Kupala herbs: Ivan da Marya and Fern flower. Ivan da Marya and the pagan holiday of Kupala The ritual of washing with dew

The tradition of collecting healing and magical herbs for the Kupala holiday has existed for a very long time. Some abbot of the Pskov Eleazarov Monastery Panfil wrote to Dmitry Vladimirovich of Rostov about 1505 that on the eve of John the Baptist (which coincides with Kupala or the summer solstice), men and women walk through meadows, fields, forests and swamps in search of "mortal flowers", "on destruction by man and cattle”, “immediately they dig divi rooting for the indulgence of their husbands: and they do all this by the action of the devil on the day of the Forerunners with the sentences of Sotanin.” That there is a description of the collection of medicinal herbs by herbalists and ordinary people.

Slavic traditions

Herbs with magical properties include: thorn grass, fern, or kochedyzhnik, tirlich-lihomannik, plakun-grass, dope Adam's head, marsh dove, rhubarb, overpower-grass, strawberry, transfer, sleep, gap-grass, flight -grass, Ivan-da-Marya, Budyag, thistle, plantain, burdock, kupalenka, bear's ear, rich man, Chernobyl, buttercup, archilin, ant oil, sucker, or chicken blindness and Peter's cross. According to legends, medicinal herbs are grown by mermaids and mawks, who know all their medicinal properties. According to Belarusian belief, Kupala herbs are the most healing if they are collected by “old and small”, that is, old people and children - as the most pure (not sexually active, not having monthly cleansing, etc.). Ukrainian girls always tore wormwood, as they believed that witches and mermaids were afraid of it. Wormwood was worn on a belt, woven into wreaths, stuck into the walls of houses and gates to block the way for witches.

Greenery was used as a universal amulet: it was believed that it protects against diseases and epidemics, the evil eye and damage; 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 means that ensures the fertility and successful breeding of livestock, poultry, the yield of cereals and garden crops.

They tried to collect herbs early in the morning on Ivanov's day before sunrise, since, according to popular beliefs, only those plants that do not have time to illuminate the sun retain their healing properties (Bolg, Bel., Ukr.). It was at this time that "each herb asks to pick it and reveals its healing power itself." They collected not only medicinal herbs, but also amulets plants (nettle, wormwood, branches of thorny bushes), as well as herbs and flowers intended for divination, for ritual wreaths and bouquets, plants for making brooms, brooms, baskets.

In the "Discharge Books" there are records of a number of old judicial red tape about such herbalists. It was enough to find an unknown root or a bunch of unknown grass from someone for this to be given the meaning of malicious intent. The "witches" caught on the eve of Ivan's Day were tortured, beaten with batogs, so that "it would not be customary to carry and collect herbs and roots."

General information about the plant Ivan da Marya

Mariannik Dubravny (Melampyrum nemorosum L.) is an annual herbaceous plant with a pubescent stem. Leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are light yellow, two-lipped, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruit is an ovoid capsule. Seeds are large, oblong, brown or almost black. Plant height - 15-60 cm.

The plant is distinguished by a particularly striking contrast of bracts of blue tones and bright yellow corollas. It is very decorative, therefore it often attracted the attention of painters and poets, but when plucked into bouquets, it quickly fades. The flowers of Ivan da Marya produce abundant nectar and are deservedly considered a good honey plant.

The name Ivan da Marya in different areas can be given to several (different) herbaceous plants, the flowers of which (or the upper parts of the whole plant) are distinguished by the presence of two sharply distinguishable colors, most often yellow and blue or purple. Most often, the word Ivan da Marya is called the oak maryannik, less often the tricolor violet. Even less often, this name is given to meadow sage and periwinkle - they also have two brightly different colors.

