FUNCION & PERFORMANCE

Performance: Kupala Night

Historical context:

Midsummer's Day holiday, when the shortest night of the year was celebrated. For this reason, numerous rituals were focused on this night.

'This holiday symbolizes the birth of the summer sun – Kupalo. The history of the Christian Church can answer us how the pagan deity Kupalo get the name of Ivan. In the IV century AD, this day was proclaimed the holiday of the birth of John the Baptist - the forerunner of Jesus Christ. As a result of the Christianization of the pagan feast the name "Kupala" got connected with the Christian "Ivan"'.

https://authenticukraine.com.ua/en/blog/kupala

Cultural context:

The holiday is called and celebrated differently in many countries.

midsommar (mid-summer) – in Sweden,

Saint Jeans (St. Jean) - in France,

flakagajt (day of fire) – for Albanians,

sobotka – for Polish,

kresu den (fire day) – for Slovenians,

Janovden – for Bulgarians,

Ivana Kupala – for Eastern Slavs.

I will focus on how it affects the country and areas I come from.

Three distinctive things about the night.

1. FIRE

The ritual bonfire on the feast of Ivan Kupala is connected with the cult of the sun. so the place for it was chosen, as a rule, on the hills to raise the flame as high as possible. Also, people rolled burning wheels, wrapped in straw from the top of the mountains. For the fire, people collected all the trash straws, old clothes, and wheels. With all this, the "impure force" had to be burnt. Everyone present had to bring something to the fire, otherwise, this person could be beaten there: "Those who come without a log, they will come back without a knee." The Kupala fire was set, as a rule, by a woman or a girl endowed with the function of childbirth, and the fire had a fertilizing power. Therefore, to be able to continue the race, all the girls and young women had necessarily to be at the festival. The most important ritual on this day is "purification" by fire. People did not sleep the whole night and danced around the fire. The boys and girls, holding hands, jumped over the fire.

KEYWORDS: hill, fire, dance, wheel

2. WATER

Water had the power of "purification", and "recovery". So on this day, bathing was a ritual and it was known to all the peoples of Europe.

On this magical night, girls standing on the verge of getting married used to throw garlands into the current of rivers - in this way they tried to foretell a quick marriage. Initially, garlands were woven from ordinary straw, in which flowers were woven; in later times, garlands looked like bouquets, but there was one restriction that had to be observed, the garland had to consist of seven plants that were considered magical: mugwort, burdock, sundew, sage, St. John's wort, rue, and mullein. It was believed to ward off evil spirits. Wreaths were let loose by girls, and below the river waited for boys who tried to catch the garlands. Anyone who succeeded would return to the celebrating cluster of girls to point out the owner of the catch. If the bundle became entangled in algae, it meant old age and single motherhood for the girl. The worst omen was the extinguishing of the candle. Then even the greatest love was destined to burn out.

KEYWORDS: Garlands, water, bouquets

3. Vegetation

It was a special day honoring plants. Fern was considered the main grass of Kupala, brave people set out on the night of Kupala to look for a mysterious flower in the forest. Whoever found it was supposed to be healthy and rich. There was also a custom of collecting medicinal plants on Kupala; decorating homes with herbs, and ferns.

Legends about the fern flower, also known as the perun flower, tell of many people who wandered through forests and swamps trying to find the magical fern flower, bestowing wealth, strength, and wisdom, visible only by a glimpse. In Czech and German legends, the finder of the fern flower should look for treasures in the dark forest. In French - on the highest hill in the area, which he is supposed to reach by shining the fiery flower like a torch. In Russian legends, after picking a burning flower, one should throw it as high into the air as possible and look for treasure where it falls.

KEYWORDS: search, fern flower, happiness

REFLECTION: I believe that such traditions have their charm, at the same time they bring people very close and cultivate tradition. However, I look unfavorably at the stereotype of this cult. Because I know how it could affect others, especially women who were unlucky in love and were predicted to become singles. It is known that in those days, relationships, marriage, and having a family were viewed differently, there was not the freedom we have now. However, I find the cult itself very interesting.

Political/ethical context:

The rituals have been recognized by the church as pagan, making them incompatible with the religion, so the church forbids the celebration.

However, a solution has been found in Poland for how to remember this tradition. An event called "Wianki" (eng. Wreaths,) a cyclical cultural event was organized, taking place annually in Krakow at the bend of Wisła river, near the Wawel hill.

I think that in this project I would like to illustrate the cult and convey the effect of the lightness that this tradition had - it was understood differently in different countries. I also feel emotionally connected to it, as in earlier years I frequented an event in Krakow related to it.
What I would most like to appeal to is the cult of garlands itself, as many childhood memories came back to me during my research. One of them points to how I used to sit in the garden with my great-grandmother and learn how to weave garlands.

Research This page is part of the collection 'Part 2'.

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