Many rituals on Ivan Kupala - in 2019 the holiday falls on the night of July 6-7 - are associated with herbs, which are believed to acquire special healing properties on this day.
On the eve of the holiday, it is customary to decorate houses with greenery. To protect loved ones from the action of evil forces, amulets herbs are hung in houses: willow-herb, nettle, lovage, periwinkle, wormwood.
In the old days, girls wove wreaths of flowers and exchanged them with their betrothed. They told fortunes by dipping the wreaths into the water. It was believed that if wreaths floated on water, it promised a long, happy life, and for girls it foreshadowed a quick marriage.
How and from what to make a wreath for Ivan Kupala?
The rounded shape of the wreath is a symbol of eternity and the sun, which gives life to all life on earth.
How can you weave a wreath for Ivan Kupala with your own hands? Pick fresh flowers with long, flexible stems. These can be daisies, dandelions, cornflowers, clover, etc.
Place two flower stems together or combine several large flowers into a bunch. Take the next flower and wrap its stem around the first ones. Weave all the flowers in this way.
Connect the ends of the wreath by weaving the ends of the stems into the base of the wreath. You can decorate the junction with a flower or a bow.
What is the best way to make a wreath for Ivan Kupala? To make it durable, you will need tree branches, field grasses, flowers, wire and tape.
You can use birch twigs, mouse peas, dandelions, white rose hips, bluegrass, and chickweed. Select three types of plants and combine them into bunches, securing the bases of the bouquets to a thin wire with tape.
Then lay the bunches of plants crosswise and connect them with adhesive tape. Form a circle of the desired diameter and connect the end and beginning of the wreath. At the junction, decorate it with decorative tape.
Let's talk about another way to weave a wreath with your own hands for Ivan Kupala. Make a wire frame by bending it into a ring. Then braid the base with thin branches of trees or shrubs, add fresh greenery and flowers.
Such wreaths are woven from periwinkle, cornflower, chamomile, red poppy, and fern. To make the wreath beautiful, all natural decorative elements are attached in one direction. To cover the wire attachment points, place bows, beads and other decorative elements here.
Another option for making a wreath for Ivan Kupala. It can be made from tree branches. It is better to use vine, willow or birch branches.
Form a ring from the prepared branches. Tie it with a ribbon or strong thread to match the branches, and secure the edge with thin decorative wire or ribbon. Then the wreath needs to be dried for about a week and decorated with flowers.
The holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated from July 6 to 7 and is the most fun and at the same time the most mystical holiday. This night is the shortest of the year and according to beliefs that have come down to us from ancient times, you cannot sleep, as all evil spirits come to life and become especially active - witches, mermaids, sorcerers, merman, goblin, brownies. On this night, unmarried girls must swim naked and weave wreaths, floating them on the water, to find out about their betrothed. On this day, the Orthodox Church honors the forerunner of the Messiah, the Holy Prophet John the Baptist, who, by the way, invented the ritual of baptism in water and is believed to drive away evil spirits and mermaids from the water on his day.
A wreath is not only a decoration, but also a talisman against the evil eye and evil spirits and is traditionally woven from Ivan da Marya grass, cornflower, lovage, mint, periwinkle, chamomile, field poppies, hops, sometimes weaving in berries for beauty. The girl floated the ready-made wreath down the river with a lit candle, and if it floated quickly, it meant that she would soon get married, and if it spun in one place, then she would be unmarried for another year. If it happened that the wreath sank, then this meant that the beloved had fallen out of love and that loneliness awaited her in the near future.
How to weave a wreath
Although it is believed that weaving a wreath is a whole science, the Kupala wreath is woven very simply and flowers and greenery can be added according to your desire and taste. For this you will need flowers with leaves and long stems, but no more than four shades, otherwise the wreath will look ugly.
We connect two or more flower stems together and wrap the stem of the next flower around them so that it fits tightly to the previous one. We continue to weave until the wreath fits the size of the head. Then we connect the ends together with ribbon or grass and the wreath is ready.
Symbolism of flowers in a wreath
Each flower woven into the Kupala wreath had its own interpretation. It is believed that field poppy protects against the evil eye and all evil. White flowers are a symbol of purity and tenderness, and periwinkle is a symbol of beauty and declaration of love. Immortelle, as you may have guessed, was considered a symbol of health and longevity.
Home amulet made from herbs
Wormwood, nettle, twigs of thorny plants, collected on the night of Ivan Kupala, are a talisman for the house against all evil and evil spirits. Flowers of Ivan da Marya protect housing from thieves and bad people. They need to be placed in the corners of the apartment or house.