Oak maryannik is found in the northern, middle and southwestern zones of the European part of Russia. It grows in forest clearings (sometimes in large massifs), forest edges, hills, in thickets of shrubs, marshy meadows and chalk slopes. The most common plant in our meadows, clearings and edges of deciduous forests, where it blooms from late spring to early autumn (May-September).

magical properties

Among the Eastern Slavs, the Ivan da Marya flower was a symbol of Kupala celebrations. In many places, among Russians, it is also known under the names “Kupala flower”, “kupavka”, “bathroom”, “Ivankovsky color”. Belarusians call it “brother and sister” and “weeping flower”, and Ukrainians call it “brothers”.

The origin of this flower among the Eastern Slavs and some peoples neighboring them - Poles, Lithuanians, is associated with the folklore motif of punishing a brother and sister for incest - incestuous marriage. So, the Russians know a belief about the transformation of a brother and sister who entered into a forbidden relationship into a flower, which, according to their names - Ivan and Marya, began to be called Ivan-da-Marya. Legends with a similar plot are widespread among Ukrainians and Poles: brother and sister, separated in childhood, traveled around the world for a long time, and when they met, they did not recognize each other, got married and only later found out that they were brother and sister. Out of shame and grief, they turned into grass, the flowers of which are blue and yellow. In the folklore of all Eastern Slavs, there are ballads and songs that tell that a brother and sister almost got married or already got married, but before the wedding night they found out about their relationship:

And they got married on Sunday

On Monday they went to bed.

Began torturing the kid

What kind of girl.

"I'm from Kyiv Voytovna, According to Father Karpovna!"

The girl began to torture

What kind of kid:

"I'm from Kyiv Voytovich, According to Father Karpovich!"

“Oh, and where was it,

For a sister to follow a brother?

Sister does not follow brother

A brother does not take his sister!

We'll go to the field

We will throw off the grass

And what about brother and sister!

These ballads were most often used as Kupala songs. The involuntary violation of the marriage ban, found in ritual songs on this plot, correlates with the stories that existed among the people that on the Kupala night in ancient times the bans on love relationships between all men and women were lifted. This custom also explains the fact that incestuous motifs are the most frequent in Kupala songs. For example, the Kupala song story about a brother who wants to kill his temptress sister was widely circulated. Another song emphasizes that the initiative in the incest proposal belongs to the sister:

Konik walks

Raven.

On that horse<…>

Ivan is sitting

Behind him Marya<…>

Running after:

"Wait, Ivan<…>

I'll say something!<…>

Love you<…>

I will go with you!

I'll guess<…>

Three riddles.

What is growing<…>

Rootless?

What is burning<…>

Without firewood?

What is running<…>

With no reason?"

This song contains an archaic motif of solving riddles of a cosmogonic nature (in this case, the solution is stone, soot, water), which in mythopoetic texts is related to the theme of testing for knowledge, indicating readiness for marriage.

Comparing the folklore and ritual material of the Eastern Slavs with the mythologies of other peoples, the researchers came to the conclusion that legends, beliefs, Kupala songs about incest, including texts about the origin of the Ivan da Marya flower, are based on an archaic myth about twins, one of which - Ivan - is associated with life and fire, and the other - Marya - with death and water. Their relationship in ritual songs correlates with the ancient motif of the mating duel of fire and water, that is, precisely those natural elements opposing each other that were of paramount importance in Kupala rituals.

Songs about the origin of the Ivan da Marya flower, associated with the violation of the marriage ban between brother and sister, were performed on the Kupala night until the wheel burned out and the ritual fire died out.

In Ukrainian beliefs, this flower is a symbol of salvation from the love of people close by blood. Among the Russians, Ivan da Marya, along with some other herbs, was used to make wreaths - girlish headdresses for the Kupala holiday. Throwing these wreaths into the water, the girls wondered about their fate: if the wreath is washed back to the shore, it means that this year they will remain girls; sail away to the other shore - to marriage; well, and if the wreath sinks, death awaits the fortuneteller. In the St. Petersburg province, girls, performing a ritual bath on the day of Ivan Kupala, entered the water with Ivan da Marya flowers and released them: if the flower sank, this foreshadowed death.

