Ivan Kupala
July 7 · Level 8 · #521 of 2238
Ivan Kupala is a summer folk celebration that brings older seasonal rituals together with Christian traditions surrounding John the Baptist. Related celebrations have different names and dates across Slavic countries, but fire, water and greenery remain familiar themes.
How it is celebrated: people weave wreaths, float them on water, dance in circles and gather around bonfires. Folk events also retell stories of fortune-telling and the night's supposed magic.
Legend promises good fortune to anyone who finds a fern flower. There is one botanical catch: ferns reproduce by spores and never produce flowers.