On the night of Ivan Kupala, all herbs become medicinal and must be collected early in the morning before sunrise on the eve of the holiday. You can try your luck and look in the forest for a fern flower, which blooms at midnight for just a few minutes and whoever finds it will be able to see treasures, even those buried deep underground.
The video shows how to weave a wreath from different flowers:
In the summer, many girls weave unusually beautiful decorations for themselves - wreaths from various flowers and plants. There are many variations of this decoration, but among them stands out the Kupala wreath, an essential element of festive games. TV-3 will tell you about this ritual object and all its unusual properties.
Since ancient times, on the night of Ivan Kupala, girls wove wreaths and threw them into the water. It is worth noting that these special wreaths were woven in a certain way, which all the girls knew then. Kupala wreaths should consist of a variety of herbs: bellflower, St. John's wort, yarrow, hawthorn, basil, Ivan da Marya, rose, fern, oak and birch branches. It is these plants that give the festive wreath special, magical properties. Our ancestors believed that when you weave a wreath, you create your own good fortune, so they took the weaving process very seriously. The time of making this attribute was also considered important: the Kupala wreath is woven early in the morning, before the dew has disappeared.
As for the unique properties of the wreath, it was believed that it has great power. On the night before Ivan Kupala, girls threw wreaths into the water and told fortunes about their betrothed - this ritual in some Russian villages was called “silent water.” Also, some girls lowered wreaths with lit splinters into the water. Whose wreath floats the longest will be the happiest and will definitely get married soon. Whose torch burns longer will live a long, long life. And if the wreath immediately sinks, or if it washes up on the shore, then the betrothed has fallen out of love, and you will no longer marry him.
In addition to fortune telling, Kupala wreaths were used to protect homes, livestock and gardens: they were hung over the doors of houses and barns “so that evil would not penetrate inside”; hung on beds with peas and beans, “so that lightning would not scorch the colors”; put on the horns of cows “to protect them from witches.”
At the end of all rituals, wreaths that were not used were most often destroyed: they were burned in a fire, thrown into a well, thrown onto a tall tree, or taken to a cemetery. Under no circumstances could such a wreath be simply thrown away: it was believed that then the newly collected Kupala herbs would not have magical properties.
Come to Izmailovsky Park at 14:00 on July 9 and 10 and celebrate Ivan Kupala with TV-3!
Other eventsThe master class was conducted by Julia Konstantinidi.
In July there is a wonderful holiday of Ivan Kupala, which from time immemorial has been revered in many European countries. One of the most romantic traditions on this day is to weave wreaths and float them on water in the hope that the groom will find him. Why not resume this tradition?
Materials:
field herbs and flowers (mouse peas, birch branches, dandelions, white rose hips, bluegrass, chickweed).
Tools:
scissors;
pruner;
tape;
wire.
How to make a Kupala wreath.
We select three types of plants and combine them into a bundle, securing them to the wire with tape.
1
Take the next combination of plants and do the same. Alternate plants to make the wreath more interesting.
2
We lay the bunches of plants crosswise and connect them with tape.
3
We form a circle of the required diameter and connect the end and beginning of the wreath with tape.
4
You can leave a small distance at the junction to decorate the wreath with decorative ribbon.
5
Magic on Ivan Kupala.
Originally, the holiday of Kupala was dedicated to the highest flowering of the sun - the summer solstice. And this, as you know, is June 22. Therefore, historians believe that Kupala should be celebrated not from July 7 to 8, but from June 22 to 23. The ancestors believed that on this night the sun begins to lose its power and evil spirits gain power.That is why the symbol of the holiday was the Kupala bonfire, around which people gathered. He personified the sun and protected from evil spirits. Young people stood closest to the fire, behind them were middle-aged people, and farthest away were old people. These three circles symbolized the pattern of life.
Everything on this day took on a magical meaning. Including herbs collected in order to weave a wreath. It was worn by unmarried girls and used for fortune telling and various rituals. He was a symbol of girlhood. The ritual of lowering wreaths into the water meant that the girl was looking for her beloved and was ready to give him her virginity.
Those couples who had already found each other, holding hands, jumped over the fire, “burning” their previous single status and thereby announcing that they wanted to start a family.
On July 7, 2019, during the summer solstice, the holiday of Ivan Kupala, which has come down to us from time immemorial, will be celebrated.
