and Christian traditions, the Ivan Kupala Day used to be one of the main holidays in Russia up until the 20th century. The name of the holiday itself is a combination of the two traditions: John the Baptist (Ivan in Russian), and the pagan idol Kupala.

Ivan Kupala Day is today celebrated in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The holiday traditionally features many forms of entertainment, with main event involving participants pouring water over each other.

AFP Photo / Viktor Drachev

Jumping over a bonfire is also one of the highlights of the highday.

Girls usually gather wreaths of flowers, place lit candles on them and then set them afloat on a body of water. Boys, in turn, try to capture the water-borne wreaths in order to attract the attention of the girls.

Some observers of Ivan Kupala Day go into the woods the night before, as the holiday is believed to be the time when ferns bloom (a fact, it should be pointed out, that has no scientific proof). Those who are lucky to find the magic flower are believed to be blessed with prosperity, wisdom and power.

The day used to mark the beginning of the bathing season in Russia, when the waters in rivers and lakes become warm enough for swimming.

This year’s holiday was marked by excessive water pouring among the participants, as it rained all day long in Moscow.

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