Like other herbs, the Ivan da Marya flower on the day of the summer solstice, when nature reached its peak, possessed, according to popular belief, magical power, which the peasants tried to use in time. Everywhere on the day of Agrafena Kupalnitsa and Ivan Kupala, herbs and flowers were collected in forests and fields. As a rule, girls and young women, who got married in the current year, went after them. In the Pskov province, they walked across the field in a "row" - holding hands, five or six people - and, collecting plants, they always sang:

Let's go, girls, meadow,

Let's become, girls, around,

I'll pick a flower

Sow a wreath

Where shall we put them?

We'll dress the bride.

In some places, along with the girls, the guys also went for herbs. Plants, among which the Ivan-da-Marya flower was the most common, were brought to the village in large armfuls. They were scattered on the floor in temples, dwellings and on the ground in the yards, laid to the windows and near the icons. These plants were also considered the best remedy for various troubles. During a thunderstorm, the preserved grass was thrown into the oven to protect the house from lightning strikes, that is, from the elements of fire. The Ivan da Marya flower, plucked on a Kupala night, was placed in the corners of the hut: according to legend, this helps to avoid theft. A thief will not enter a house where there is Ivan da Marya, because “brother and sister will talk; it will seem to the thief that the master is talking to the mistress. In the Belarusian tradition, this flower - "brother-sister" - was used as a healing agent: on Kupala morning it was given to cows to be safe. It was also believed here that it helps with coughing. In Polissya, until the second half of the 20th century, children were bathed with the same grass, called “brothers” here, so that they would sleep well.

Fern flower

Description

Facts first. Ferns are a department of very ancient plants, rich in their diversity (more than 10 thousand species). Ferns reproduce by spores and

vegetatively (by processes). The spores are on the back of the leaf and are quite inconspicuous. Some types of ferns throw out an arrow with spores, which resembles an inflorescence, but by no means a single flower. Also, ferns are poisonous. In summer, in hot weather in the forest, the air is saturated with fumes. Perhaps they cause various auditory and visual hallucinations.

Fern flower legends

The fern has always attracted interest and even caused some fear among people. He was considered special, mysterious and secret plants, not like all the others. He always hid something, grew up in semi-dark, damp, scary places and, apparently, kept some secret knowledge in himself.

People were attracted by the mystery of these plants, the mystery of their reproduction in the absence of flowers. All plants bloom, but this one does not, which means that it is special, marked by a secret. So legends about the fern, legends, fairy tales begin to appear around. In them - a modest inhabitant of the forests and endows with those properties that a person has not observed in reality - the fern blooms, but not simply, but magically.

The legend of the fern is well known, in which a magical flower blooms once a year on the night of Ivan Kupala. In the ancient Slavic tradition, the fern gained fame as a magical plant. According to legend, it was at Kupala midnight that the fern bloomed for a short time and the earth opened up, making visible the treasures and treasures hidden in it.

After midnight, those who were lucky enough to find a fern flower ran in what their mother gave birth through the dewy grass and bathed in the river to receive fertility from the earth.

According to the legend of the fern, at midnight before Ivan's Day, the fern blooms for a few moments with a bright fiery flower with magical properties. Around midnight, a bud suddenly appears from the leaves of a fern, which, rising higher and higher, then sways, then stops - and suddenly staggers, rolls over and jumps. Exactly at midnight, a ripe bud breaks with a bang, and a bright fiery flower appears to the eyes, so bright that it is impossible to look at it; an invisible hand rips it off, and a man almost never manages to do it. Whoever finds a blooming fern and manages to master it, he acquires the power to command everyone.

