Ivana Kupala – Ukraine’s Summer Solstice Festival

The first month of summer is long-awaited for most of us. Nature wakes up and gains strength and we rejoice, like children, at blossoming flowers, lush grass and soft warm sun.

To welcome the summer, on the night of June 23-24th, Ukrainians celebrate the wonderful holiday of Ivana Kupala. This is a pre-Christian holiday that symbolizes unity with nature, cleansing from evil and a blessing for health and good luck. The date of the holiday is tied to the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and when the longest day and the shortest night of the year occur. This holiday used to be was celebrated in Ukraine from July 6 to 7, but in 2024, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church switched from the Gregorian calendar to the New Julian calendar and the dates of the holidays shifted.

In time and name, the holiday of Ivana Kupala coincides with the Christian holiday of the Nativity (birth) of John the Baptist, one of the most respected saints in Christianity, after Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Ivana Kupala is the biggest summer holiday not only in our country, but also in many European countries. The French call this holiday Saint Jean, the Swedes Midsommar, the Poles Sobodka, in Germany it is Saint Ioanna’s Day (Johannistag) and for the Eastern Slavs it is Ivana Kupala Day.

The traditions and rituals that accompany this wonderful holiday are associated with the elements of nature, like fire and water. They symbolize cleansing from everything bad and protection from all diseases. In Ukraine, before the Ivana Kupala holiday, people collect herbs and believe in their healing and magical power. These herbs are dried and stored for a whole year for health. It is customary to celebrate the holiday on the bank of a river or lake. There they put up a festive young tree, which is decorated with colored ribbons and flowers. They dance in circles around the tree and sing songs and then the tree is drowned in the water or burned. This ritual used to be considered a sacrifice to all the elements of nature, to pacify them and to have a good harvest.

Our ancestors also believed that on the night of Ivana Kupala you may find a blooming fern in the forest. Whoever finds it would gain incredible abilities and knowledge and be able to do things like understand the language of animals and birds. One of the main traditions of this holiday in Ukraine is swimming in ponds and jumping over a fire. These rituals were considered magical and have a sacred meaning. People believe that if a person jumps over a fire and does not get burned, he will have excellent health and if lovers jump over a fire without letting go of their hands, they will have a happy life together.

On the holiday of Ivana Kupala, girls wove wreaths of wild flowers and at the start of the sunset they launched them on the water. There is an interpretation of this folk sign: if the wreath floats smoothly, the girl will soon get married, if it spins in place, then she will need to wait a little longer. Bathing in a pond is also a ritual of cleansing the soul and body from all diseases and everything bad. Over time, the rituals began to change and lose their magical meaning and acquired more of an entertaining character. Until recently, in some parks of our cities, folk festivities were held on the Ivana Kupala holiday, preserving the rituals and customs. People came with their families or friends to relax and enjoy the cheerful atmosphere of the holiday.

Several years ago I was lucky enough to get to the celebration of Ivana Kupala in the western part of Ukraine, in the village of Pylypets, which is located at the foot of Mount Gemba. Nearby is the spectacular Shypit Waterfall one of the most beloved in Ukraine. For many years in a row now, at the beginning of July, there is a youth festival of subcultures that is called Shypit in honor of the waterfall. Young people not only come from Ukraine but also from other European countries to the festival to connect with nature, communicate and have fun. The participants of the festival create a whole tent city on a large clearing. The men are very friendly and it was more than a pleasure to watch them. A lot of young people were dressed in unusual stylish outfits; they became a charming, original “highlight” of the holiday.

Many tourists come, because the culmination of the festival is the holiday of Ivana Kupala. The celebration takes place on the night of July 6-7 (old time). The festival attracts about 3,000 people and is where you can meet young artists, musicians and just ordinary positive people.

My friends and I, together with our families, spent an unforgettable holiday in those parts and enjoyed a real festive atmosphere. I will never forget how we eagerly waited for the night of Ivana Kupala so we could go with everyone, up to the mountain, and look at the huge blazing bonfire there. This bonfire is called Vatra and men assemble it in advance from dry trees and branches in a special way. The height of the structure reaches 10 meters and the height of the flames are even higher. This is held on a mountain hill, far from the forest and populated areas, so it does not pose a danger.

I remember how in the morning of that day it started to rain very heavily and I saw a guy standing by the road, raising his hands to the sky. He was shouting “Vatra! Vatra!” as if he wanted to stop the rain with his shout. There were so many feelings and magic in his call! To everyone’s joy, the rain stopped and the holiday took place. Late in the evening a large number of people gathered near the huge blazing bonfire. I recall one guy walking around the fire and playing the violin. It was a magical sight to behold.

The day before our departure, our company, completely by chance, met a man who turned out to be a guide. He offered us a tour of interesting places, to climb a mountain and see a church in an old abandoned village whose name I cannot recall. Of course, we were not about to miss such an opportunity.

When my friends and I climbed the mountain, we encountered several old abandoned houses and haystacks and did not meet a single person along the way. There was utter silence and an incredible smell of mountain herbs and flowers surrounded us. We sat down to rest on a small clearing and our guide told us his story. He described how he had left a big metropolis with his wife and moved here, to one of the villages and they are very comfortable here.

After a short rest, we went to look for the small church that apparently rarely opens its doors.  On arriving we found that there was a service on the occasion of the holiday. I was glad to partake of this sacrament and together with everyone else walked around the church several times, accompanied by the priest. When the service was over, a table was set in the church yard, with Lenten dishes on it. We were greatly honored to be invited to dine with the parishioners of the church.

On the way back, our guide told us about the incredible magical places of this region, about the power of water and forest, about how nature helps a person to find health and peace of mind. And he added that this place of power affects only those people who are pure in soul and who have bright hearts.