It is also called Midsummer's Day, Kupala, Yarilin's Day, Ivan the Swimsuit, Ivan the Koldovnik, Kolosok, Kupala Night. It is believed that the name Ivan Kupala is also a popular version of the name John the Baptist.
For this holiday, the Slavs decorated their houses with greenery. To protect themselves from evil forces, they hung herbs and tree branches in their homes to serve as amulets: willow, nettle, lovage, periwinkle, willow, wormwood.
One of the symbols of this holiday was the Kupala tree: a young birch, willow, spruce, pine or fir, which was decorated with wreaths, wildflowers, ribbons and danced around.
At night, no one went to bed - people collected herbs, as it was believed that at this time they acquired special healing and magical properties. During the gathering, prayers and incantations were read. The girls wove wreaths of flowers and exchanged them with their betrothed.
Traditions of weaving wreaths on Ivan Kupala
There were a number of rules that were followed when making wreaths for Ivan Kupala. To make them, it was necessary to collect 12 types of plants from 12 fields early in the morning, before the dew dried.
Usually it was yarrow, immortelle, chamomile, red poppy, red carnation, hops, marigolds, lovage, ninesil, verbena, basil, peas, etc. The color of the plants also mattered.
Red flowers were chosen by girls who were dating guys, green flowers were chosen by single girls of marriageable age, blue ones were intended for orphans, and only girls adorned their wreaths with white ones, which were a symbol of innocence. Such headwear served not only for decoration, but also as a talisman against evil spirits.
When collecting flowers, people made offerings to the spirits of nature and read conspiracies - for example, these:
***
My little flower,
Come to my wreath
Bring your betrothed
Give love.
***
How do you, (name of the flower), bloom, blossom,
so let it be with me, (name),
there will be plenty of money and all kinds of goodness.
Many told fortunes by dipping wreaths into the water.
If they floated on water, it promised a long happy life, and also marriage for the girls.
If the wreath sank immediately, it means that the loved one has fallen out of love and in the near future the girl will be left alone.
If the wreath was spinning in one place or stuck to the shore, there will be no marriage proposal this year.
Nowadays, wreaths are mainly woven to feel the holiday atmosphere.
How to make a wreath for Ivan Kupala with your own hands?
Fresh wildflowers with long, flexible stems are suitable for it: daisies, dandelions, cornflowers, clover, etc.
You can use berries with stems. Do not tear off the leaves to ensure a lush wreath. Place two flower stems together or combine several large flowers into a bunch.
Wrap the stem of the next flower around the first ones and thus weave in all the flowers. To connect the ends of the wreath, weave the ends of the stems into the base. You can cover the junction with a flower or a beautiful bow.
Another option for making a wreath for Ivan Kupala
You can also make a more durable wreath, the weaving technique of which is somewhat different from the classical one.
How can you make it yourself for the holiday of Ivan Kupala? You will need field herbs, flowers (periwinkle, cornflowers, daisies, red poppy, fern, etc.), wire and tape.
First, make a wire frame for the wreath by bending it into a ring. Then wrap tape around the base, braid it with thin branches of trees or shrubs - so that each next branch covers the base of the previous one. The stems can be fixed to the base, additionally secured with jute.
Add large flowers, then smaller wildflowers, also securing them with jute or “screwing” them between the frame and branches. If the stems are long, wrap them around the wreath in several places, while fixing the flower heads at the top.
To make the product beautiful, all natural decorative elements must be attached in one direction. To cover the wire attachment points, place bows, beads, etc. here.
Another way to weave a wreath for Ivan Kupala yourself
Let's talk about another way to make a wreath with your own hands for Ivan Kupala. To make it durable, you will need wire and tape, tree branches, field grasses, flowers (young birch branches, mouse peas, dandelions, white rose hips, bluegrass, chickweed, etc. are suitable).
Alternate plants to make the wreath beautiful and original. Select three types of plants and connect them into bunches, securing the bases of the bouquets to the wire with tape. Then lay the bunches of plants crosswise and connect them together with adhesive tape.
Form a circle of the desired diameter to match the size of your head and connect the ends of the wreath. Decorate it at the junction with decorative ribbon.
Or you can weave a wreath from just tree branches. For such a product it is better to use vine, willow or birch branches. How can you make such a wreath yourself for Ivan Kupala? Form a ring of the desired size from the prepared branches.
Tie it with a ribbon or strong thread to match the branches, and secure the edge with thin decorative wire or ribbon. Then the wreath needs to be dried for about a week. If you wish, you can decorate it with ribbons, beads and other decorative elements.