In the story "Evenings on the Eve of Ivan Kupala" N.V. Gogol spoke about an old folk legend, according to which a fern flower blooms once a year, and whoever picks it will get a treasure and get rich. N.V. Gogol in "Evenings on the Eve of Ivan Kupala" describes the flowering of ferns as follows: “Look, a small flower bud is reddening and, as if alive, is moving. Really wonderful! Moving and getting bigger and bigger and redder like hot coals. A star flashed, something crackled softly, and the flower unfolded before his eyes, like a flame, illuminating others around him. "Now is the time!" thought Petro and held out his hand... Closing his eyes, he pulled the stem, and the flower remained in his hands. Everything is quiet…”

He picked a fern flower and threw it up, adding special slander. The flower floated in the air and landed just above the place where the fabulous treasure was kept.

In Rus', the fern was called gap-grass. It was believed that one touch of a fern flower was enough to open any lock. It is believed that picking a fern flower is very difficult and dangerous. It was believed that the fern flower immediately after flowering is torn off by the hand of an invisible spirit. And if someone dares to go pick a fern flower, then the spirits will bring horrors and fears on him, and they can take him away with them.

In Russia, there was such a legend about the fern:“The shepherd was grazing bulls near the forest and fell asleep. Waking up at night and seeing that there were no bulls around him, he ran into the forest to look for them. Running through the forest, he accidentally ran into a shoot that had just blossomed. The shepherd, not noticing this grass, ran straight through it. At this time, he accidentally knocked down a flower with his foot, which fell into his shoe. Then he became happy and immediately found the bulls. Not knowing what was in his shoe and not taking off his shoes for several days, the shepherd in this short time saved up money and found out the future. Meanwhile, earth was poured into the shoe during this time. The shepherd, having taken off his shoes, began to shake the earth out of his shoe, and together with the earth shook out the flower of the fern. From that time on, he lost his happiness, lost money and did not begin to recognize the future.

Beautiful legends are associated with this plant. According to one of them, in the place where a beautiful girl fell from a cliff, a pure spring arose, and her hair turned into a fern. Other legends about the fern connect its origin with the goddess of love and beauty Venus: a wonderful plant grew out of her hair shed. One of its types is called adiantum - venus hair.

The widespread legend about the fiery flower of the fern, which had to be found on the night of Ivan Kupala, is associated with the male fern, but the female nomad also received its share in this ancient ritual. Ever since primitive tribal times, the female kochedyzhnik was considered a “reliable” and highly effective “witch root”.

The peasants of the Vologda region have long had such a belief that if you find a large female fern on the night of Ivan Kupala, sit patiently near it, not moving and covering yourself with a dense cloth, then you can learn all the secrets of forest herbs and medicinal plants. Allegedly, after some time it will be possible to see in the twilight of a not very dark northern night how all the medicinal herbs run one after another past the female fern, each one will name itself and say what disease it helps from.

When to look for a fern flower?

Everything looks simple here. It blooms on the night of Ivan Kupala. So you should look for it at night from 6 to 7 July. It wasn't there! Some argue that Kupala is celebrated on July 7, and you need to look for it on the night of the holiday, therefore, the right night is from July 7 to 8. In addition, according to the old style, this holiday fell on June 23-24, which corresponds to the legend about Perunov color. Approximately for this period, from June 20 to June 26, the summer solstice falls, and it is on these days that Ivan Kupala is celebrated in other countries. With the transition to a new style, the holiday shifted by 2 weeks, and the sun, apparently, was forgotten to be warned, so

June 22 is considered the day of the summer solstice. Moreover, it must be taken into account that the holiday of Ivan Kupala arose as a result of the combination of the pagan holiday of Kupala and the Christian celebration of the birthday of John the Baptist (July 22). So when to look - you have to decide for yourself.

Where to look?

It's clear. Where the ferns grow. But it is unlikely that a fern in a flowerpot from your windowsill or from your summer cottage is suitable for this. We need a wild fern. Its appearance is quite characteristic, so you are unlikely to confuse it with some other plant. Ferns are quite unpretentious, as long as they are warm and damp. Therefore, they grow in forests, swamps, near rivers. But you still have to go into the forest, and into its most remote part.

How to look for a fern flower?

