Kupala Night, (Belarusian: Купалле, Polish: Noc Kupały, Russian: Иван-Купала, Ukrainian: Івана Купала), also called Ivanа-Kupala, is a traditional Slavic holiday that was originally celebrated on the shortest night of the year, which is on 21-22 of June. The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a number of Slavic rituals.
Many of the rites related to this holiday are connected with the role of water in fertility and ritual purification. On Kupala day, young people jump over the flames of bonfires in a ritual test of bravery and faith. The failure of a couple in love to complete the jump, while holding hands, is a sign of their destined separation. Girls may float wreaths of flowers (often lit with candles) on rivers, and attempt to gain foresight into their romantic relationship fortune from the flow patterns of the flowers on the river. Men may attempt to capture the wreaths, in the hope of capturing the interest of the woman who floated it.
There is an ancient Kupala belief that the eve of Ivan Kupala is the only time of the year when ferns bloom. Prosperity, luck, discernment, and power befall whom ever finds a fern flower. Therefore, on that night, village folk roam through the forests in search of magical herbs, and especially, the elusive fern flower. Traditionally, unmarried women, signified by the garlands in their hair, are the first to enter the forest. They are followed by young men. Therefore, the quest to find herbs and the fern flower may lead to the blooming of relationships between pairs within the forest.
Crepuscular Rituals are:
Ken Jamison (Crepuscular Entity, Hana Haruna, Basement Corner Emissions) and Sadox (Sado Rituals, Gates of Hypnos).
This is a co-release between Gates of Hypnos and Basement Corner Emissions.
credits
released June 30, 2021
Cover illustration edited from:
I. Sokolov. Kupala Night. 1856.
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