The answer suggests itself - carefully. Although some versions of the legend claim that you need to draw a magic circle with a knife near the fern, which will protect you from evil spirits, sit in it and patiently wait for the flower to appear. It will bloom exactly at midnight and will bloom ... for a while. According to various sources - from one moment to the whole night. It is not clear what this flower looks like. Some say that it is a large red, "fiery" flower, others - silver, others - a small white flower. Everyone agrees on only one thing - this flower glows. From here came its other names: luminous flower, adonis, heat-color, color-light. So, it will not be so difficult to see it at night. They just say it will be scary. The evil spirits will do their best to scare you with visions, various sounds, they may even call you by name. The ideas of our ancestors about this are described by Gogol in May Night. And they also say that this flower has some kind of special guard, the purpose of which is to prevent you from picking the cherished flower.

What to do next?

The flower must be picked quickly. Suddenly it still blooms for only a moment. Then, according to various sources, hide and run, or carefully carry in the palms. The main thing is not to look back. Or, according to other sources, sit in a circle, waiting for the morning. What to do next with him is not clear. Apparently, dry and store in a home herbarium. In one of the legends, it is said that a flower should generally be thrown into the river and make a wish.

What is it for at all?

The owner of the fern flower acquires a lot of superpowers. He will be able to practically everything: understand the language of animals, see treasures through the thickness of the earth, become invisible, instantly transfer from place to place (teleport), be invulnerable, command spirits, in addition, all his desires will be fulfilled. All this will last as long as the fern flower is in your hands. And those willing to take away this flower from you will be enough both among people and among representatives of evil spirits.

Legend of Kupala

According to the legend of the ancient Slavs, Kupala had a sister, Kostroma. In childhood, they were separated by the Sirin bird, which took Kupala to distant lands. Many years later. Once Kupala was sailing in a boat on the river and picked up a wreath of a girl from the water, which turned out to be Kostroma. Brother and sister did not recognize each other, and according to custom they were supposed to get married. And only after the wedding, the spouses learned that they were blood relatives.

Deciding that their family could not endure such a shame, Kostroma threw herself into the river and became a mermaid (mavka), and her brother died by jumping into the fire. One of the gods took pity on Kupala and turned it into a flower, which was later called Ivan da Marya.

The history of the holiday Ivan Kupala

Before the baptism of Rus', our ancestors celebrated Kypala or the Solstice, which was of great importance, since people lived according to natural cycles. With the adoption of Christianity, the date and name of the holiday was associated with the birth of John the Baptist or the Bather, which is celebrated annually on July 7th. Since the date has shifted, the actual day of the solstice no longer coincides with the Kupala holidays. For example, in 2017, the longest daylight hours fell on June 21, and Midsummer Day will be celebrated on the night of July 6-7.

Traditions and rituals of the holiday Ivan Kupala
Ivan Kupala Day is full of traditions and rituals, many of which have survived to this day. The main role was given to the forces of nature, and the symbol of the holiday was the Sun. Ancestors believed that water and fire on this day are endowed with special properties and can save a person from troubles and illnesses. Washing with water and cleansing with fire have become an important tradition of the holiday in memory of Kupala and Kostroma.

On this day, it was customary to kindle fires on the banks of rivers and jump over them, dance, swim in ponds, collect herbs, weave wreaths, with which the girls could find out their fate. Also, according to beliefs, on the night of Kupala, evil spirits roam the area, but they can be scared away and driven away with the help of bonfires.

Early in the morning people usually went to bathe in rivers and lakes. It was believed that bathing in a pond cleanses a person, since on a festive night the water is charged with magical energy and protects people from spiritual and bodily diseases. For the same purpose, at dawn, one could wash with dew.

Fire also had special properties, so it was customary to make fires and jump over them. There was a belief that the one who jumped and did not touch the flame would be lucky for a whole year and be able to find happiness. Mothers burned the clothes of sick children on Kupala bonfires so that the child’s illness would burn with it.

On the night before Ivan's Day, the guys and girls split into pairs, exchanged wreaths and jumped over the fire, holding hands. It was believed that if sparks fly after the couple, and the lock of their hand is not disconnected, then there will be a wedding soon. And those who jumped the highest will be the happiest in marriage.

People paid special attention to plants that, on the night of Ivan Kupala, acquire magical powers and become especially healing, protect from evil spirits and diseases. Herbs were collected at night or at dawn, dried and used throughout the year, until the next summer.

The flower of Ivan da Marya was the symbol of the holiday. Our ancestors believed that the juice of this plant returns lost hearing and mental clarity to people. Ivan da Marya flowers were collected and placed in the corners of the rooms so that thieves would not enter the house. Wormwood also had protective properties, but already from evil spirits. This plant was dried and hung in the house, and also woven into wreaths. And in order to scare away witches, nettles were laid out on the windowsills and doorsteps of the house.

The legend of the fern flower

Talking about the holiday of Ivan Kupala, one cannot fail to mention the legend of the fern flower. According to beliefs, the fern blooms only once a year - on the Kupala night. A bud appears in the center of the bush, which blooms at midnight and becomes a fiery flower. Anyone who manages to break it will be able to see treasures in the ground, understand animals, open locks, take on any form and predict the future. But the flower hunter needs to be careful. When he finds a fern, he should draw a circle around himself with a knife and wait until midnight. Picking a fern flower can be prevented by forest evil spirits, which will call a person by name and make noise. You can’t respond or turn around, otherwise you will lose your life. Having picked a flower, you need to immediately run home without looking back.

Divination on the night of Ivan Kupala

The most common fortune-telling for Kupala were those that could predict an imminent marriage. For the holiday, the girls wove wreaths, inserted lit candles into them and lowered them into the water. If the wreath floats quickly, the wedding is coming soon, and the groom will come from the side where the wreath floated. If she drowns right away, the girl will be unmarried all her life. But the happiest one will be the one whose wreath lasts longer on the water, or the one whose candle burns out more time.

At midnight, the girls plucked an armful of herbs and hid it under their pillows. In the morning they looked: if there are 12 different plants, this year there will be a wedding.

They also guessed on chamomile. To do this, water was poured into a wide and shallow container and two chamomile flowers without stems were placed in it. If they swim in different directions, the lovers will part. If the flowers stick together, the couple will be together all their lives.

One could find out about the future in the following way: light a fire at night and throw grass into the fire. If smoke spreads along the ground, it means that trouble awaits a person, and if it rushes up, there will be happiness, prosperity and prosperity.

It was also believed that if you climb over 12 fences at night, making a wish, it will surely come true within a year.

Photo: website of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Ivan Kupala is a midsummer holiday with ancient traditions and customs. On this day in Rus' people bathed in lakes and rivers, jumped over bonfires and gathered healing herbs.

history of the holiday

Before baptism, the Slavs celebrated the summer solstice Kupalo or Solstice - the "turn" of the sun to decline, which in 2019 falls on June 21.

With the adoption of Christianity, the holiday was timed to coincide with the birth of John the Baptist, which is celebrated on July 7, and the date of the celebration no longer coincides with the astronomical solstice. The name of the holiday "Ivan Kupala" is associated with another name of John the Baptist - the Bather.

Ritual washing with water and cleansing with fire are the main traditions of Ivan's Day.

Traditions and rituals on the night before Ivan Kupala

The night before Ivan Kupala is special. The rituals held on this day are associated with fire, herbs and water: it was customary to kindle fires on the banks of rivers and jump over them, dance, swim, collect herbs, weave wreaths and tell fortunes.

On Kupala, witches, werewolves, sorcerers, mermaids, goblin and mermen become especially dangerous, so you can’t sleep that night.

Swimming in lakes and rivers

One of the main traditions of the holiday is swimming in lakes and rivers. The water in the reservoirs on Kupala becomes healing, acquires special, magical properties.

In addition, on the Kupala night, mermaids and mermen come out of the lakes and rivers, so until August 2, Ilyin's day, you can swim without fear.

At dawn, it was customary to wash with morning dew.

cleansing fire

At sunset, fires were lit by the river or on a high hill, they danced, sang songs, danced, and played games. The Slavs believed that on Kupala the fire acquires a healing cleansing power, removes damage and drives away evil spirits.

On the night before Ivan's Day, they chose a mate for themselves. Guys and girls exchanged wreaths and jumped, holding hands, over the fire. If sparks fly after the couple, and their hands do not separate during the jump, it means that there will be a wedding soon. We watched who jumped higher - he would be happier.

Healing herbs

Herbs on the night of Ivan Kupala acquire magical powers: they become especially healing, give health and vitality, and protect from evil spirits.

Ivanovo herbs were collected at night or at dawn due to dew, dried and used all year round.

One of the symbols of Ivan's Day is the Ivan da Marya flower. According to an old belief, the juice squeezed from this plant restores hearing and a lost mind. The flowers of Ivan da Marya, collected on the Kupala night, were placed in the corners of the rooms so that thieves would not enter the house.

Wormwood had great power to protect against evil spirits: it was dried and hung in the house, woven into wreaths and worn on the belt. To scare away witches, who became especially dangerous on Midsummer Night, nettles were laid out on the threshold and window sills in the house.

Fern flower

According to legend, on the night before Ivan Kupala, a fern blooms: a flower arrow with a bud resembling hot coal appears from the center of the bush, and exactly at midnight a fiery flower appears for a moment. If you break it, you can acquire the ability to see treasures buried in the ground, understand the language of animals, open all the locks by simply attaching a flower to them, gain the gift of foresight, take on any shape and become invisible.

The flower hunter should draw a circle around himself with a consecrated knife and wait until midnight. It is difficult to pick a fern flower, as the forest evil spirits prevent this in every possible way: it calls out, calls in a familiar voice, makes noise. In no case should you respond or turn around - you can lose your life. Having obtained a flower, you need to hide it in your bosom and run away without looking back.

Divination and beliefs

On Ivan Kupala, girls weave wreaths, stick candles into them, let them float on the water and tell fortunes. If the wreath does not sink, but floats, then a quick marriage awaits. The happiest will be the one whose wreath lasts longer on the water, and whoever burns out the candle the longest will live the longest life.

At midnight, without looking, you need to collect a bunch of herbs and put it under your pillow, and in the morning check if there are twelve different plants. If you have enough - to be married this year. They also put a plantain under the head, which in the old days was called a tripod, saying “Triptnik-fellow, you live on the road, you see the young and the old, tell me my betrothed!”

According to legend, you can expect the fulfillment of a wish if you climb over the fences of twelve gardens on Midsummer Day.

It is believed that those who take part in the celebration of Ivan Kupala Day will definitely find their happiness and love.

Ivan da Marya

Among the Eastern Slavs, the Ivan da Marya flower was a symbol of Kupala celebrations. In many places, among Russians, it is also known under the names "flower of Kupala", "kupavka",

"Swimsuit", "Ivankovsky color". Belarusians call it “brother and sister” and “weeping flower”, and Ukrainians call it “brothers”.

The origin of this flower among the Eastern Slavs and some peoples neighboring them - Poles, Lithuanians, is associated with the folklore motif of punishing a brother and sister for incest - incestuous marriage. So, the Russians know a belief about the transformation of a brother and sister, who entered into a forbidden relationship, into a flower, which, according to their names - Ivan and Marya, began to be called Ivan-da-Marya. Legends with a similar plot are widespread among Ukrainians and Poles: brother and sister, separated in childhood, traveled around the world for a long time, and when they met, they did not recognize each other, got married and only later found out that they were brother and sister. Out of shame and grief, they turned into grass, the flowers of which are blue and yellow. In the folklore of all Eastern Slavs, there are ballads and songs that tell that a brother and sister almost got married or already got married, but before the wedding night they found out about their relationship:

And they got married on Sunday

On Monday they went to bed.

Began torturing the kid

What kind of girl.

"I'm from Kyiv Voytovna, According to Father Karpovna!"

The girl began to torture

What kind of kid:

"I'm from Kyiv Voytovich, According to Father Karpovich!"

“Oh, and where was it,

For a sister to follow a brother?

Sister does not follow brother

A brother does not take his sister!

We'll go to the field

We will throw off the grass

And what about brother and sister!

Konik walks

Raven.

On that horse

Ivan is sitting

Behind him Marya

Running after:

"Wait, Ivan

I'll say something!

Love you

I will go with you!

Three riddles.

What is growing

Rootless?

What is burning

Without firewood?

What is running

With no reason?"

Like other herbs, the Ivan da Marya flower on the day of the summer solstice, when nature reached its peak, possessed, according to popular belief, magical power, which the peasants tried to use in time. Everywhere on the day of Agrafena Kupalnitsa and Ivan Kupala, herbs and flowers were collected in forests and fields. As a rule, girls and pullets - those who got married in the current year - went after them. In the Pskov province, they walked across the field in a "row" - holding hands, five or six people - and, collecting plants, they always sang:

Let's go, girls, meadow,

Let's become, girls, around,

I'll pick a flower

Sow a wreath

Where shall we put them?

We'll dress the bride.

Folk names: brother and sister, yellowberry, Ivan's grass.

Magic use: anti-demon herb. She removes evil spirits due to the fact that with the help of the reserves of the organism itself, it eliminates energy holes into which evil penetrates. This beautiful grass has practically no effect on a person’s thoughts. Ivan da Marya is used only in infusions.

This herb allows the body to achieve harmony of Yin and Yang energy, helps a person achieve happiness in life, attracts to him what he lacks.

It calms the nervous system, with the constant use of this herb, a person becomes noticeably prettier. But this herb retains its strength for a very short time. Having collected it near the day of Ivan Kupala (when it ripens), you will be able to fully use it for no more than a full lunar month. When dried, it loses about 10 percent of its healing properties every lunar month, although its chemical composition remains the same. But even more so, try not to miss the opportunity to wash yourself with a whisk of Ivan da Mary on the evening of July 7 (on the day of Ivan Kupala) in order to wash off those entities that, having stuck to you, devour beauty and well-being.

Many legends were composed by the Slavs about this flower, common in Russian fields and forests.

These are mythical brother and sister, who, according to one version, did not know about their relationship and got married. For violation of custom, they were turned into a flower by God.

In another way - they turned themselves, so as not to be separated.

Thirdly, the brother intended to kill his sister because she wanted to seduce him, and she asked to plant a flower on her grave.

There is another beautiful legend: once Ivan da Marya went to the forest for mushrooms. They came to the forest, and then a thunderstorm began. The mushroom pickers had nowhere to hide, and Ivan shielded Marya with himself. The storm subsided, and Ivan and Marya returned home safe and sound. And in the place where the young man saved the girl, grass rose with beautiful purple leaves, which protect yellow flowers from bad weather, just as Ivan protected Marya from a thunderstorm.

Combining yellow and blue, the flower reflected the Kupala meanings of fire and water, which are so widely used during the festival. The central characters in the rituals and songs were Ivan and Marya. The holiday of the highest flowering of natural forces became the apotheosis of human love, therefore this flower was the embodiment of a strong love passion. Giving this flower to each other, they confessed their love, devotion and fidelity.

Not quite accurately, the flower is identified with a tricolor violet, or pansies. Pansies - this name has its own mythological explanation. Allegedly, this is a girl who was turned into a flower for excessive curiosity about someone else's life.

Ivan da Marya- not such a harmless plant as it might seem at first. It has special suckers on its roots that attach to the roots of other plants and suck the juices out of them. Thus, oak maryannik receives additional nutrients.